Awards Award Winners Superintendents to Watch Honorees Darrin Slade, Ed.D.

Hitting the Ground Running

Some people hit the ground running. In his first year as superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools, Dr. Darrin Slade hit the ground running at the speed of Usain Bolt. He launched his first superintendency with open communication and transparency as a way to rebuild trust between the community and the school district, particularly with the superintendent’s office.

Before the first bell of the 2023-24 school year rang, Dr. Slade held open community meetings to outline his behavior expectations for the year and to launch a new cell phone policy and dress code. The meetings were also designed to establish an open dialogue between himself, teachers, support staff, parents, students, and community leaders.

The superintendent routinely opens his meetings for questions and states that no questions are off the table. He shows strong leadership by taking ownership of issues and offering solutions. He is not afraid to ask for feedback and help. When answering questions, Slade has become well known for two phrases: “I’m going to have real conversation” and “I don’t do whispering.” This transparent leadership style has become a hallmark of his superintendency.

Dr. Slade is a visible force throughout the district. He attends every employee group’s orientation, visits schools on a daily basis, rides school buses, and attends after-school events, including parent-teacher conferences, to see firsthand what is happening in KPS and to talk with staff, families, and students in informal settings.

An article published a few days after Slade assumed his role as a first-time superintendent of the diverse, urban school district with over 12,000 students, described him as “no-nonsense” (MLive, July 11, 2023). Slade articulated high expectations for improved student achievement and attendance, graduation rates, and transparency. After his first school year at the helm, the district hit the mark in every area. There have been dramatic reductions in chronic absenteeism, improved test scores at every level and in every subject, the highest number of students enrolled in AP classes and passing exams, and preliminary graduation rates show improvements near an all-time high.

When he launched an inaugural Saturday School to support struggling elementary students, parents were invited to meet with him to learn about the program. His presence at every session of Saturday School communicated the importance he placed on the effort. He also ensured students had weekly catered meals and an end-of-session trip to an amusement park.

When changes were made to the summer school program, including possible retention for failure to attend, Slade again met with parents and students to review the requirements.

Dr. Slade insists on clear, consistent communication through words and actions to ensure his plans, policies, and expectations are shared in a straightforward manner. As the new superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools, Dr. Darrin Slade has caught the attention of the Kalamazoo community, educators in the State of Michigan, and districts nationwide. Dr. Darrin Slade is a Superintendent to Watch.

Face to Face Matters

Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Slade often describes himself as “old school”. This includes a traditional approach to communication that has been highly effective in his first year on the job. He meets in person with anyone, at anytime, for any reason. He knocks on the doors of houses of students who have had chronic absences or behavior issues. He calls parents every day. Although he prefers face-to-face communication, the superintendent embraces other communication vehicles to reach as large and diverse a community as possible.

Early in his first year on the job, Slade recognized the need to update the district website. He sought a well-designed website to provide parents and the community with up-to-date information about events and announcements. He wanted the website to be easy to navigate and to have current photos of students. This desire for improvement led to the development of a new website which launched in August 2024.

The new website was crafted to enhance the district’s reputation, attract families and staff, and promote district initiatives and services in a format that is accessible to all families, including those from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It offers improved user navigation, mobile compatibility, and translation options. It was important that the website also be accessible to anyone with visual impairments.

Dr. Slade embraces newer communication tools and platforms but recognizes the technology gap in our community. In recent years, the district has navigated to using more technology tools, including online enrollment and a mobile app that allows parents to check grades, monitor student attendance, and communicate with schools easily. To ensure the district is meeting the needs of all parents, the superintendent insisted the district offer physical copies of report cards, forms, and other essential documents to anyone who requests them. This is an equity issue that is of the utmost importance to Dr. Slade.

Unlike many other districts in the country that have eliminated printed publications, Kalamazoo Public Schools publishes a monthly newspaper called Excelsior to highlight the great work of students, staff, and schools. More than 55,000 copies are mailed directly to Kalamazoo households to ensure the entire community can keep up-to-date on the district. Readers enjoy the monthly column from Dr. Slade. The column provides an opportunity to explain new initiatives, celebrate success, and allow the community to get to know the superintendent better. Creating, printing, and mailing this monthly publication requires an investment of district time and resources. Slade supports this wholeheartedly.

