OPINION: Living on a prayer and making it count

Surely Bon Jovi must be more than halfway there by now. That’s how I think about serving on the APS Board of Education — wondering if we’ll ever “make it,” but still thinking “We’ll give it a shot!” With that mindset, I offer my responses to questions from the Journal’s community council.

First, what is within my power to change, as a school board member?

I’ve learned that significant change in education hinges on adults — teachers, administrators, and yes, board members — being willing to transform their own behavior. Change starts with me; I have the power to control my own behaviors and beliefs. I can’t change other people’s mindsets easily, but I can set high expectations, bring urgency, and stay focused on what matters most: students. In APS, that focus is guided by our community-set goals and strategic plan.

And that focus is working. APS has four goals. All are on track:

Goal 1 – Early Literacy:

• 24.8% of first graders in the target group met proficiency benchmarks — surpassing the 2025 target of 20%. Second graders reached 25.6% proficiency, exceeding the 2025 target of 21.3%.

Goal 2 – Middle School Math:

• 15.1% of sixth-grade students in the target group are proficient — up 4.2 points from the beginning of the year and on pace to meet the 2025 goal of 19.6%. Seventh graders rose from 9.5% to 12.9% proficiency at mid-year.

Goal 3 – Postsecondary Readiness:

• 54.9% of 10th-grade students earned credit in a Career-Connected Learning course, surpassing the 2025 target. 42.9% of 11th graders earned AP credit, exceeding the 2025 goal of 42.7%.

Goal 4 – Skills, Habits and Mindsets:

• Grades 3–5 met or exceeded 2025 targets across all areas: perseverance (57%), self-regulation (67%), self-efficacy (54%), and social awareness (66%). Grades 6–12 are mostly on track: three of four areas met 2025 targets, with only self-regulation (66%) falling slightly short of the 68% benchmark. In addition to serving on the board, I’m also a parent and a graduate of APS. This work is personal. That’s why I study what’s working in other communities and bring those lessons here.

For example:

• Louisiana shows the power of high-quality instructional materials.
• Nashville follows the science of learning and development.
• Chicago tracks ninth grade success as a predictor of graduation.
• California’s CORE Districts measure school climate to improve student experience.
• Kentucky centers student voice in decisions.
• Rhode Island emphasizes real-world learning.
• Iowa invests in teacher leadership.
• St. Louis and Oakland use unified enrollment to ensure fair access to schools.
• Baltimore and D.C. provide model lesson plans to ensure high-quality teaching.

Each of these strategies makes the system work better — for students and families.

Who am I accountable to? The public, because they voted me into office. When I ran, I knocked on doors and listened to what families wanted: I heard over and over again that people wanted something different. What they wanted was for their children, our city’s children — to know how to read and do math. That’s what drives my decision-making. This role is about making tough calls in service of student outcomes and that involves weighing trade-offs and making difficult decisions. We can’t make all of the adults happy all of the time, but we can prioritize our students.

Success isn’t about headlines or popularity — it’s about whether more of our students can succeed in school and life. The public told us what goals matter. It’s our job to deliver. As Bon Jovi would say, “Take my hand, we’ll make it I swear.” True change takes time —but we’re on our way.