Press release from Fort Wayne Community Schools:
FWCS Superintendent receives national honor
Fort Wayne Community Schools Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson will be honored this month by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
At a celebration dinner in Indianapolis on Nov. 21, Dr. Robinson will receive the Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year Award, which is given to a superintendent who has demonstrated a quality of leadership that resulted in significant positive outcomes for students of African descent.
“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the work that is being done throughout Fort public education has developed close working relationships with some of the most prestigious educational organizations in the country. She was one of the members of the inaugural class of Broad Center Fellows, a program designed to prepare and challenge urban school leaders. She also is a friend of the Wallace Foundation, and under her leadership, FWCS has received millions of dollars in grants and training opportunities from Wallace. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in improving urban education and is frequently asked to speak at conferences and events hosted by organizations such as The Wallace Foundation, the National Conference of State Legislators, American Association of School Administrators and the Urban Superintendent’s Association of America.
Dr. Robinson is also an active member of the community and has formed partnerships with local agencies and businesses to increase educational opportunities. She serves on numerous boards including the Fort Wayne Economic Alliance, Junior Achievement, Knight Foundation, Invent Tomorrow Education Consortium, Parkview Hospital and Manchester College, among others. In August of 2005, she was jointly appointed to serve on the Indiana Education Roundtable by Governor Mitch Daniels and then-State Superintendent Dr. Suellen Reed. She is currently the president of Indiana Urban Schools Association, an organization that supports legislation and provides services and programs that recognize the needs of urban schools.
In her 35 years with Fort Wayne Community Schools, Dr. Robinson has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and central office administrator. She was appointed to the position of Superintendent of Fort Wayne Community Schools in July 2003 after an eight-year assignment as Deputy Superintendent. In 2008, she was named the District II Superintendent of the Year by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, and previously was awarded the Athena Award, the Helene R. Foellinger Award, the Martin Luther King Award and the Elizabeth Dobynes Award from the Fort Wayne NAACP and many more.
With nearly 32,000 students, Fort Wayne Community Schools is Indiana’s second-largest school district. FWCS proudly allows families to choose any of its 53 schools through its successful school-choice program creating diversity in each school, including some with more than 75 languages spoken. FWCS offers seven magnet schools focusing on areas such as fine arts or Montessori at the elementary and middle school level as well as the prestigious International Baccalaureate program for high school students.
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Pardon me for asking, but what exactly are these “significant positive outcomes for students of African descent”? Data from the Indiana Dept of Education shows that black students in FWCS are performing no better than their counterparts in other urban districts such as Gary, Indianapolis, South Bend, Hammond, Michgan City, etc. although they are doing better at Harding in EACS. What has the school choice program given them besides a daily bus ride?