Former Akron Public Schools superintendent Dr. David W. James never planned to work in education. He started at NASA, moved into environmental consulting, and ended up leading a school district for 13 years by accident.
In this episode of The Stronger Podcast, Mike Montoya sits down with David, now executive director of Summit Education Initiative, to talk about what it takes to move the needle on economic mobility when the old factory jobs are gone and nobody can tell you what the new ones require.
David became superintendent after a business manager role put him in charge of rebuilding every school building in the district. What kept him there for 13 years was a model most districts do not attempt. He got the city of Akron to co-own school buildings through an income tax partnership. He brought Ford Next Generation Learning in to build college and career academies starting in kindergarten. He partnered with the LeBron James Family Foundation to open the I PROMISE School. Each of those required years of coalition building with people who did not always agree with each other.
His approach came from consulting, not curriculum. Treat the community like your customer. Listen to the people on the front lines. When the freight trains of problems keep coming, stay calm and do triage.
Now at Summit Education Initiative, David works across 17 public districts, tracking students from kindergarten readiness through post-secondary outcomes. The work is not about graduation rates alone. It is about whether a kid in Summit County can actually build a life.
Listen in for a conversation about why the real constraint on student outcomes is not funding or policy. It is whether the adults around them can build something together and keep showing up.
Chapters:
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00:58 Want a podcast just like this one? Check out
www.podcastsmatter.com 🏗️
04:01 Meet Dr. David W. James: Co-op at NASA, environmental consulting, and a career nobody planned
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08:01 A city partnership, an income tax, and school buildings co-owned with the mayor
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10:41 Your first reaction is usually not the best one: learning to pause before you respond
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13:15 Mercury in the schoolyard and why there is no playbook for everything
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15:57 The chamber of commerce could not answer what "prepared" actually means
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17:52 Finding Ford Next Generation Learning and building career academies from kindergarten up
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19:26 Find support for writing your impact-driven book at
www.booksthatmatter.org 📊
21:15 Summit Education Initiative: cradle to career data across 17 districts
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31:24 Why kids miss school: rent, food banks, grandparents with diabetes
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40:27 If you are a leader or changemaker looking for support, check out
www.geniusdiscovery.org 👥
42:01 Developing the next generation of leaders instead of issuing orders
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42:32 Morning coffee, slower pace, and going from 13 medications to one
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51:36 Find more podcasts that matter at
www.podcaststhatmatter.org Links:
Stay strong.
Episode 23