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By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
When new Illinois State Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Tony Smith talks about providing
educational opportunities for children on the lower
end of the silver spoon spectrum, the passion in his
voice belies his calm exterior. One gets the feeling
that much like he used to blast open holes for running
backs as an offensive guard for the University of
California Golden Bears, Smith would like nothing
better than to bulldoze some longstanding obstacles.
In a story for the Cal Alumni Association
magazine in 2013, Vicki Haddock wrote:
Tony Smith
sports the physique of Buzz Lightyear yet speaks the
vernacular of a psychotherapist. Throughout life, his
exterior has simultaneously reflected and
contradicted his interior self – the result being that
people tend to typecast him, and then get taken by
surprise.
Underestimate Smith at your own risk. Born to 17-
year-old parents who split up, Smith bounced among
relatives and friends in northern California, attending
as many as 10 different schools. He even lived on his
own for a while as a fifth-grader. Yet he went on to
become captain of the football team at the University
of California, where he also attained his Master’s and
Doctorate Degrees to complement the street smarts
he had acquired out of necessity. He understands all
too well the challenges facing many kids in Illinois,
where more than half of the students qualify for the
free or reduced lunch program that marks the poverty
line.
“I really believe that every kid is unique and has
so much to offer, that the potential of our young
people is not being fully maximized or touched and
activated,” Smith said during a recent interview in his
Springfield office. “Our kids are situated either close
to or further from opportunity and our public schools
have the ability to create opportunities and change
life outcomes. There are very few other places like
that.
“Some kids are born where there are amazing
opportunities all around them. They’re on an
“I really believe that every kid is unique
and has so much to offer, that the potential
of our young people is not being fully
maximized or touched and activated. Our
kids are situated either close to or further
from opportunity and our public schools
have the ability to create opportunities and
change life outcomes. There are very few
other places like that.”
New State Superintendent wants to open
doors of opportunity for
all
students
As superintendent of schools in Oakland, (CA), new Illinois State Superintendent Dr. Tony Smith
focused on improving educational opportunities and closing achievement gaps among all students.