Meet Dr. Aleesia Johnson, IPS superintendent
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A new school year is right around the corner, meaning it’s the perfect time for parents and students around central Indiana to learn more about local school districts and their leaders.
Dr. Aleesia Johnson is the superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, the largest school district in Indiana. Johnson, a native of Evansville, was named superintendent in 2019 and is the first Black woman to hold the position.
The IPS board on Tuesday laid out goals for the district, which include increased proficiency in English and math, eliminating achievement gaps for Black and Latinx students, and an 87% graduation rate by 2025.
Johnson says the goals, which were introduced last summer by the board, are “really ambitious.”
“What we’re doing is continuing to update them on our progress but we’re excited. ILearn results were released across the state here the last week or so and we saw some forward momentum and positive achievement in both English language arts and math. In fact, a return to pre-pandemic levels in English language arts and pretty close in math,” Johnson said.
Johnson added: “We’re excited about the strides we’re making. There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re going to celebrate the progress in the right direction.”
The district recently announced it would offer free tutoring this fall in a program called IPS Tutoring For All. The program, funded by federal dollars, will be available for free to every IPS student.
“Families can access additional tutoring supports in partnership with an organization called Tutored by Teachers, IUPUI, and other organizations,” Johnson said.
IPS students return to the classroom on Monday and Johnson says teachers and staff are ready to welcome them back.
“I want to be able to say we have continued to build on our momentum that our students had a really strong academic experience during the school year — hopefully, one that will feel consistent and not interrupted.”
Visit the IPS website for more information.