For this edition of One-on-OneVoice, we spoke with Dr. Ebony Johnson, newly appointed superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. Dr. Johnson oversees the largest school district in the state, with nearly 35,000 students in the Tulsa region attending Tulsa Public Schools. 

Dr. Ebony Johnson is the superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, the largest school district in Oklahoma. She is a proud graduate of Tulsa Public Schools and McLain High School, also earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern State University and her doctoral degree in education from the University of Oklahoma. A lifelong educator and transformational leader, Dr. Johnson started her career at Tulsa Public Schools as a classroom teacher at Monroe Middle School. In district leadership, she has overseen Student and Family Support Services and served as chief academic officer prior to her selection as the first African American female to serve as permanent superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. Dr. Johnson is the proud mother of a Rogers High School graduate and an aspiring Booker T. Washington graduate. She has been married for 23 years to her husband, a Central High School counselor and graduate. 

Now that you have been named as the permanent superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, what are the priorities you plan to address first? 

A key part of the work before us requires engaging our community and assessing our challenges, opportunities, and our strengths. In my first two months on the job, I engaged in more than 75 activities that allowed me to hear and learn from stakeholders across the city. 

We take student progress very seriously, and have been engaged and collaborative at every turn with the state. The call to action wasn’t new, but served to redouble our focus. We’ve heard the challenge; we’ve taken the challenge seriously. And we are fully prepared to tackle it head on. 

Early in my tenure, we launched our Transformation Team to provide rapid, targeted support and develop continuous improvement plans at all of our most challenged school sites. This includes assessing data to prioritize the Transformation Team’s focus and then deploying district administrators and academic experts to deliver in-classroom support where needed. Leaders have been covering classes, pushing in to deliver small group instruction, and filling gaps wherever we identify them. 

This is just a small representation of the all-hands-on-deck approach we’re taking to making urgent strides for our students. I tell my team regularly that the work we are doing today will lead Tulsa Public Schools to be known as an exemplar district in Oklahoma and nationwide. We’ve set our sights on nothing less – because Tulsa’s students deserve our very best, and should have every opportunity to succeed. 

Change takes time and you’re coming into this role facing a lot of expectations. What is a realistic timeline for tangible results? 

At Tulsa Public Schools, we are Responsive, Results-Oriented and Resilient. We’re responsive to the students who are in our buildings right now, making sure they get a great education this year. We’re results-oriented, because we know the goals before us, and we’re driving towards that north star every day. And we’re resilient – no matter what challenges we face, we’re determined to care for Tulsa’s kids and give them an education that is continuously improving and that prepares them to lead the world of tomorrow. 

My experience as a lifelong educator in Tulsa equips me to maintain the balancing act between all of these priorities right now. I led multiple school-turnarounds during my time as a principal, including at McLain High School, my alma mater. Transformation of this magnitude takes time – typically about three years to implement shifts and see their impact fully realized. So, we’re piloting urgent interventions, analyzing their value-add and return-on-investment, and then planning for future success. We’re delivering better learning experiences for our students every day, driving towards the vision that they will lead through literacy, are empowered through experience, and contribute to their community. 

What is TPS’s greatest strength compared to other public school districts your size across the country? 

It’s notable that, in today’s educational landscape, we are both a large and growing district. Enrollment at TPS has remained steady or even increased in recent years, defying the trends for large urban districts nationally. It’s not by accident that families choose Tulsa Public Schools. We are Oklahoma’s largest school district for a reason. 

As a lifelong Tulsan, I may be biased here, but I’ll say that one of our greatest strengths is Tulsa itself. Our community has a unique culture of collaboration and of working to improve our city for the common good. Yes, Tulsa has hard history. We teach that history at TPS, and we care about inspiring our young people and our entire community to keep writing a better story for Tulsa – for today and for years to come. 

Public education is crucial for the development of a skilled workforce. What programs are available in Tulsa schools to prepare students for high-skilled jobs post-graduation? 

We’re growing postsecondary preparation across the district, and our high schools outpace the state in postsecondary opportunities for our students. Now, we have 1,300 more high school students enrolled in college prep and career programs annually compared to 10 years ago. That growth also includes an over 300% increase in Tulsa Tech dual enrollment for TPS students over the past decade. We’ve made gains in AP class enrollment, International Baccalaureate program participation, dual high school and college enrollment, and more. Students are getting college credits or certifications while still in high school, making them more competitive for career opportunities from the moment they graduate from TPS. 

While growing opportunities like those described above, we’re also constantly looking for innovative ways to partner with organizations in Tulsa and nationally to expand offerings for our students. One recent example is partnering to bring Genesys Works, a nationally recognized career pathway program, to Tulsa Public Schools. We have current TPS students interning with top local employers – including Williams, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Helmerich & Payne, and more – gaining invaluable real-world experience and building their professional networks while they’re still in high school. 

Our postsecondary programming is a great entry point for local businesses looking to collaborate with TPS and also to build their future talent pipelines. Connect with our postsecondary director at TPS or the Partners in Education team at the Foundation for Tulsa Schools to see how you can get involved. 

You’ve been a student, teacher and administrator at Tulsa Public Schools before taking on your role as superintendent. How do those experiences shape how you lead TPS? 

This work is both personal and professional for me, and I’m energized by the responsibility and the challenge of serving as leader and ‘CEO’ of the largest, most historic school district in the state of Oklahoma. 

I AM Tulsa Public Schools. I grew up attending TPS elementary schools, and I’m a proud graduate of McLain High School. 

After earning my degree at NSU, I returned home to teach in TPS. In this district, I’ve been a teacher, a teacher coach, an assistant principal and a principal. As principal, I led multiple turnaround schools. I’ve worked as executive director of a department in the district, as our chief learning officer over academics and our Teaching & Learning teams, and now as superintendent. 

I’ve raised a family in Tulsa, and I’m thrilled to have the privilege and honor of leading our Tulsa Public Schools district. Do we have areas we need to improve? Absolutely. But I am proud of the district I grew up in and where I’ve built my career. 

What are your biggest obstacles to improving Tulsa Public Schools? What can the Tulsa business community do to help the district overcome these hurdles? 

Tulsa Public Schools is a vital contributor to the success of our city and region. I know full well the investments of the Chamber and its members in our community. The Tulsa Chamber played an integral role in creating and growing the Partners in Education (PIE) program that now lives with the Foundation for Tulsa Schools. PIE unites businesses, congregations, and community organizations with individual schools to enhance the education experience for students and create a workforce pipeline for Tulsa. If your company isn’t already involved with Partners in Education, please join us by reaching out to the Foundation about partnering with one of our schools. 

A major obstacle we’re facing currently is the absenteeism crisis plaguing our schools nationwide. We know that this crisis is much bigger than Tulsa Public Schools, because school attendance and education impact us all, and because we know many factors outside of school buildings may contribute to why certain students don’t make it to school enough. We can all be a part of that solution. We need the entire community to join us in the effort because schools cannot solve this alone. 

We recently launched our “Attend to Win!” campaign in partnership with Mayor Bynum and the City. This effort focuses on the important role we all play in making sure our students are at school to learn each and every day. Together, we can dismantle barriers to attendance, develop incentives, and build momentum together. 

Investing in our young people and their futures is vital to the future success for all of us, and for the city and region we call home. These young people are your future employees and customers – our neighbors and voters – and we should all have a vested interest in seeing our district succeed.