By Brennan LaBrie

Over 32 years in public education in Florida, John Stratton has done it all. 

He’s been a special education teacher, a behavior specialist, a staffing specialist, a principal for every grade level, a director of both academic and business services, and a superintendent.  

And now, he is EOS’ newest Superintendent-in-Residence, leveraging decades of experience and expertise to help district leaders follow his path of increasing access and success in advanced academic pathways. 

Stratton’s journey with EOS began six years ago. Shortly after being promoted to superintendent of Hernando County School District in Florida, he was invited to hear about neighboring Pasco County Schools’ success in opening access to advanced pathways alongside EOS. It wasn’t long before he launched an EOS partnership of his own. 

At the time, Stratton felt optimistic about the state of equity in his district.  

“We thought we were doing a really good job with equity, and in some areas we were – in just being cognizant of it,” he said. “But when you start to really peel away some of the layers, you have to ask yourself: ‘Are we doing all that we can be?’” 

EOS helped his team ask themselves that question, and held them accountable on their equity-building goals, he said. The “objective, outside perspective” provided by EOS also unveiled new opportunity gaps to school and district leaders, and forced them to recognize the barriers to access they were creating for underrepresented and underserved students. 

The main barrier, he said, was the inherent biases of adults in the schools, and the system of “exclusive entry” to rigorous courses they produced.

Changing adult mindsets was at the center of the district’s work with EOS. Gatekeepers to rigorous programs became door openers, and these programs reached “a whole other level of greatness” as a result, he said.

“Literally hundreds of more students have been exposed to the rigor of college coursework, and many of those hundreds have received college credit as a result of that,” he said. “If we had not gone with EOS and made the mindset shift that we did, those students more than likely wouldn’t have taken those courses. There wasn’t a mechanism in place that would have drawn them in; moreso, the mechanisms that were in place kept them out.” 

Students are not the only ones who benefit from increased access to advanced courses, he said. The college credit received by passing AP, IB, AICE and dual enrollment exams reduces credit requirements in college, saving families money. Florida districts are also rewarded with financial incentives for each exam passed in advanced programs, which are distributed to teachers as bonuses, he added.  

As Superintendent-in-Residence, Stratton is excited to discuss the wide-reaching benefits of opening doors to rigorous academic pathways with school and district leaders nationwide. 

“One of my goals in this role is to get other districts in Florida and the southeast here to realize the power of what EOS is doing, and how especially in Florida, [the EOS partnership] can pay for itself and then some,” he said. 

Another primary objective for Stratton is to be a staunch advocate for public education, especially in states where the political climate has grown increasingly skeptical – and even hostile – to it.  

“It’s more important than ever that we set the record straight and tell the story of what’s happening in public education and remind people that we accept everyone that comes to our doorstep – we don’t turn them away,” he said. 

Stratton speaking to the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce.

Simultaneously, he intends on listening to critiques of the education system with an open mind. After all, his belief in the system to which he dedicated his career is what kept him from fully stepping away after retiring from HCSD. With EOS, he sees an opportunity to help shape an education system that fulfills its mandate to provide a rigorous education to every student – and set them up for success after high school. 

“My drive now is to make sure that I’m doing everything on the periphery that I can to improve public education,” he said. 

Brennan LaBrie helps EOS and its partners tell their stories and spread awareness of their work through the mediums of print, audio and video. With a background in local journalism, he loves sharing the stories of the individuals and organizations driving impact in their community and beyond.