The 2024 State of the Schools was presented at Hoover High School on Tuesday, February 13. In addition to the story below you can also view a video of the entire event to the right, see photos at the bottom of this page, or listen to a podcast recorded live at the event.
Presidents deliver a State of the Union. Governors give a Condition of the State. For Des Moines Public Schools, on Tuesday, February 13 it was time for the State of the Schools.
Hundreds of community leaders, educators, elected officials, parents and neighbors gathered in the auditorium at Hoover High School for a report on Iowa’s largest provider of PK-12 education. It was an opportunity to celebrate recent accomplishments and highlight upcoming goals and objectives.
Alison De Luna, a senior at Hoover and Central Academy, greeted the assembled crowd and set the tone for the event. She welcomed people to her school for the morning’s event and shared both the pride and sense of accomplishment she felt thanks to the teachers, staff and opportunities afforded to her thanks to public schools.
As she noted: “Being here at Hoover feels like being at home.”
Alison also introduced Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board, who began her remarks with a reminder of the makeup of DMPS as well as its many accomplishments over the past year, including the fact that people come to our community from around the world.
“Our diversity is not just a statistic, it is not a challenge to be dealt with – it’s our superpower,” said Norris. “Our diversity enriches every aspect of our learning environment, fostering an atmosphere where students are not just taught about global citizenship but experience it every day. They see classmates fasting for Ramadan while others are protesting for gun safety at the capitol while others are advocating for human rights for everyone, regardless of their color, size, shape or gender. while others share their native tongue in common languages such as Karen, Swahili and Spanish.”
“Our students are not just learners; they are global citizens equipped with the cultural competency necessary to thrive in a globalized society that demands adaptability and appreciation for diversity,” added Norris. “That is our differentiator, and we need to continue to lean into it.”
The accomplishments Norris shared were many and varied. At Hoover High School alone they ranged from a faculty member, Ann Mincks, being selected as the Iowa Teacher of the Year to a girls track time winning Drake Relay and State championships. Other highlights ranged from a group of North High students being the only team from Iowa competing in a technology competition sponsored by NASA; the FFA veterinary team from Central Campus representing the state of Iowa at a national competition; and group of Central Academy students from one of only two U.S. teams qualifying for an international mathematics competition.
Norris concluded by sharing the biggest decision made by the School Board this past year – hiring a new Superintendent – by way of introducing Dr. Ian Roberts, who shared a look at current and upcoming initiatives, geared toward making DMPS “the district of choice” in central Iowa.
Dr. Roberts began with a story about the first day of preschool back in September as he visited one of the district early childhood centers. A young girl arriving for her very first day of school ever threw her hands in the air and exclaimed “this is the best day ever.” Her sentiment is what the Superintendent aims to replicate with every student in Des Moines.
It was also a lead-in to sharing this year’s top legislative priority for DMPS: expand funding for full-day preschool for economically disadvantage families. From improving academics for students that carries on for several years to meeting critical needs for working families, the educational and societal benefits of high-quality early childhood are numerous. (NOTE: as the State of the Schools event was underway, a legislative subcommittee passed the bill to expand preschool in Iowa.)
Dr. Roberts shared with the audience highlights of how DMPS is lifting up instruction across the district – including leading the way in the “science of reading” to increase literacy among all students – as well as the district’s new “Reimagining Education. Reinvigorating Schools.” Initiative. This two-year project is looking at how to improve everything from school buildings to academic programs throughout the school district.
“This will truly allow us to create new opportunities for students,” said Dr. Roberts. “We have to be bold, we have to do something different, and we have to be radical if we are truly going to be a competitive school system.”
The Superintendent closed his presentation with the launch of a new campaign to address a challenge for school districts across the country: chronic absenteeism. At DMPS, Roberts noted that as many as 36% of students are chronically absent (defined as missing 10% or more of school, or just two days per month). This problem is triggered by several factors, from transportation to poverty to homelessness.
“Chronic absenteeism is the single most important predictor of student success in high school,” noted Roberts.
One action DMPS is taking is to simply raise greater awareness of how chronic absenteeism affects us all. The EVERY DAY MATTERS campaign will include everything from posters in schools to communications with families to billboards across the city to share why it is critical to address this issue, not only for the success of students but for our entire community.
When Chair Norris and Superintendent Roberts finished their presentations it was time for an on-stage conversation in the form of a live taping of The Become Here Project, the school district’s monthly podcast. Host Amanda Lewis was joined by Hushindi Abwe, a sophomore who is also managing editor of the Hoover Challenger, the high school’s award-winning newspaper. They took turns asking questions submitted by people who RSVPed to attend the event. You can listen to the podcast on any of the major streaming platforms or simply click the play button below:
The State of the Schools was a tradition for many years at Des Moines Public Schools that faded away in the 2010s. But, revived in 2023 by then-School Board chair Teree Caldwell-Johnson and interim superintendent Matt Smith, this annual event is an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments from the recent past, share a look at goals and objectives for the near future, and highlight the important work that takes place each and every day at Iowa’s largest provider of PK-12 education.
