JOB FAIR SATURDAY!
Kaweeda G. Adams has served in America's fifth-largest district for nearly three decades
ALBANY, N.Y. (July 5, 2017) -- The City School District of Albany Board of Education has selected longtime Nevada educator Kaweeda G. Adams to serve as the next superintendent of the 9,700-student district.
Adams, a third-generation educator, has served in increasing levels of responsibility in the Clark County School District for the past 28 years. The district includes Las Vegas and educates more than 320,000 students, about 75 percent of all students in Nevada. The board unanimously approved Adams' appointment at its July 13 meeting. She officially begins her duties Aug. 14.
In her current position, Adams is school associate superintendent for Clark County’s Performance Zone 1, one of 16 performance zones in the district. In that role, she is the instructional leader of 24 schools and more than 28,000 students. View Adams' resume. You also can visit our In the News section for media coverage of Adams' appointment.
“Kaweeda Adams is an exceptionally strong academic leader,” said Board President Sue Adler. “She has a proven track record of success in every position she has held. She also has an ability to bring people together. We believe she is the ideal superintendent to lead our school district forward in the critical work that lies ahead for us.”
Adams began her career in education as a secondary-level English teacher, working at the middle and high school levels for 6½ years before moving into administration. She served as dean of students at the middle level, assistant principal and principal at the middle level, university instructor at Regis University, human resources director, and director of the instruction unit and facility administrator.
She served as an academic manger/assistant chief student achievement officer in Clark County’s Area 4/Performance Zone 3, where she supervised 21-26 schools and served nearly 22,000 students, beginning in 2010 and continuing until she was promoted to her current leadership position in January.
Adams fundamentally believes that education levels the playing field and opens the door for endless possibilities and opportunities for all children.
She is committed to providing diverse educational opportunities to meet the needs of all students, mentoring and coaching instructional leaders and teachers, and building quality instructional delivery systems combined with systemic progress monitoring, job-embedded professional development and effective, value-added supervision.
In addition to the instructional focus, Adams also is committed to ensuring that central services are focused on supporting all schools and putting students first.
“I am excited and ready to accept the responsibilities that are ahead of me,” Adams said. “As I paraphrase one of my favorite educators, the renowned Marva Collins, as educators it is our responsibility to believe in the possibilities of all our students, all of the time.”
In Albany, she will lead a school district in which students speak 57 different languages and approximately 75 percent qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The district has struggled to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color, and has been cited in recent years for disparities in suspension rates among students of color and students with disabilities.
The district also offers a wide range of opportunities for all students. Albany High School is one of just five high schools in the Capital Region to offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. Albany High’s 21 Advanced Placement offerings also are unsurpassed in the region.
Albany High’s four-year graduation rate has increased by nearly 25 percent in recent years, to 62 percent for the Class of 2016. The 506 students who earned diplomas June 25 as part of the Class of 2017 represented Albany High’s largest graduating class since 516 students earned diplomas in 2008.
The district educates students from full-day prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds through grade 12. It is in the midst of a period of significant enrollment growth, with about 1,500 more students today (about 18 percent more) than in 2008.
Adams will take over leadership of the district in time for the opening of a new middle school at 50 North Lark St., to help accommodate that growing student population. The district also will begin the first phase of the major rebuilding project at Albany High School in 2018, enlarging and modernizing the campus to serve 3,000 students, up from the approximately 2,600 students at Albany High currently.
Adams also will oversee the opening of a Newcomer Program for grades 6-12 at the start of the 2017-18 school year to meet the needs of the district’s rapidly growing population of English-language learners.
“At the end of the day, it is about equity in education so that students of color, students of poverty, students of privilege and students with special needs can and will learn despite the challenges they face,” Adams said. “In order to ensure our students are prepared for college and careers, our entire community must grow and work together.”
The board selected Adams following a confidential national search. The search began in January and included input from more than 330 community members regarding the qualities and characteristics they considered most important in the leader of Albany’s public schools.
Adams officially will begin her tenure in Albany in August. She will succeed Kimberly Young Wilkins, Ed.D., who has served in the interim role since January 2016.
A native of Shreveport, La., (Caddo Parish Public Schools), Adams earned her bachelor’s in English Education from the University of New Orleans. She earned her master’s in Education Administration and Higher Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
She currently is pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Organizational Management from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
She has been recognized as a master teacher for student teachers, recipient of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Theta Theta Omega Thelma Tyree Award, and recognized by the principals of Clark County’s Performance Zone 3 as an Outstanding School Associate Superintendent.
Adams has been an active member of her church for more than 20 years, as well as in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Theta Theta Omega Chapter in Las Vegas. She has been involved in numerous other volunteer and community-oriented projects in the Las Vegas community throughout her tenure as an educator.
The mission of the City School District of Albany is to educate and prepare all students for college and career, citizenship and life, in partnership with our diverse community. The district serves nearly 9,700 students in 18 elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to neighborhood schools, the district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students, including four themed academies at Albany High School.
