This time Oak Park and River Forest High School has decided to hire its equity director from within.
Dr. Lee Williams has been named the executive director of equity and student success for OPRF after serving as the interim executive director for the past six months. The school veteran replaced Latonya Applewhite who was forced to resign after posting an inappropriate social media post from her office at the school.
“We are very excited for Dr. Williams to move into this position on a permanent basis,” said OPRF Superintendent Dr. Greg Johnson. “Over the past several months he has brought a thoughtful, persistent focus on equity and excellence to our district, and we are eager to continue to benefit from his leadership in the months and years ahead.”
Williams has worked at OPRF since 2008 when he was hired to be a teaching assistant. In 2015 he became a transition specialist in special education helping prepare special education students for life after high school. He also served as a leader of the district’s professional development work around equity for several years prior to becoming the interim equity director.
Williams becomes the fourth person to hold the equity director job since the job was created in 2019 and the first who was hired from within. Johnson was so sure that Williams was the right person for the job he didn’t even conduct a formal search for a new equity director.
“We did not post this position this time,” Johnson said. “Dr. Williams actually applied for this job a few years back. He’s a really highly regarded member of our team here at OPRF and has been for a long time.”
Johnson, who is looking for stability in this position, said that it is highly advantageous that Williams knows the school well.
“It absolutely played an enormous part of the thinking,” Johnson said. “It was an enormous factor that he knows this building. He has been in this district in a variety of roles for several years and he has done an outstanding job.”
In a press release announcing his hire, Williams said his work as the interim equity director over the last six months has been gratifying.
“It has been gratifying to see how this work reaches into our daily interactions and practices within our various learning spaces throughout the institution,” Williams said. “The challenge has been in creating and finding the time to visit all of the various spaces where great learning experiences are being cultivated. This is a work in progress!”
According to the press release Williams’s goals include focusing on the transition of middle school students to the high school, expanding equity-focused professional development and practices for all staff, and developing a more intentional approach to parent engagement.
“I have a passion for assisting people to develop into their best selves,” Williams was quoted as saying. “It has been gratifying to engage with colleagues through equity-focused conversation, planning, and reflection that enables us to consider how we can position ourselves for personal and professional growth that has positive impacts upon each and every student.”
Williams earned a doctorate of education, organizational leadership, and development from Cornerstone University, which is a Christian university located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His dissertation, based on his interest in professional practice and human engagement, is entitled “Professional Practice Engineering: An Investigation Into the Critical Factors of Professional Instruction That Influence Employee Engagement.” He also has an MBA and a Master’s of Education in Instructional Design from Western Governors University which is an online university. Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in human resource management and development from Michigan State.
Academic disparities by racial groups persist at OPRF
Reducing disparities in academic performance between students from different racial groups is the number one goal of the school board and the administration and has been for some time.
Despite the emphasis on reducing or eliminating the disparities, including introducing a new Honors for All Freshman curriculum nearly four years ago, the variance in academic performance, as measured by test scores, between Black and white students at OPRF remains a chasm.
According to the Illinois School Report Card the difference between Black and white OPRF students in English Language Arts (ELA) was 43.7 points last year compared to the state average of 32.9 points. In math the variance was even higher at 57.5 points compared to the state average of 35.1. The variance is measured on the school report card by comparing the percentage of students in any particular group achieving what the state considers proficiency to another group.
The disparity between white and Hispanic students is less but still significant. In ELA the variance between white and Hispanic students was 13.8 points last year compared to a state average of 23.8. In math the variance between white and Hispanic students was 29.5 points compared to the state average of 25.5.
Hispanic students at OPRF outpace their Black classmates by a substantial margin in both ELA, 29.9 points, and in math, 28 points.
The margin between low income and non-low income students at OPRF is wide with non-low income students having a 44.2 point edge in proficiency in ELA and a 53.1 point edge in math, both more than the state average.