Aug. 13, 2014
TLES alumni Robert Simmons.
D.C. Public Schools has recently hired Robert Simmons, an alumni of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies for a new senior-level position as the system’s chief of innovation and research.
Simmons has chosen to take an indefinite sabbatical from his position as Director of the Center for Innovation in Urban Education at Loyola University Maryland where he is also a professor of urban education.
"I am excited to join the amazing educators in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Having spent my entire career focusing on urban education I can think of no better place to learn and collaborate with courageous educators, led by Kaya Henderson, and the amazing community of Washington DC," Simmons states.
Simmons will be asked to co-lead an initiative hoping to improve the graduation rate of African American males in the District which is now only at 38 percent. He will also be conducting research leading to more effective initiatives to ensure academic success in an urban school setting.
Simmons graduated from Western Michigan University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in science education. He then went on to earn his masters from Lawrence Technological University in 2001 and his doctorate from Hamline University in 2007.