Dr. Kevin R. West
Superintendent of Schools
East Orange Public Schools
Kevin is a proud product of the Newark Public Schools where he graduated from Barringer High School in 1978. He continued his education at Seton Hall University earning a Bachelor’s Degree with honors in Elementary Education in 1982, a Master’s Degree with honors in Educational Administration & Supervision in 1984, and a Doctor of Education Degree from Nova Southeastern University in Educational Leadership in 2003. Kevin also attended and completed the Princeton University Principals Center for Educational Leadership in 1994, the Harvard University Institute for Educational Leadership in 1985 and the Yale University School Development Program in 2001.
Dr. Kevin West worked for the Irvington Public School District from 1982 – 2005 in several different capacities: Teacher at Union Avenue School from 1982 – 1989, Assistant and Acting Principal at Grove Street School from 1989 – 1991, Vice Principal of Irvington High School from 1991 – 1992, Principal of Augusta Street School from 1992 – 1995, Principal of Thurgood Marshall School from 1996 – 1999, and Principal of Chancellor Avenue School from 1999 – 2005. Kevin also worked in the Newark Public School District from 2005 – 2010 as Principal of West Side High School, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, Associate Superintendent of Special Programs, and as the Assistant Superintendent of Special Programs, overseeing 15 departments. More recently, Dr. West served as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Roselle Public School District 2010 – 2011. He was promoted to Superintendent of the Roselle Public Schools on October 27, 2011 and was serving in that capacity until he decided to apply for the East Orange Superintendent of Schools position. Dr. Kevin R. West became the proud Superintendent of the East Orange Public Schools on November 1, 2016.
During his numerous years in the field of education, Dr. West received The New Jersey Principal of the Year Award from the New Jersey Department of Education and the NJ Principals and Supervisors Association for the school year 2003-2004. As a result of the numerous initiatives such as reading book clubs, successful implementation of school uniforms, a restructuring of the basic skills and special education program, effective looping, developing a master schedule to include common planning periods and PLC’s for teachers, development and integration of challenging and rigorous curriculum, enforcement of a clean, safe, orderly learning environment, daily classroom observations to teachers with immediate feedback, progressive writing sample displays, creation of over 27 school clubs/organizations, school beautification projects, free daily before and after care program until 6:00pm for working parents, after school enrichment/tutorial program, Creation of a Saturday Academy and SES program, establishment of a school restaurant, maintaining highest test scores in the district for 6 consecutive years before leaving district, significantly increasing parental involvement, writing and receiving several grants, organizing a concerned fathers group, fostering community partnerships, etc., Chancellor Avenue School was able to meet all 41 “No Child Left Behind” mandates and was deemed the only “Achieving School” in the Township of Irvington NJ during his time there. In addition, test scores rose significantly under the leadership of Dr. West during the six years he was Principal of Chancellor Avenue School (97.3% of his students passed the NJASK in Language Arts Literacy, and 93.1% of his students passed the NJASK in Math). Governor Christine Todd Whitman visited and officially recognized Chancellor Avenue School as a model Abbott School on the cutting edge of making a positive difference.
While Superintendent in Roselle for five years, the Roselle Public Schools improved dramatically in every area. Under the leadership of Dr. West, seven of the eight schools in Roselle became National Award Winning Schools, and the high school graduation rate rose to 91%.
While Superintendent of East Orange, Dr. West restructured the middle school complex to an effective middle school model of success, created a magnet middle school (future Ready Prep) within a school, brought in numerous partnerships, had a laundromat built inside of two schools to assist students and families, dramatically improved the culture/climate of the schools and district, positively transformed the troubled comprehensive high school and helped bring it out of state status, started and coordinated a male mentoring program for over 80 middle/high school males to help close the achievement gap, helped decrease suspensions, helped improved state test scores, ensured that quality and meaningful PD was provided to staff, created a unified lesson plan template, hosted numerous Superintendent community/parent forums, and the list goes on.
Kevin has not only impacted the lives of thousands of students as an Educator, he has gone far beyond by cultivating, molding, directing and mentoring hundreds of inner city males (elementary, middle school, and high school) through the Sigma Beta Club Male Mentoring Program. The Sigma Beta Club is a National Male Mentoring Program initiative sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Dr. West has served as the advisor of this club in his local chapter since 1983. While in Newark, he started 6 new Sigma Beta Clubs; one at Weequahic Malcolm X Shabazz, Central, West Side, Barringer, and Arts High School where he mentors over 150 high school male students and over 50 female students that were members of the Blue Diamonds. Dr. West also started a Sigma Beta Club at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle where he advised and mentored 52 male students in addition to his responsibilities as Assistant Superintendent/Superintendent. Dr. West also started and supervised the Sigma Beta Club (male mentoring program) in East Orange which provided mentorship to over 82 middle/high school males. Under the tutelage of Dr. West, the Chi Sigma Chapter Sigma Beta Clubs have won the Eastern Regions Sigma Beta Club of the Year Award for over 17 consecutive years, and they have won the National Sigma Beta Club of the Year Award more than six times. There are currently over 200 elementary, middle school and high school male students (Northern NJ) that are members of the Chi Sigma Chapter Sigma Beta Clubs. These and other outstanding accomplishments earned Dr. Kevin R. West the distinction of being inducted into The Elite Distinguished Service Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. This is the highest honor that the fraternity bestows upon very few of its outstanding members.
Dr. Kevin West is a member of several civic and professional organizations including: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (Chi Sigma Northern NJ Alumni Chapter); New Jersey Association of School Administrators; Seton Hall University Community Advisory Board; Roselle Branch of the NAACP; International Masons; The Urban League, The National Alliance of Black School Educators; New Hope Baptist Church Trustee in Newark; National Education Association; Organization of African American Administrators; Kappa Delta Pi National Education Honor Society; NJDOE Urban Education Committee; NJ School Boards Association, NJ Superintendents’ Study Council, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD); NJ Department of Education’s NCLB Advisory Committee, and the National Association of School Superintendents. He has received numerous awards, honors, citations, and recognitions, too many to list here.
Kevin believes that it’s all about making the right choices and having a heart for kids. He states, “When it seems like nothing is going my way, I just stop and take time to adjust my perspective. I recall how far I’ve already come, and remind myself that positive actions will indeed have positive and valuable results. Don’t lower your expectations to meet your level of performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Each one must reach one (or one thousand). For to accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream, not only dream but also believe. If it is to be, it is up to me, but teamwork makes the dream work.”
