DES MOINES, Iowa — When Des Moines Public Schools staff and students return to class in just weeks, they will be led by a new superintendent.
Dr. Ian Roberts previously served as superintendent at Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania. The lifelong educator has also worked at districts in Washington D.C., Baltimore and St. Louis.
So far, Roberts says the transition to Des Moines has been smooth.
"It's just been a little over a month, my transition has gone really well thus far," he said. "And I think it's a testament to just how gracious and warm and welcoming the folks in Des Moines have been to me. And this includes certainly members of my cabinet, teachers, leaders and staff at whom I've interacted, as well as members of just the wider Des Moines community."
Roberts is the first person of color to hold this position for the district.
"I am incredibly proud of the fact that this is an opportunity that has been bestowed upon me to come in and lead the state's largest public school district, the state's largest school district in general," Roberts told Local 5. "So certainly, we know that representation matters, right? There's a plethora of data that speaks to the fact that when students are taught, exposed to leadership, or when they're learning from individuals who share many of their identities, they succeed, they exceed expectations. And if there's one sort of desire that I have, is that just my presence and the presence of other individuals who share this identity, and the impact we're going to have on students? It's incredibly important for that to be in place."
Roberts is hyperfocused on closing any type of achievement gaps that exist.
"We want to make sure that those student groups that have been historically considered marginalized students, they are achieving at significantly high levels, the same way that many of our other students who are high performing are achieving. So the first sort of challenge that I'm committed to taking on is closing the education, academic and achievement gap of all of our students."
School districts across Iowa are also now required to follow a collection of new laws. One is Senate File 496, which bans books depicting sexual acts.
"Senate File 496 certainly has created a level of anxiety amongst a number of educators," Roberts said. "And primarily, because any violation of this law certainly can have an impact on teachers, on staff, on school leaders and the superintendent if there is any violation of the law."
Roberts says he's been having collaborative conversations with his team and surrounding school districts on how to best navigate the measure.
"We remain committed to adhering to the law, it's the law. We are going to be in compliance with law. But what we're also committed to doing is to make sure we find a healthy balance with adhering to the law, without compromising the quality of education that our students deserve," he concluded. "Particularly as we think about their exposure to reading materials, we know that there is a plethora of resources speaks to the fact that exposing students to quality fiction and nonfiction really improves their academic achievement, and even who they become as adults. And so we're going to make sure that our students are still receiving a quality education, and they have exposure to the kind of instructional and curriculum materials that enables them to do that."
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