No Room for Excuses: Ashton Wheeler Clemmons

On Ashton Wheeler Clemmons’ desk sits a quote stating, “In God we trust; Everyone else bring data.” As the principal of Oak Hill Elementary School she has clearly taken it to heart. The federal turnaround school consisting of 475 students — 99 percent free/reduced lunch and 54 percent ESL — saw such large improvements that it recently was named North Carolina Title One School of the Year.

Clemmons, Ed.M.'09, believes in public education’s promise for every kid to be successful in life. “The most challenged schools are high poverty and high minority schools, and that’s where we are struggling as a country to fulfill this promise. That’s why I came to my school,” she says. “What [this recognition] means is that we are changing the face of public education because we take excuses away for why a child can’t learn.”

Through Clemmons’ work, as well as that of her staff, the school has gone from 44.8 percent to 70.3 percent proficient on the state exams. Additionally, the school has made vast improvements in math (59.5 percent to 86.9 percent) and science (34.1 percent to 85.5 percent), and continues to improve on reading (34.1 percent to 49.9 percent).

Although she is proud of the school’s progress – previously it had had the lowest performance record in a district of 125 schools – Clemmons says that they still have a ways to go. “We proved that our kids can excel and that raises the bar of what other schools are doing,” she says.

Clemmons, who took on the role as principal this year after having worked as assistant principal, credits a total shift in school culture as the prime reason for drastic improvements. “The culture [now] is that every kid is going to excel,” she says.

She also credits a great staff – of which she hired nearly 85 percent – who do not use excuses such as the students’ backgrounds for their lack of performance. “We have confronted every excuse and developed a culture where we set high expectations and do whatever it takes to get there,” she says, noting that the school has also worked hard to increase parental and community involvement.

At Oak Hill, high expectations means consistently using data to move students forward. “Teachers work together to break down common assessment data and work to intervene with students as soon as possible,” Clemmons says. “There is a community of constantly learning professionals who work diligently to improve instruction based on data.”

Clemmons, who studied in the School Leadership Program, said the different people she met at HGSE really have become invaluable in her role as principal.  She especially relies on a network of principals around the country.

The work of Senior Lecturer Deborah Jewell-Sherman, with whom she studied at HGSE, also keeps Clemmons inspired. Jewell-Sherman quotes adorn her office, the latest addition reading, “Treat others with respect not because of who they are but who you are.”

“That is helpful because as a principal a lot of people will get upset with you,” Clemmons says. “But it’s really about who you are going to be.”