TOP PICK: LeVar J. Ammons, Oak Park and River Forest High School's new executive director of equity and student success, has already garnered praise for his ability to connect with students - something that made him stand out among candidates for the new job. | ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer

By Michael Romain

Staff Reporter

LeVar J. Ammons started as OPRF's first executive director of equity and student success in July. The new administrator, whose position was created by the school board back in February, will play a critical role in implementing the district's first racial equity policy, which is designed to correct the fact that race has a disproportionate impact on students' academic outcomes and student experiences at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Ammons worked as a counselor at Willowbrook High School, where he helped initiate a racial equity strategic plan before coming to OPRF. During an interview last week, Ammons said he was attracted to District 200 in large part because of the "procedures put in place addressing equity," such as leadership teams and racial equity coaches.

"These mechanisms allow you to do racial equity work in ways I had not had access to," said Ammons, who has a doctorate in education. His doctoral dissertation, "Racial Socialization: Relationship between Black Identity, Perceptions of Discrimination, and Academic Outcomes," examines the intersection between "black identity, perceptions of discrimination and academic outcomes," he said.

"There's a ton of research showing that students not connected to school will not perform well," Ammons said. "We've looked at policy, test scores, discipline and things like that, but we haven't looked at how teachers, staff and educators in general have been able to make meaningful connections across disciplines."

D200 Supt. Joylynn Pruitt-Adams said during an interview last week that Ammons stood out among the other candidates for the equity position because of his "background and knowledge of equity work." She also referenced the Black Educators Network of Suburban Chicago — an organization Ammons co-founded. He's a member of the Illinois Coalition of Educational Equity Leaders and had a hand in developing an equity action plan for the DuPage County Regional Office of Education.

Pruitt-Adams said interviewers were also impressed by his ability to connect with students.

"We have students who sit on our interview teams and during the initial interview," Pruitt-Adams said. "One of the students spoke to me about how he felt this sense of connection to [Ammons]."

The superintendent said Ammons became so engrossed in conversation with a group of students while waiting for his second interview to begin that "it took him a few minutes to get up to us."

Ammons said he felt compelled to take the job because he believes it will be more than symbolic. While the board was discussing the creation of the position earlier this year, many local education activists and board members insisted that the role come with enough power to actually drive real racial progress at OPRF.

In March, Melanie McQueen, president of African-American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education (APPLE), said OPRF's equity administrator has to have "power, authority, responsibility, and accountability," in order to be effective.

Karin Sullivan, the district's director of communications and community relations, said last week that the board and community's concerns about whether the post would have enough autonomy was "one reason why the position went from initially being designed to be a director to being an executive director, which means he's a member of the superintendent's executive cabinet [and reports only to Pruitt-Adams]."

Ammons said he has colleagues "with experience as equity directors, but who didn't have the authority, the backing or the support to push forward what needed to be done with respect to equity. That was a huge piece for me."

He joins the district as Pruitt-Adams restructures her central staff in order to ensure that "everything we do is grounded through a racial equity lens."

Shortly after former OPRF Principal Nate Rouse resigned in March, Pruitt-Adams announced the position of principal would no longer exist and other administrative roles would be redefined.

Greg Johnson, former assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, was promoted to associate superintendent. He'll now assume many of the traditional responsibilities held by the building principal, according to an FAQ on the district's website. In addition, Roxana Sanders, senior director of Human Resources, was promoted to assistant superintendent; while "the titles of assistant principals are being changed to director positions, and they will take on some duties of the now-associate superintendent as well as some of the previous principal responsibilities," the FAQ states.

Pruitt-Adams said she and her fellow administrators hope the restructuring aligns with the district's strategic plan, and that racial equity work "is embedded in everything we do."

Along with implementing a strategic plan that the board unanimously approved in April, Pruitt-Adams said the district is also poised to implement a first-of-its-kind racial equity course that was largely created by students and to build out its restorative justice work, among other equity-related developments.

But the progress came during a school year marred by significant racial unrest, including, among other incidents, a student protest and contentious back-and-forth between Rouse and a parent during a panel discussion premised on America to Me, the fallout from a racist slur mouthed by a teacher, swastika images (at least one drawn on school property, another AirDropped to students' iPhones), and school yearbooks that had to be destroyed because some pages included images of students holding up what appeared to be either an innocuous "OK" sign or a white supremacist symbol.

Pruitt-Adams said she's eager to welcome a new school year. Going forward, if the superintendent's administrative realignment works, incidents like racist graffiti found on the bathroom stall will be handled more efficiently, with fewer bureaucratic impediments to getting at a restorative solution.

"As we plan for the upcoming year, we're focusing on more opportunities for students to feel a sense of community," she said.

"While last school year was hard — from the start to the end — we have a great school system and great kids. So we have a positive outlook and want to kick this new school year off by giving our students a sense of normalcy. We're better because of last year. Now our goal is to begin to heal."

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com