The Future of Education in SLPS with Dr. Adams

September 6, 2021

“I am hopeful that this dialogue can get us focusing on the resource that’s most important to this community, and that’s kids; not the dollars, and not the buildings.”

Dr. Kelvin Adams


Welcome to Navigate STL Schools, a podcast.  

Today’s guest is Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of Schools for the Saint Louis Public School District. Dr. Adams has a PhD in Educational Leadership and has been working in education since the late 1970s. In this episode, Dr. Adams sits down with Staci to discuss the future of Saint Louis public schools with collaboration at the forefront and how they will allocate COVID relief funds to address inequality in the district.

They discuss:

  • Dr. Adams’ personal K-12 experience
    • New Orleans public school education from K-12
  • Post-Secondary Education and Race
    • Attended Northeast Louisiana University on a basketball scholarship
    • First school encounter with primarily white peers
    • Learned how to relate to people who didn’t look like him
    • Earned his undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education
  • Post-College Career
    • Principal in New Orleans for ten years
    • Ran Recovery School District after Hurricane Katrina
  • Day-to-Day Job Responsibilities as Superintendent
    • Operations of 67 schools, 4,000 employees
  • Unexpected Encounters in SLPS
    • Lack of a strategic plan to address inequality
  • Consolidation of SLPS
    • Reinvestment in North St. Louis has to be in partnership with the city and other partners
    • Closed 15 schools this year
    • Closing schools is an attempt to equalize the playing field
  • Biggest Challenges
    • Lack of coordination in previous years, but that’s changing
    • More partnerships and collaboration is happening
    • Changing the focus to “how can we support kids?”
  • Plan for SLPS Post-COVID
    • COVID highlighted the extreme disparities that already existed
    • SLPS has received $156 million through the CARES ACT
    • SLPS sent out a community survey to seek feedback on where funds should be allocated
      • They received 2,910 responses 
    • Committees are working together on fund distribution
      • Committees consist of teachers, principals, students, parents, and others 
    • SLPS is prioritizing equal access to technology
  • 5 Focus Areas Post-COVID at SLPS
    • Reading
    • Math
    • Climate and Culture
    • Equity
    • Addressing Trauma
  • What’s at the heart of the divide in the Saint Louis public school debates?
    • Race
    • Poverty
    • How charters were implemented in the past
    • Misinformation 
  • Hope for the future of SLPS
    • Real conversations
    • Collaboration
    • Student-focused
  • What should parents consider when choosing a school for their child?
    • One size doesn’t fit all. Every school is different, and every child is different
  • How can community organizations support families?
    • Provide families with accurate data-driven information 
    • Strive for uniform data
  • Why should families choose SLPS?
    • The sheer volume of options
    • Wraparound support services provided
      • Full-time counselors
      • Full-time social workers
      • FT nurses
    • History of innovation
      • 1st African American public high school west of the Mississippi

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