Antwan Wilson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Antwan Wilson
Chancellor of District of Columbia Public Schools
In office February 1, 2017 – February 20, 2018
Preceded by	John Davis (interim)
Succeeded by	Amanda Alexander (interim)
Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District
In office June 2014 – February 2017
Preceded by	Gary Yee
Succeeded by	Devin Dillon (acting)
Personal details
Born	1972 (age 52–53) Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Spouse	Theresa
Children	3
Education	Nebraska Wesleyan University (1995, BA) Friends University (2000, MA)

Antwan Wilson (born 1972) is an American teacher and school leader. He became the Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California, in 2014. He left that job in February 2017. On December 20, 2016, he was chosen to be the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C.. He started this new role on February 1, 2017.

Wilson resigned as DCPS chancellor on February 20, 2018. This happened after news reports said he had helped one of his children get into a special school without using the usual lottery system.

Early Life and Education

Antwan Wilson was born in Wichita, Kansas, around 1972. He has a younger brother and a younger sister. He grew up in Wichita and Lincoln, Nebraska. For much of his childhood, his mother raised them alone. His family was very poor, and his mother worked many jobs to support her children.

Antwan said he was shy and a bit unsure of himself as a child. He went to public schools in Wichita and Lincoln. His family often moved so that the children could attend better schools. He graduated from Lincoln High School. He was one of only a few minority students there.

When Antwan was a senior in high school, his mother was hurt at work. He decided to go to a local college so he could stay home and help her while getting his degree. He attended Nebraska Wesleyan University. There, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and social science education. Wilson first planned to study pre-law. He wanted to go to law school and become a civil rights lawyer.

But in his second year of college, he and a friend talked about how education could help end poverty and racism. During spring break, they visited Chicago, Illinois. They watched Linda Murray, an award-winning teacher, at Hyde Park Career Academy. Wilson then started taking education classes and eventually changed his major.

In 2000, Wilson earned his master's degree in educational leadership. He received it from Friends University in Wichita. In 2014, Wilson also completed a program called Broad Superintendents Academy. This program trains school leaders for city school systems.

Early Career

Starting Out

After college, Wilson decided to teach for at least five years. He taught for one year in Raleigh, North Carolina. Then he taught for three years at a high school in Wichita. He also coached basketball and track. In 1999, Wilson became an assistant principal at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. He left after a year to become an assistant principal at Wichita South High School.

Wilson was later named principal at Pleasant Valley Middle School in Wichita. This was his first time teaching in a school where most students came from poor families and were struggling. Wilson adopted the motto "Success for all. No excuses." He started many programs for students, teachers, and parents. These programs aimed to improve attendance, reduce behavior problems, and help students learn better.

Leading Schools in Denver

In 2005, Wilson became principal at Montbello High School in Denver, Colorado. This school was in a tough part of the city. Students at Montbello had struggled, and attendance, graduation rates, and test scores were low. There were many discipline problems, and teachers often left.

Wilson first brought in strict rules. Students were not allowed to skip classes or hang out in hallways. Students who didn't turn in homework had to work on it during lunch. Instead of suspensions, students had in-school detention with lots of schoolwork. Later, Wilson encouraged teachers to focus on basic skills and critical thinking. They also used more interactive teaching. This helped build school spirit at Montbello. Test scores improved, and suspensions went down while Wilson was there.

In 2008, Wilson was promoted to High School Instructional Superintendent for the Denver Public Schools. A year later, he became Assistant Superintendent for Post-Secondary Readiness. As assistant superintendent, Wilson helped start "Denver Summit Schools." This program focused on the school district's 11 lowest-performing schools. Each school got a special theme, help with behavior issues, and started offering Advanced Placement courses. Teachers received new training and support. Enrollment at these schools grew, the dropout rate dropped by 60 percent, and test scores went up. This was especially true for minority students.

Leading Schools in Oakland

In 2014, Antwan Wilson was chosen as the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California. He was known for improving struggling schools in Denver. The Oakland school board voted to hire him. He signed a four-year contract, starting on July 1, 2014.

New Ideas and Programs

In Oakland, Wilson made several changes. He created a new system to evaluate teachers and leaders. He also gave schools more freedom in choosing staff and trying new teaching ideas. Wilson also improved how the district handled its money. This allowed the district to finish its financial records and audits for the first time in ten years. This helped the school district get a better credit rating, which saved money on loans. Wilson also started sending more money directly to local schools and spent less on central administration.

Wilson also focused on the schools that were struggling the most. He started a program at the five most troubled schools. He replaced their principals, updated their lessons, and added fun activities like art, choir, and speech and debate. He also worked with many groups to create "Oakland Promise." This plan aimed to triple the number of Oakland public school students going to college within 10 years. This program gained national attention. Wilson also focused on helping students learn social and emotional skills.

Wilson also worked to connect Oakland's charter schools more closely with the public school system. In 2015, he started a plan for charter schools and public schools to use the same lessons and teaching methods. The next year, Wilson tried to make parents use one form to apply for either a public school or a charter school. His goal was to make admissions fairer and more open.

