About Melody Johnson

Superintendent Melody A. Johnson leads the team committed to making the Fort Worth ISD the best urban school district in the nation.  In her short tenure, she’s led the establishment of a new and relevant curriculum, instituted measures of accountability and sound business practices, and looked to the future by establishing Fort Worth ISD as a “Digital District.” 

• Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, Fort Worth ISD educators wrote and implemented a new curriculum frameworks.
• During her tenure, voters approved a record $594 million dollar Capital Improvement Program (in November, 2007) and one year later is on time and on budget.
• Through Dr. Johnson’s guidance, the Fort Worth ISD will be the first and largest public school system to install interactive whiteboards in every classroom in the district.

She has also deeply engaged the community and led broad-based public initiatives, showing local leaders how they can positively impact school completion and academic success in math and science under the umbrella of “Project Prevail”.  Along the same lines, she established the first Office of Parent Engagement and is aggressively recruiting parents, school by school, to become more involved and empowered in their children’s academic futures.

Although she’s only been in Fort Worth a little more than three years, she feels right at home here.  Dr. Johnson has deep roots in Texas.

Earlier in her career, she served successfully in various leadership positions in school districts across Texas and as a senior director at the Texas Education Agency.

And, it was in Texas that Dr. Johnson began her strong record of success in closing the achievement gap.

While she served as Associate Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Student Support, the San Antonio ISD was one of three districts in the nation to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for improving the achievement scores of the poorest students.

Each year the prestigious Broad Foundation identifies and recruits outstanding individuals to participate in a ten-month executive development experience designed to further the foundation’s mission to dramatically improve K-12 urban education.~ In 2002, Dr. Johnson was one of only twenty-two participants selected nation-wide to participate in the first class sponsored by the Broad Center for the Management of School Systems.

Dr. Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma; a Master of Education degree in Supervision and Education of the Gifted Child from Texas Women’s University in Denton; and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Texas in Austin.

Dr. Johnson joined the Fort Worth ISD in July, 2005, following her tenure as superintendent of schools in Providence, Rhode Island.  During her time in Providence, Dr. Johnson received national recognition for her efforts to spearhead long-term systemic reforms while fostering a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect. Instructional programs she designed and implemented led to unprecedented improvements in student achievement.