- Ann Arbor Public Schools
- Superintendent's Messages
July 12, 2021 - New Executive Director, K-8 and Middle-Level Education
Dr. Roberta M. Heyward
Dr. Jeanice K. Swift, Superintendent of Schools, Ann Arbor Public Schools, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Roberta M. Heyward as Executive Director, K-8 and Middle-Level Education.
Dr. Heyward has served as principal of Tappan Middle School since 2017; prior to her leadership at Tappan, Ms. Heyward served the Bryant Elementary community for many years, beginning in 2003 as a Kindergarten teacher, and leading the school as principal from 2011-2017, serving the Bryant-Pattengill Super Pair students, staff and families.
Highlights from Dr. Heyward’s leadership include Tappan’s national designation as a 2021 National School to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform. Schools to Watch are a distinctive group of middle schools across the country that have demonstrated a proven record of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structure. Additional leadership achievements include establishing and nurturing community outreach and partnerships to serve the Bryant/Pattengill/Tappan students and families, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for families and honoring and celebrating the diversity within these school communities. She has served as a mentor principal and on numerous district-level committees, including as a long-serving member of the AAPS Equity team and participating in workgroups to provide professional development and establish best practices across the AAPS.
In 2020, Dr. Heyward completed her Doctorate of Education Leadership from the University of Michigan, Flint. Her dissertation research, “A Qualitative Case Study: Homeless Parents’ Perceptions of School-Related Supplemental Services (McKinney-Vento) For Their School-Aged Children” shares key insights in understanding parent school experiences among homeless families. In addition, Dr. Heyward holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Language Arts-Communications from the University of Detroit Mercy. She received a Master of Arts in The Art of Teaching from Marygrove College.
As a highly regarded teacher, instructional and transformational leader over many years in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Dr. Heyward brings a proven record of excellence, depth of experience, and established relationships in PreK-8 education that will serve our more than 5,500 K8 and middle level students, staff and families well. She shares, “I am ecstatic and honored to have been selected for this opportunity. I am eager to partner with all stakeholders to make an even greater impact in the areas of education, equity, and service to the AAPS community!”
Dr. Heyward will continue to support a strong transition in leadership alongside the Tappan Middle School students, staff and community during the Summer of 2021 and will transition to assume her duties as Executive Director, K8 and Middle-Level education for the 21-22 school year.