Melody Johnson
Superintendent, Fort Worth Independent School District
Superintendent Melody A. Johnson leads the team determined to make the Fort Worth ISD the best urban school district in the nation.
Dr. Johnson joined the Fort Worth ISD in July, 2005, following her tenure as superintendent of schools in Providence, Rhode Island. During her time in Providence, Dr. Johnson received national recognition for her efforts to spearhead long-term systemic reforms while fostering a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect. Instructional programs she designed and implemented led to unprecedented improvements in student achievement. She made lifelong friends in Providence.
But, in many ways, her move to Texas was like coming home.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Johnson served successfully in various positions in school districts across Texas and as a senior director at the Texas Education Agency.~
And, it was in Texas that Dr. Johnson began her strong record of success in closing the achievement gap.
While she served as Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Student Support, the San Antonio ISD was one of three districts in the nation to be recognized by the US Department of Education for improving the achievement scores of the poorest students.
Each year the prestigious Broad Foundation identifies and recruits outstanding individuals to participate in a ten-month executive development experience designed to further the foundation’s mission to dramatically improve K-12 urban education.~ In 2002, Dr. Johnson was one of only twenty-two participants selected nation-wide to participate in the first class sponsored by the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems.
Dr. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma; a Master of Education degree in Supervision and Education of the Gifted Child from Texas Women’s University in Denton; and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas in Austin.