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Alicia Thompson
Alicia Thompson
00:55

Alicia Thompson

Wichita Public Schools

Wichita, KS USA

"You cannot make it in this world or be anything in this world without other people."

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Alicia's work combines: Education, Government, and Teaching / Mentoring

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Day In The Life

Superintendent

I provide leadership and the strategic vision for the school district.

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Day In The Life Of A School District Superintendent

My Day to Day

My days are never the same. Some days I'll be in meetings all day. Other days I'll be traveling and meeting with legislators to advocate for the school district. I also spend time working with community members to make sure they know about all of the cool things happening in our school district. I have a team that works throughout all parts of the school district. I meet with them regularly to make sure we're all in alignment with our goals and activities.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

Find something that you're passionate in and work on the skills you need to break into that career. I also recommend getting involved in organizations or clubs in school. I was in a sorority and have been able to call upon my sorority sisters—and even former classmates from my HBCU—for opportunities and connections. You build valuable networks by being involved and engaged in things. When you graduate college and are moving to a new city or looking for a job, those networks are going to matter.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Elementary Education and Teaching

    Langston University

  • Graduate Degree

    Curriculum and Instruction

    Kansas Newman

  • Doctorate

    Educational Leadership and Administration

    Wichita State University

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas.

  • 2.

    My mom was a schoolteacher in Wichita, so I spent a lot of my time immersed in the school district.

  • 3.

    The admiration I had for a former teacher paired with my experience teaching vacation bible school in high school drove me to seriously consider going into the education industry.

  • 4.

    I earned my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Langston University, an HBCU in Oklahoma.

  • 5.

    I started my career as a teacher for Wichita Public Schools.

  • 6.

    Along my journey, I earned a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership and administration.

  • 7.

    I transitioned from being a teacher, to a building leader, and then to a district-level administrator.

  • 8.

    I was appointed as superintendent of Wichita Public Schools in 2017.

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