Under Wilson, the Oakland school district also reached a new agreement with its teacher and staff unions in 2016. This was the first time since 2009 that both sides had agreed.

Challenges and Criticisms

News reports said Wilson's time in Oakland was "rocky." His plan to change low-performing schools caused some debate. The idea of a single application form for charter and public schools was strongly opposed by some teachers and parents. They worried it would make public schools more like charter schools. Some parents felt this would unfairly group African American students into the lowest-performing public schools. They also worried it would take needed money away from public schools. Some people used very strong words to criticize Wilson.

Parents of special needs students also said Wilson was trying to include their children in regular classrooms without enough staff or money. They felt this could harm their children's health and education. Wilson's training from the Broad Superintendents Academy also caused some concern. Critics worried he supported a plan to close most public schools and turn them into charter schools. Some members of the Oakland school board, the teachers' union, and community groups criticized Wilson for moving too fast and not listening to their concerns.

Despite the criticisms, many school board members strongly supported Wilson during his time in Oakland.

Wilson was also criticized for leaving the school district with a large money problem. This problem, which was about $30 million, became public just a month before he left. It was caused by quickly adding new programs, overspending on existing ones, and losing state money because fewer students enrolled. Wilson said he had balanced the budget every year before. He also said that asking for full funding and making cuts later was a normal part of the budget process.

Leading Schools in Washington, D.C.

On November 21, 2016, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser chose Antwan Wilson to be the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Mayor Bowser said Wilson was a "proven manager" who was "bold and strategic and open and transparent." She highlighted his ability to bring financial stability to school districts. Wilson announced that day that he was leaving his job in Oakland in February 2017. Wilson's new role needed approval from the Council of the District of Columbia.

At a hearing on December 7, 2016, the D.C. city council asked Wilson about his plans for the city's schools. Wilson suggested longer school days, tutoring, and other help for students who were struggling. He also wanted more after-school activities for middle schoolers. Some people and groups were concerned about his nomination. They argued that his programs had only been somewhat successful in Denver and Oakland. But the council approved his nomination on December 20, and he started his job on February 1, 2017.

In November 2017, The Washington Post reported that Wilson had left the Oakland public school system with money problems that were not solved. The newspaper said Wilson had not fully explained Oakland's $30 million money problem to D.C. officials and the public. An Oakland principal said that after Wilson announced he was leaving, all school district budgets in Oakland were frozen because of the money crisis. The Post reported that:

• Wilson hired many new senior staff members and created new departments that were not planned for in the budget. He also paid these people more than the usual salaries in Oakland.
• In his last year in Oakland, Wilson spent $11.8 million more than planned on supervisors and administrators. He also spent $6.8 million more than planned on professional services and consultants.
• During his two and a half years in Oakland, the school district consistently spent less than planned on books and classroom supplies.
• Wilson hired the head of a consulting firm that was already working for the Oakland school district. This person was paid $30,000 a month.
• Wilson's team in Oakland guessed that more students would enroll for the 2016–2017 school year than actually did. When fewer students enrolled, the district should have let go of some teachers, but it did not. This cost the district $3.2 million.

The money problems in Oakland were so serious that a state team helping the district said Oakland had "lost control of its spending." They also said that during Wilson's time, this behavior had spread to individual schools. Auditors for the state of California also said that, under Wilson, the Oakland school district had "lost control of its spending."

Both Superintendent Wilson and Mayor Bowser did not comment on the Oakland money problems when asked by the media in late 2017. An Oakland principal said that the school board also shared responsibility with Wilson for the overspending and new hires.

Resignation

In April 2017, local news reported that some D.C. government and school officials had been allowed to transfer their children to other schools without using the lottery system. Usually, students who want to go to a school outside their assigned area must enter this lottery. This helps make sure everyone has a fair chance. These special permissions had been given by Wilson's predecessor. In the summer of 2017, Wilson made a new rule. It said the DCPS chancellor could not give non-lottery admissions without following special rules.

On February 16, 2018, Wilson told WAMU, a local public radio station, that he had asked a city official to let his daughter transfer schools without the lottery. His daughter was having problems at Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He wanted her to move to Woodrow Wilson High School. His request was approved.

Many people and groups then asked for Wilson to resign. Wilson first refused. By February 20, seven of the 13 members of the D.C. Council had also asked for his resignation. Mayor Muriel Bowser put Wilson on leave and asked him to resign. Wilson resigned later that afternoon.

Dr. Amanda Alexander, who led the DCPS Office of Elementary Schools, was named interim chancellor.

Professional Organizations

While he was superintendent in Oakland, Wilson joined the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development and Chiefs for Change. He is also an advisor to Code.org, which runs the popular Hour of Code program.

Personal Life

Wilson married his wife, Tresa, who is also an educator. They married while he was working in Wichita between 2000 and 2003. They have a daughter and twin daughters.

Wilson is known for waking up every day at 3 A.M. to exercise, meditate, and get ready for the day. His role models include his mother; his mentor and former teacher, Tim Carroll; Barack and Michelle Obama; football coach Vince Lombardi; and former basketball player Magic Johnson.