With the motto, "Preparing To Be the Best," principal Dexter Suggs has made numerous improvements in academics and discipline at Emma Donnan Middle School #72 in Indianapolis. He applied for and received a grant to integrate technology into the school curriculum, with the goal of creating a "paperless" environment for staff and students. Suggs has collaborated with community partners to develop recognition programs for students and staff, honoring and encouraging academic excellence and good character. To keep teachers motivated and inspired, he sends them a weekly electronic newsletter called "Monday Morning Wake-Up" in which he highlights effective instructional strategies and best practices. He also created a book club for teachers, for which he has bought books and led discussions. As the former principal of Margaret McFarland Middle School #112, Dexter helped increase student achievement on the Indiana Statewide Testing of Educational Progress (ISTEP+) by 14 percent. A member of numerous district committees, Suggs has served on the National School Leader Licensure Consortium and participated in the state's Graduation Qualifying Exam assessment committee.
1994 Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville, B.S.
