Speaker: Romulus Durant
Topic: The State of Innovation with a New Way of Public Education
Location: Crosby Conference Center, Toledo Botanical Gardens, 5403 Elmer Drive, Toledo, OH 43615
Dr. Romules Durant has a special connection to Toledo Public Schools – one like no other.
He graduated from Morrison R. Waite High School in 1994 and after earning his bachelor’s degree
from the University of Toledo in 1999, he became a fourth grade teacher for Toledo Public Schools.
In fact, he has spent his entire professional career working for the district he now leads as
Superintendent. When he became Superintendent in December 2013, Dr. Durant has made it his
mission to share the good news of TPS in the community. For him, TPS Proud isn’t just a catch phrase, it’s something he lives each day – plus, he wears it on his
collar and sleeve. He set aggressive goals for the district and introduced a new mission statement
that shows his ultimate goal - and that is that all students become competitive college and career
ready graduates.
Under Dr. Durant’s leadership, the district has seen the graduation rate jump 21 percent for all
students and closed the achievement gap between Caucasian and African American students. TPS
has also recorded an increase in enrollment. He has also worked to add Career Technology programs
that provide students with an introduction to possible career options in some of the most sought after
industries in northwest Ohio. To make sure that all students can find the best school to foster their
talents, Dr. Durant has overseen the creation of thematic schools: four STEMM-based elementary
schools, Jones Leadership Academy of Business and the Aerospace & Natural Science Academy of
Toledo. The latter two are aimed at preparing high school students for high-tech jobs of the future.
Future plans include the introduction of a high school focused on medical careers for students.
Dr. Durant is very cognizant of making sure there are attractive paths for students seeking to attend
college after graduation. In addition to adding National Honor Society chapters across the district, Dr.
Durant’s team has expanded Advanced Placement courses from four to 23 and he has made sure 12
associate degree tracks have been developed for high school students. This emphasis has resulted
in more than 800 TPS high school students amassing college credit.
Another one of Dr. Durant’s achievements is founding the Young Men of Excellence and the Young
Women of Excellence mentoring groups. Members are well known for performing service projects in
our community. The continuing positive momentum throughout Toledo Public Schools can be
attributed in large part to Dr. Durant’s visionary approach to running an urban school district. He has
never lost sight of the fact that he has the same goal for today’s TPS students as he had for himself -
to rise up from modest means to achieve success first in school and then in life.