District 28 leaders highlight attendance gains, corrective-reading work and STEM expansion
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Summary
District 28 leaders described improvements in attendance and graduation rates, outlined corrective-reading and special-education compliance gains, and promoted 'STEM in the South' — a growing set of innovation sites offering certifications, internships and career pathways across the district.
District 28 school leaders used the council meeting to lay out student-performance data and new programming aimed at postsecondary readiness and career pathways.
Superintendent Eric Blake opened the report by saying the district would “focus on equity as a lever for achievement for every single scholar,” and described work on math and literacy improvement, multi-tiered systems of support and efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism. Blake listed district-wide highlights including higher attendance and reductions in chronic-absence figures at many schools.
Dr. Josephine Beauvavez (Queen’s South leadership) and Queens-area principals presented student-outcomes and program expansions. Dr. Beauvavez noted the district’s use of corrective-reading interventions and reported that 60 percent of students in the intensive intervention tier advanced at least one grade level, and 28 percent advanced at least two grade levels. She said the district reported a roughly 90 percent graduation rate and high AP/dual-enrollment pass rates at many schools.
The presentation emphasized a newly scaled initiative, STEM in the South, described in the meeting video as “a groundbreaking initiative at Queen's South High Schools” that offers students pathways to certifications and internships in areas such as AI fundamentals, cybersecurity, aviation, culinary arts and automotive technology. A student-centered video and testimony showed hands-on labs and reported program metrics: the initiative scaled from 6 sites with 300 students and 180 certifications in its first year to an anticipated 14 sites, 1,000 enrolled students and 500 certifications this year. Dr. Beauvavez also confirmed an AI collaboration, saying the district “are in collaboration with Brisk dot ai” to provide teachers with tools for tiered instruction.
Leaders reminded families of middle-school and high-school admissions timelines (applications opened Oct. 15, close Dec. 12; offers issued April 15) and promoted upcoming open houses and district fairs. They also framed scholarship and postsecondary outcomes: Beauvavez said District 28 students acquired approximately $45,000,000 in scholarships, including awards from Posse, QuestBridge and other programs.
District representatives invited parent engagement in the STEM pilot and encouraged employers and partners to help sustain the programs. They said seed classrooms and coaching for teachers are key parts of the scale plan, and promised further updates as the district evaluates curricular choices through spring 2026.
