Dr. Melvin Brown on Weighted Grades, Systemic Change, and Serving as a Lead Learner

An Imperfect Leader

INTRO: In my third year as a superintendent, the AVID classes at one of my high schools invited me to the school library at 7:30 in the morning. That is EARLY for high school students accustomed to starting school at almost 9 o’clock, so it had to be important. Over donuts and juice, it was the students who led an activity called Philosophical Chairs. The topic? Weighted grades. Our school district didn’t offer weighted grades and the students saw this as a distinct disadvantage. They were prepared for my argument to maintain the status quo. I reasoned, “Why would we need weighted grades? The research is really clear. If you complete an AP course, even with a C, you’re more likely to complete college.”

In Philosophical Chairs, after each statement, participants can choose to move in proximity to the person making the statement. I didn’t sway anyone. A student then stated, “I hear the argument that completing an AP course shows me that I can handle a college course, and that it becomes more likely I will finish college, but I need to GET into college first, and I need to get a scholarship to pay for it, and a peer who takes a less rigorous course and gets an A gets accepted to college and gets a higher scholarship.”

She was right (we verified this with our local University and they weren’t stripping weighted grades from transcripts). I was won over. I wish I could say that this change happened immediately. Getting 4 votes from the school board took some time, but we got there. My guest, Dr. Melvin Brown, shares his experience with a decision he made about weighted grades in Montgomery, Alabama.

In Part 1, Melvin Brown talks about the importance of reclaiming the narrative in Montgomery Public Schools. He talks about how enduring change will take time. He talks about recognizing the systems that exist, persist, and ways to RESIST. We discuss the ways external partners like EdConnective can support leadership development. We talk about the goal of increasing opportunities like algebra at middle school and the systems thinking approach that will be necessary to do that.

In Part 2, we talk about weighted grades, how AP courses and honors courses earned the same full point on a transcript, and the unintended consequences on a student’s future (scholarships and such). Dr. Brown lived the role of a lead learner.

It’s a great episode. Also, this episode had one of my favorite lines ever! I laughed out loud when Dr. Brown described himself as a student. He said, “Summa Cum Laude? No, it was more like, thank you, Laude!” I edited out my outburst!

BIO: Dr. Melvin Brown is the Superintendent of the Montgomery Public Schools in Montgomery, Alabama, a position he has held since 2022. Previous to that, he served as Superintendent of the Reynoldsburg City School District in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. And before that he served as a Superintendent in Residence and Visiting Professor at The Ohio State University. And before that, he held various leadership roles: as Deputy Superintendent, as Director of Human Resources, as an Associate Superintendent, and as both an elementary middle school principal.

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Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.

Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.

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My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.