Barbara Sizemore (December 17, 1927 – July 24, 2004) was an American teacher and researcher in the field of education. In 1973, she became the first African American woman to head the public school system in a major city, when she was elected superintendent of

District of Columbia Public Schools The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) is the local public school system for Washington, D.C. It is distinct from the District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), which governs public charter schools in the city. Compositi ...

Early life and education

Barbara Ann Sizemore was born to Sylvester and Delila Lafoon in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and was raised in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

. She attended segregated elementary and middle schools and graduated from high school at the age of 16. Sizemore attended

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, where she received a bachelor's degree in classical languages in 1947 and a master's degree in elementary education in 1954. She later returned to school and received a PhD from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in educational administration in 1979.

Career

Sizemore began her career in

Chicago public schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

, teaching English and reading in elementary and high schools from 1950 to 1963, and serving as principal of elementary and high schools from 1963 to 1967. In 1969 she was named district superintendent of the Woodlawn Experimental Schools. She was also a member of the adjunct faculty at

Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 5,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Nat ...

from 1965 to 1971. Sizemore taught at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

from 1975 to 1992. It was there that she began her research on low-income African American students and standardized tests, which she continued as dean of the School of Education at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

in 1992. Sizemore's first book, a version of her doctoral thesis titled ''The Ruptured Diamond: The Politics of the Decentralization of the District of Columbia Public Schools'', was published in 1981. Her second book, ''Walking in Circles: The Black Struggle for School Reform'' was published posthumously in 2008.

Awards and honors

Sizemore served as Professor Emerita at

, and a scholar in residence at the

National Alliance of Black School Educators The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) is a non-profit organization that is devoted to furthering the academic success for the nation's children, especially those children of African ancestry. The NABSE was founded in 1970 and ...

from the 1970s until her death. She was the recipient of four honorary doctorates and was a member of

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...

sorority, the

Urban League The National Urban League (NUL), formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for Afri ...

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, and

Phi Delta Kappa PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is an international professional organization for educators. It was founded on January 24, 1906, at Indiana University. The fraternity administers the collegiate honor society ...

. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Research Focus on Black Education special interest group of the American Education Research Association. The School of Education at

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( ; also known as Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a Private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of ...

named the Barbara A. Sizemore Distinguished Professorship in Urban Education in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sizemore, Barbara 1927 births 2004 deaths Delta Sigma Theta members DePaul University faculty Northeastern Illinois University faculty Northwestern University alumni Academics from Chicago University of Pittsburgh faculty Superintendents of District of Columbia Public Schools