Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiara Jordan-Sutton.
Hi Tiara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Activate STL was founded due to the current state of education in Missouri and, more specifically, St. Louis City + County. To live in a city where 1/10 black 4th graders are proficient in reading is devastating! As a former K-12 educator, administrator, and Principal for 17 years, I knew this didn’t need to be true for black families who call St. Louis home. How did I know this? During my time in Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, and Brooklyn, NY, I had proven what is possible in under-resourced and underserved communities regarding educating black children. I knew others in the region were aware of what was happening nationally and how other cities were succeeding in education. So, what was going on in Missouri and STL?
One aspect of my work as a school leader that led to many successes was making decisions regarding the school and my overall experience collaborating with my teachers, students, and families. The school wasn’t mine, and it wasn’t the authorizers or boards; it belongs to the families and community we serve! Making decisions for a group of people or a community seemed foolish and counterproductive without including their voices, experiences, and ideas. Unfortunately, this is too often the case at tables and in rooms where people are problem-solving around issues in education. This is why the work of Activate STL is so necessary. Our mission and grounding quotes can be found below:
- Mission: Uplift, inform, and ignite parent and student voices in under-resourced St. Louis communities to successfully navigate educational systems of power in pursuit of equitable and quality school choices.
- Grounding Quote: Those closest to the problem are the closest to the solutions but furthest from the resources and power. -Louis L. Reed
We have launched 4 adult cohort experiences and 2 student experiences through a summer internship/cohort and after-school programming. After serving the STL City and County for 2 years, we are in conversations with funders who want to take our work state-wide and impact more families, students, and educators!
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
You can never expect a smooth road when disrupting the status quo or the “system” at large, haha! As hard as myself and my team and members are working towards equitable change in education, people are working just as hard to keep it the same as benefiting them and their families. The adult political climate in STL when it comes to education is so damaging for our babies and their futures. There is so much separation around school choice and supporting the public district, but only a little talk about performance and learning, and that reality needs to be at the forefront of these conversations. Our babies are not receiving the education they deserve, and it’s not helpful to point fingers. Time is ticking, and it’s past time that we all come together to ensure that all children in STL are learning and growing academically, socially, and emotionally.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Tiara Jordan-Sutton is the CEO and Founder of Activate STL. Initially born in Flint, MI, having an education choice changed the trajectory of Tiara’s life. She profoundly believes in the power of school choice and the impact of quality education, and she is also a walking example of that impact.
Tiara has served families in charter schools for the past 15 years as a teacher, administrator, and principal in the following cities: Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; and Brooklyn, NY. Tiara is passionate about closing the opportunity gap through intentionality and truth-telling. During her time in education, she saw that those most impacted were not in positions of power to make decisions or influence decisions that changed the education landscape on a local and systemic level. She is excited to be a resident of St. Louis now and to be focused on making an impact that serves and supports the families and scholars of this community. Through the work of Activate STL, Tiara, and her team work to engage, inform, and ignite families to be active participants in creating equitable systems-level change in education.
A quote that grounds her team at each check-in is: Those closest to the problem are the closest to the solutions but furthest from the resources and power. -Louis L. Reed
Tiara holds an M.A. in Educational Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and a B.S. in Special Education (Mild to Moderate) from Ohio University. Tiara is a lifelong learner and has completed post-masters programs at Northwestern University and Washington University-Brown School in the content areas of organizational leadership and leading diversity, equity, and inclusion. Tiara is also an adjunct professor at Washington University, where she teaches graduate students a course on educating exceptional learners.
Tiara is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Education Leaders of Color, City Fund’s Community of Practice Cohort, Surge Institute Alumni-Cohort 2022 Chicago, Focus St. Louis- Emerging Leaders Alumni-Cohort 2023, Community Organizers Training Program- Innovate Public Schools- Graduate 2022 and Cortex Innovation Social Impact Cohort Alumni-2024. Tiara is a proud mother to a 4-year-old daughter who inspires her daily to fight for a more equitable and quality education for all children.
Also she is the proud Board Chair of Believe STL Academy which is the newest charter high school opening in STL this fall.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
- You must meet people where they are when doing community-facing work.
- Relationships matter most!
- You are planting seeds you may never see grow and bloom, but do it anyway and ensure the next generation is ready to take the baton and pass it on.
- No one is coming to save us; we are the ones we have been waiting for.
- When people come for you, you are barking up the right tree, haha! Smile and stay grounded in the goal 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.activatestl.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activate_stl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/activatestl/
- Other: https://www.the74million.org/article/st-louis-advocacy-group-trains-parents-students-to-improve-struggling-schools-2/
Image Credits
Mena Darre Photography
