[BHS Etree] BUSD: Berkeley School Board appoints Dr. Donald Evans Superintendent of Schools

Wed May 22 21:46:26 PDT 2013

PLEASE do not reply to this email, contact Mark Coplan
markcoplan at berkeley.net 

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On Wednesday, May 22, the Berkeley School Board voted unanimously to appoint
Dr. Donald Evans Superintendent of Schools for the Berkeley Unified School
District (BUSD). Following a national search, Dr. Evans was the School
Board's number one choice because of his proven instructional leadership,
his commitment to serving all students, and his demonstrated skills in
community engagement.

"We are confident that we've found the best person for Berkeley," said Board
President Karen Hemphill. "During the interview and hiring process we've
learned a lot about the positive impact he has made as an educational leader
in Hayward, Compton, and Oakland, and as an innovative teacher in the
classroom in San Diego. Dr. Evans has a proven track record of meeting the
needs of all students, including under-achieving and high-achieving
students, and comes to our District with a depth and breadth of experience
which will serve us well." 

Dr. Evans made his mark as Superintendent of Hayward Unified School District
by focusing his work around what he calls "the three R's" in public
education: Rigor, Responsibility and Results.  His work to harness the power
of community partnerships propelled a multi-agency effort to more fully
serve Hayward's children, youth, and families, much like the 2020 Vision
collaborative at work in Berkeley.

"I'm really excited about continuing the great work in Berkeley Unified and
building on the strengths of the district to ensure that all of our students
are successful," said Dr. Evans. 

As part of the hiring process, a delegation from the Berkeley public school
community visited schools in Hayward in April to learn more about Dr. Evans
and his work. One of the BUSD parents who attended the site visit stated, "I
was most impressed with Dr. Evans' focus on curriculum and professional
development geared towards meeting the unique needs of each student. The
principals, parent/community members, and the Cal State East Bay
Representative we met told us of his collaborative approach. He has been
successful in combining the efforts of various organizations to work
together to meet common goals, and I am excited to have this type of
leadership come to Berkeley."

Dr. Evans joins the Berkeley Unified School District at a time of growing
enrollment and improved academic achievement, and is expected to lend
strength to the District's transition to the use of the Common Core State
Standards, while maintaining the commitment to educating the whole child.
The Berkeley Unified School District is in a strong financial situation due
to its carefully planned budget and reserves, along with local
voter-supported special taxes for educational programming ($24 million
annually) and school maintenance ($5 million annually), and facilities bond
funds to keep schools safe and modernized.

In recognition of the importance of family and community engagement to the
overall success of our schools, School Board Vice President Josh Daniels
stated,  "While he is a good fit for this community for many reasons, the
quality that most stands out for me is his belief in the value of and his
commitment to community-based decision making."

When Dr. Evans officially takes the Superintendent post in Berkeley on July
1, he will benefit from the continuing leadership of current Interim
Co-Superintendents Javetta Cleveland and Neil Smith, both of whom will be
returning respectively to the Deputy Superintendent and Assistant
Superintendent, Educational Services posts. Smith stated "I am looking
forward to working with Dr. Evans. It is clear that he has developed
positive relationships with Hayward's instructional leaders and community
partners, and has worked effectively with them."

Dr. Evans will begin the transition with visits to several Berkeley school
sites and departments before the end of the school year. He will hold
meetings with parent, staff and community groups over the summer months.

Donald Evans, Ed.D.

Dr. Donald Evans is currently the Superintendent of Hayward Unified School
District, where he has focused on the three R's of "rigor, responsibility
and results." He has also built strong relationships with community members
and stakeholders throughout the city. These efforts helped lead to last
year's passage of Hayward's Measure G parcel tax, which protects critical
education programs (such as math, reading, writing, and science labs),
enhances library services, funds technology and college preparation
programs, and allows Hayward to better attract and retain qualified
teachers. Dr. Evans has also worked with the community on the Hayward
Promise Neighborhood Partnership, a collaboration with multiple local
agencies to provide a continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career
solutions that includes both academic services as well as family and
community supports.

Dr. Evans brings 26 years of experience as an educator.  He began his
teaching career in San Diego Unified School District in 1988 at Silver Gate
Elementary School where he taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. During
his 10-year tenure in San Diego he also served as a GATE teacher, a teacher
coach, and a vice principal.

Dr. Evans was then recruited to be the first principal of the East Palo Alto
Charter School in the Ravenswood City School District, which became the
highest performing school in Ravenswood after only two years.  Dr. Evans
then served as a principal at Burckhalter Elementary School in Oakland,
where under his leadership the school made the highest gains in English
Language Arts out of all Oakland elementary schools.

Dr. Evans then served as an Elementary School Area Superintendent in Oakland
Unified School District (OUSD). (The position of Area Superintendent is
similar to the position of Assistant Superintendent in BUSD; the primary job
of both positions is the supervision of principals.) During his tenure in
OUSD, he spearheaded the District's successful effort to implement all-day
kindergarten. He also played an instrumental role in the professional
development of elementary school administrators under his purview.

His next role was as the Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education in
Compton Unified School District. During Dr. Evans' time in Compton, students
made considerable academic gains - e.g., the middle schools saw an average
increase of more than 11% in their CST scores in both Mathematics and
English Language Arts after having stagnated for several years. Dr. Evans
also brought in advanced high school courses and expanded the music program.
In addition, his schools saw a reduction in truancy and in expulsion rates,
as well as an increase in teacher retention and in proficiency rates for
English learners.

Throughout his career, Dr. Evans has focused extensively on curriculum and
professional development. In San Diego, for example, he created the GATE
curriculum for his classes. More recently, Dr. Evans has led numerous
trainings on the conversion to the Common Core State Standards, with a
particular focus on providing professional development to support
administrators in the transition.

Dr. Evans earned his Doctorate in 2010 from the Graduate School of Education
at the University of California, Berkeley, in association with the
Leadership in Educational Equity Program. His dissertation topic was on
"Understanding Why Principals Leave or Stay in Challenging Schools."  He
received his Masters of Education from United States International
University, and his Bachelors of Arts from University of Delaware. Dr. Evans
is originally from Lewes, Delaware.

Mark Coplan, Public Information Officer

Berkeley Unified School District

510-644-6320 

__________________________________

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