Trent North remembers being the only Black eighth grade teacher at Carrollton Middle School in the 1990s. Now that he thinks about it, he may have been the only Black teacher in the entire school.
North recalled his solo status ended when Calvin Watts showed up about three years later.
North taught history, focusing on Georgia studies and government. Watts taught and coached the girls soccer team.
Three decades later, North and Watts are now the top administrators of two nearby school districts in metro Atlanta. North became superintendent of Douglas County in 2017 and was one of four finalists for national superintendent of the year in 2023. Watts was hired in 2021 as superintendent of Gwinnett County, the state’s largest school district.
The list of Black male superintendents in the region has increased in recent years. Anthony W. Smith and Devon Horton became superintendents of Clayton and DeKalb counties last year. (Smith was previously Clayton’s interim superintendent.) Bryan Johnson was hired as Atlanta’s superintendent in July. John Pace III arrived here a few weeks ago to lead Henry County’s school system.
Credit: HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS
Credit: HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS
North and some educators say it’s not a coincidence. Many of these districts have become more racially diverse in recent years. Education leaders are paying more attention to research that shows students, particularly students of color, with racially diverse teachers were more engaged in the classroom and scored higher on end-of-year math and language arts tests. About 50% of the students in those six districts last school year were Black, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of state enrollment data.
The increase locally is in stark contrast to statistics that show just 4% of superintendents across the nation were Black, according to a 2022 survey by the School Superintendents Association.
The superintendents here are aware of the statistics. They say their roles come with a responsibility to improve academic outcomes for students of color, particularly those from lower income communities. The 2023 graduation rates for economically disadvantaged students in those districts were at or below the districtwide average, according to state data.
In interviews, the superintendents also said it’s important to them to recruit and mentor more Black men to teach. Just 2% of all teachers nationwide are Black men, according to some data. Additionally, the superintendents talked about their efforts to reduce disciplinary violations for students of color, which has been a long-standing concern among many educators in Georgia.
“We feel that weight and responsibility,” said Johnson, adding these issues are also important to his school board. “It’s mission work, so to speak.”
Smith spoke about the effort throughout his career to get more historically disadvantaged students into honors and Advanced Placement classes.
“Sometimes you have to fight for your students,” said Smith.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
An unconventional path
Not all of the men planned to become superintendents, or educators. North started his career on an unexpected path — a managerial job at McDonald’s. He initially planned to go to law school.
“I had just finished interning at the (Georgia) General Assembly,” North said. “I had a little too much fun at the General Assembly and missed my application deadline.”
As he waited for applications to open again an old coach saw him working and suggested a new career path: becoming an educator.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
North took him up on his offer and started as a paraprofessional in Carrollton City Schools.
“Once I was in the classroom with the students, I never looked back,” North said.
He stayed in the role for a year, and then began teaching. North loved it, he said, and as he continued teaching, he noticed that when there was a discipline issue in other classrooms or in the hallways, he was the go-to person for help.
‘You’re hired’
Horton, who has a similar story to North, started teaching middle school in his hometown of Chicago.
It was 2000, and he had just graduated from Jackson State University in Mississippi, looking for his first job. His plan was to physically drop off his resume to schools, but that plan became a bit harder when he said someone stole his car.
“I was getting on public transportation with my little briefcase, with summer clothes on, and going around to different schools,” Horton said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
After making a few stops at schools, Horton said he ran into a man who let him in his building.
“He said, ‘Hey, what are you here for?” I said “Hey, I just got my teaching certification, I’m interested in becoming a teacher.”
The man asked Horton what grade he was interested in teaching and also did a short interview.
“He interviews me, but he doesn’t ask me anything about my pedagogy, or anything about my teaching strategies,” Horton said. “What he asked me about was who I was, my character.”
Turns out, he was talking with the school principal.
“He said, ‘You know what, you’re hired,’” Horton recalled.
He taught for about 10 years, teaching math, social studies and physical education.
Horton then moved to assistant principal, and other administrative roles before taking his first superintendent job in 2020 in Evanston, Illinois.
From tutor to teacher to superintendent
Watts took a slightly different path.
He said education became his “life’s work” after tutoring students in a homeless shelter after graduating from Howard University.
“I said to myself, ‘Is this just a job or could this be a career?’” Watts said. He has a number of educators in his family, he said, and felt like he was and still is on the right path.
After graduating from college, Watts moved back home to the Seattle area, teaching sixth grade for a couple of years, before moving to Atlanta to teach.
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
The bulk of his time was spent in Gwinnett, where he was an assistant principal and associate superintendent for about 13 years. He went back to the state of Washington and served as superintendent in the Kent School District for six years, before returning to Gwinnett as superintendent in 2021.
Pace, the newest hire, noted he was “voluntold” by his high school band director at Miami Norland High School in Florida to become an educator. He resisted at first. His mother and other relatives were educators. He saw the hard work it took to do their jobs. Pace, who played the trombone, aspired to become a music producer.
Pace, though, followed the marching orders. He became a band director, at one point leading his alma mater. He was a teacher. He was encouraged to become an administrator.
“They kept me engaged until we are here at this point today. So I think that’s a role we all play now into keeping our teachers engaged in the field of education,” Pace said.
Pace, like the others, gradually worked his way to his current job. He was a teacher, an assistant principal, a principal and then a top official in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Pace said much of his work as an administrator was to improve academic outcomes in what he described as some of the district’s most challenging schools.
‘Representation matters’
Several mentioned getting mentoring along the way and their efforts to mentor other aspiring educators and leaders. Smith was an inaugural member of the School Superintendents Association’s academy to train educators to assume superintendent roles, especially in districts with large and diverse populations.
Sometimes, some said, it’s just as important to be seen by students. Johnson’s plan for his first 100 days includes visiting each Atlanta school in part to gain a better understanding of the work taking place. The visits could include meeting a future teacher or superintendent.
“Representation matters,” Johnson said. “Students need to see themselves. Our young Black students need to see that being an educator is a great profession.”
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC
They deflect when asked if they’ve encountered overt racism as they moved up through their careers.
“The moment I begin to think about how difficult my challenge might be, I quickly think about the people who came before me,” said Johnson.
The National Alliance of Black School Educators is having its annual conference in Atlanta in early November. One session will focus on what’s described as the “unjust treatment of urban superintendents, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds.”
The power of mentoring
The average superintendent tenure is three years. Smith said it’s tough, but rewarding work. The benefits come in different ways, such as a longtime mentoring relationship he has with Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen. They met when Allen was a student at Pointe South Middle School in Clayton and Smith was the eighth grade principal. Allen dropped by Smith’s office one day to say hello. Smith said he was expecting Allen. The student was surprised. Smith offered him a summer job as a school custodian making above minimum wage, a job he had for three years.
Allen said he felt empowered when Smith praised his work. The student idolized the educator. He wanted to be like Smith.
“You need to be better than me,” Smith told him.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
There were moments of tough love. Allen was fired from his school job after his grades slipped. He was rehired when they improved. Smith soon became principal at Mundy Mill’s High School. He helped Allen transfer from Riverdale High to Mundy’s Mill, but there were conditions, which included no disciplinary problems. Allen had to leave Mundy’s Mill when he got in a fight with a classmate to defend himself.
The future sheriff got his GED and kept in touch with Smith when Allen joined the military. When Smith calls Allen for help with requests such as speaking to a mentorship group, Allen answers.
Allen, who paused a few times during the interview, said he could not have received such support from anyone else.
“(Smith) took the opportunity to help me when he didn’t have to,” Allen said.
Staff writer Eric Stirgus contributed to this article.
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