The Berkeley school board gave its unanimous approval Wednesday night to hiring Hayward's schools chief, Donald Evans, to become Berkeley's new Superintendent of Schools.
Evans, who earned a doctorate from the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley in 2010, assumes his new role on July 1.
The decision brought to a close an unusually long, national search that the board set in motion nearly a year and a half ago to replace retiring Berkeley schools Superintendent Bill Huyett. District leadership has been shared by Interim Co-Superintendents Javetta Cleveland and Neil Smith, who will be returning respectively to the jobs of Deputy Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services.
Evans' tenure in Hayward was marked by his focus on he calls “the three R’s” in public education: Rigor, Responsibility and Results, according to a news release from the Berkeley Unified School District.
Here is the text of the release, which includes a short biography of Evans:
School Board appoints Dr. Donald Evans Superintendent of Schools
On Wednesday, May 22, the Berkeley School Board voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Donald Evans Superintendent of Schools for the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD). Following a national search, Dr. Evans was the School Board’s number one choice because of his proven instructional leadership, his commitment to serving all students, and his demonstrated skills in community engagement.
“We are confident that we’ve found the best person for Berkeley,” said Board President Karen Hemphill. “During the interview and hiring process we’ve learned a lot about the positive impact he has made as an educational leader in Hayward, Compton, and Oakland, and as an innovative teacher in the classroom in San Diego. Dr. Evans has a proven track record of meeting the needs of all students, including under-achieving and high-achieving students, and comes to our District with a depth and breadth of experience which will serve us well.”
Dr. Evans made his mark as Superintendent of Hayward Unified School District by focusing his work around what he calls “the three R’s” in public education: Rigor, Responsibility and Results. His work to harness the power of community partnerships propelled a multi-agency effort to more fully serve Hayward’s children, youth, and families, much like the 2020 Vision collaborative at work in Berkeley.
“I’m really excited about continuing the great work in Berkeley Unified and building on the strengths of the district to ensure that all of our students are successful,” said Dr. Evans.
As part of the hiring process, a delegation from the Berkeley public school community visited schools in Hayward in April to learn more about Dr. Evans and his work. One of the BUSD parents who attended the site visit stated, “I was most impressed with Dr. Evans’ focus on curriculum and professional development geared towards meeting the unique needs of each student. The principals, parent/community members, and the Cal State East Bay Representative we met told us of his collaborative approach. He has been successful in combining the efforts of various organizations to work together to meet common goals, and I am excited to have this type of leadership come to Berkeley.”
Dr. Evans joins the Berkeley Unified School District at a time of growing enrollment and improved academic achievement, and is expected to lend strength to the District’s transition to the use of the Common Core State Standards, while maintaining the commitment to educating the whole child. The Berkeley Unified School District is in a strong financial situation due to its carefully planned budget and reserves, along with local voter-supported special taxes for educational programming ($24 million annually) and school maintenance ($5 million annually), and facilities bond funds to keep schools safe and modernized.
In recognition of the importance of family and community engagement to the overall success of our schools, School Board Vice President Josh Daniels stated, “While he is a good fit for this community for many reasons, the quality that most stands out for me is his belief in the value of and his commitment to community-based decision making.”
When Dr. Evans officially takes the Superintendent post in Berkeley on July 1, he will benefit from the continuing leadership of current Interim Co-Superintendents Javetta Cleveland and Neil Smith, both of whom will be returning respectively to the Deputy Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services posts. Smith stated “I am looking forward to working with Dr. Evans. It is clear that he has developed positive relationships with Hayward’s instructional leaders and community partners, and has worked effectively with them.”
Dr. Evans will begin the transition with visits to several Berkeley school sites and departments before the end of the school year. He will hold meetings with parent, staff and community groups over the summer months.
Donald Evans, Ed.D.
Dr. Donald Evans is currently the Superintendent of Hayward Unified School District, where he has focused on the three R’s of “rigor, responsibility and results.” He has also built strong relationships with community members and stakeholders throughout the city. These efforts helped lead to last year’s passage of Hayward’s Measure G parcel tax, which protects critical education programs (such as math, reading, writing, and science labs), enhances library services, funds technology and college preparation programs, and allows Hayward to better attract and retain qualified teachers. Dr. Evans has also worked with the community on the Hayward Promise Neighborhood Partnership, a collaboration with multiple local agencies to provide a continuum of cradle-through-college-to-career solutions that includes both academic services as well as family and community supports.
Dr. Evans brings 26 years of experience as an educator. He began his teaching career in San Diego Unified School District in 1988 at Silver Gate Elementary School where he taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. During his 10-year tenure in San Diego he also served as a GATE teacher, a teacher coach, and a vice principal.
Dr. Evans was then recruited to be the first principal of the East Palo Alto Charter School in the Ravenswood City School District, which became the highest performing school in Ravenswood after only two years. Dr. Evans then served as a principal at Burckhalter Elementary School in Oakland, where under his leadership the school made the highest gains in English Language Arts out of all Oakland elementary schools.
Dr. Evans then served as an Elementary School Area Superintendent in Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). (The position of Area Superintendent is similar to the position of Assistant Superintendent in BUSD; the primary job of both positions is the supervision of principals.) During his tenure in OUSD, he spearheaded the District’s successful effort to implement all-day kindergarten. He also played an instrumental role in the professional development of elementary school administrators under his purview.
His next role was as the Associate Superintendent of Secondary Education in Compton Unified School District. During Dr. Evans’ time in Compton, students made considerable academic gains – e.g., the middle schools saw an average increase of more than 11% in their CST scores in both Mathematics and English Language Arts after having stagnated for several years. Dr. Evans also brought in advanced high school courses and expanded the music program. In addition, his schools saw a reduction in truancy and in expulsion rates, as well as an increase in teacher retention and in proficiency rates for English learners.
Throughout his career, Dr. Evans has focused extensively on curriculum and professional development. In San Diego, for example, he created the GATE curriculum for his classes. More recently, Dr. Evans has led numerous trainings on the conversion to the Common Core State Standards, with a particular focus on providing professional development to support administrators in the transition.
Dr. Evans earned his Doctorate in 2010 from the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, in association with the Leadership in Educational Equity Program. His dissertation topic was on “Understanding Why Principals Leave or Stay in Challenging Schools.” He received his Masters of Education from United States International University, and his Bachelors of Arts from University of Delaware. Dr. Evans is originally from Lewes, Delaware.
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