DALLAS – Romules Durant has served as CEO/Superintendent of Ohio’s Toledo Public Schools for 11 years, making him the longest serving superintendent in the Council of the Great City Schools.

A graduate of the Toledo school system, the district has had five successful levy campaigns, graduation rates have increased, and gifted services for elementary students and Advanced Placement courses for high school students have expanded under his leadership. In addition, the district has opened five magnet high schools, including the new Toledo Pre-Medical Science and Health Science Academy, a school that focuses on preparing students for careers in the medical field.

In recognition of his achievements, Durant was presented with the Green-Garner Award at the Council’s 68th Annual Fall Conference here, recognizing him as the Urban Superintendent of the Year.

Sponsored by the Council and Scholastic, Inc., the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, the award is the nation’s highest honor for urban education leadership. It is named in honor of Richard R. Green, the first African American chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and businessman Edward Garner, who served on the Denver school board. Along with the award comes a $10,000 college scholarship Durant will present to a 2025 graduate in the Toledo school district.

“I want to thank my staff and the board,” said Durant upon accepting the award. “Great work can’t happen without a great board. And at the end of the day, them investing in you and supporting you makes a huge difference in your success.”

Toledo Teacher Wins Queen Smith Award

Durant was not the only winner of an award at the Council’s Annual Fall Conference. Mona Al-Hayani, a teacher at Toledo Early College, was named the winner of the 2024 Queen Smith Award for Commitment to Urban Education.

A high school history teacher, Al-Hayani has taught for 29 years in the Toledo school district and is a National Board-Certified Teacher. She is the creator of Youth Creating Change, a student-led organization dedicated to promoting understanding, kindness, and social justice through advocacy on issues including human trafficking; human rights; cultural, gender, and racial identity; and student voice.

Al-Hayani has earned numerous recognitions, including Ohio Teacher of the Year.

Durant winning the Green-Garner Award and Al-Hayani winning the Queen Smith Award is the first time a superintendent and a teacher from the same school district have won the awards at a Council’s Fall Conference.

Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award

Houston Independent School District and Rice University – Kinder Institute for Urban Research received the Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award. The award was presented by the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education, an affiliate group of deans working with urban school leaders.

The Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) is a research-practice partnership between the Kinder Institute and 10 Houston-area school districts to guide data-driven, equity-minded policy. HERC uses a jointly developed research agenda that involves both researchers and school district leaders working together on critical issues to improve educational equity.