Dr. Slade’s personal preference for communication may be more traditional, but as a superintendent in the 21st century, he supports innovative communication practices that help Kalamazoo Public Schools build relationships, share information, and keep parents fully involved in their children’s education.

Foundation of Engagement

In Dr. Slade’s first year at Kalamazoo Public Schools, he made it a priority to meet with staff, parents, students, and community members. Some meetings were to discuss specific initiatives, such as a new attendance policy, and some were primarily listening sessions to allow those in the community to share information and pose questions.

That engagement and a strong foundation of communication served as the basis of the district’s strategic planning work that launched in the spring of 2024.

Slade personally facilitated over 60 SWOT analysis meetings in the spring, where attendees were asked about the district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Each attendee was asked to complete a document with their responses. They were also asked to write their top three goals for the districts. Sessions were held at various times of the day and at multiple locations to provide opportunities for feedback from as many stakeholders as possible. The information shared at the sessions and the written documents collected from participants were used to create the strategic plan — the district’s first such plan in over a decade.

Strong communication was built into all areas of the plan. Increased and improved communication goals were outlined as key strategies to empower the district to serve students and their families better and improve parent engagement.

The strategic plan establishes the district’s priority for improved responsiveness by creating communication feedback loops for families, students, and staff.

The plan identified various communication methods (e.g., newsletters, social media, websites, and in-person meetings) to reach the district’s diverse audience. It also emphasizes the need to find innovative communication strategies to ensure accessibility for the district’s ever-growing population of families whose first language is something other than English.

Slade recognizes that effectively sharing the strategic plan in a variety of formats will ensure that all stakeholders understand the district’s objectives and can work together to achieve those goals. These formats include a printed booklet, a dedicated webpage, and presentations to stakeholder groups. The plan also outlines the need to communicate progress toward the goals regularly to keep the community involved and informed.

By embedding strong communication goals and creating outreach opportunities to share those goals with the community, Dr. Slade has committed to ensuring the strategic plan will be a living, active document that can serve Kalamazoo Public Schools for the next five to 10 years.

Under Dr. Slade’s leadership, Kalamazoo Public Schools has experienced a positive transformation in terms of visibility, transparency, and positive media relations.

While some superintendents are not fans of placing themselves in the public eye, Dr. Slade has eschewed that philosophy and has chosen to be highly visible in the school community, the greater Kalamazoo community, and the state and national stage. He is not a superintendent who stays in his office — he walks school hallways, visits classes to lead an occasional pop quiz, cheers from the sidelines of sporting events, stops by the cafeterias during lunch, and attends student performances.

Almost immediately, the superintendent inserted himself into leadership roles within the community to build relationships and to find platforms to advocate for the school district. He serves on the boards of the local YMCA and Communities In Schools, attends many community events; participates in CityLead, a community improvement lunch-and-learn series, and has presented at meetings for local service organizations. Slade was a featured guest at the Cesar Chavez March and the local 50th anniversary celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech.

Slade has launched a new era of communication with the local media, making himself available whenever possible to meet with print, radio, online, and television reporters. Other superintendents in the state have commented on the amount of media coverage Kalamazoo Public Schools has received since Slade began his tenure. This contrasts with previous superintendents, who were often reluctant to be interviewed. The positive relationships he has built with the local press have provided opportunities to share new initiatives and success stories. When there have been challenging events to communicate, the trust he has established with the local media has helped ensure more fair and accurate reporting.

Slade established a new key communicators network that meets quarterly during the school year to discuss issues within the district and education at large. The effort not only educates community members about current topics in education but also helped create a group that can advocate for and explain these topics at the neighborhood level.

In addition, the superintendent held monthly meetings with teacher, parent and student advisory councils. He has been able to communicate goals and new initiatives and to stave off misunderstandings by speaking directly with the crucial cohorts. His presence and availability to respond to questions demonstrates his commitment to transparency and a desire to communicate directly with those interested in the district.

Slade’s clear communication practices extend to the district leadership team. He articulates expectations in weekly written meeting agendas, holds individual meetings to set and review goals, and provides written feedback about areas of strength and growth. He models prompt responses to emails and always communicates in a professional manner.

Dr. Slade’s proactive communications style, which relies on high visibility, personal interactions, public engagement, and consistent openness, has helped him garner attention as a superintendent to watch who is dedicated to celebrating and sharing the district's news.