Rocketship Public Schools has appointed
Kadeem Gill to be executive director for its
Wisconsin region. Rocketship has two charter public elementary schools in Milwaukee, one on the north side and the other on the south side of the city. Gill is a career educator who was previously managing director of exceptional student education at Breakthrough Public Schools in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to Breakthrough, Gill was the senior director of special populations at Explore Schools in Brooklyn, New York. Before that he served as special education director at the Equity Project Charter School in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, and taught special education for many years in the Bronx. “I started my career as a special education teacher because I wanted to help students that society too often gives up on,” Gill said. “That shared mission is what drew me to Rocketship. At Rocketship, we serve a majority of students of color, students living in poverty, and students whose families are immigrants or refugees. We work to unleash the potential inside of every student that we serve, and when our students go on to attend other middle and high schools, they enter those schools prepared to succeed, with parents who know how to advocate for their students. I’m excited to help Rocketship continue to excel here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin so that more students have access to a high-quality public education at the elementary school level, which benefits our entire system of public education.” Gill received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Princeton University in 2011, earned a master's degree from Hunter College in special education, a master’s degree in educational leadership from the Bank Street School of Education, and is currently working on his educational doctorate degree in leadership and innovation from New York University. “Kadeem’s life proves the power of choice in public education. Kadeem understands firsthand the devastating consequences of a lack of educational opportunities for all kids, as he was chosen to attend a gifted and talented school while his brothers remained behind in a poor performing local school. Kadeem ended up at Princeton, while one brother was lost to gun violence and another to prison,” said Ralph Weber, chairman of the board of Rocketship Public Schools Wisconsin. “Kadeem’s record of achievement and experience, along with his passion for equity in education, impressed the entire board. As we launch new efforts to overcome enduring achievement gaps for Milwaukee children and their families, we are thankful Kadeem will be leading Rocketship Public Schools Wisconsin.”
