Before her class opened their textbooks, Susan Loney, Ed.D., walked around the room and greeted each student. The simple routine shows the care she believes every young person deserves when they step into her classroom.

The Druid Hill Elementary English language teacher felt the same kind of care when she was asked to participate in a focus group with Omaha Public Schools. 

“I was given the premium experience of our school district’s level of care,” said Loney. “I was able to share my thoughts, experiences and hopes regarding our district’s Moonshot.”

Since December 2024, our district has met with more than 500 staff, students, parents and community members, giving them an uninterrupted space to share their experiences with Omaha Public Schools. These sessions are part of our district’s work to gather feedback as we work toward our Moonshot goal – all students reading on grade level by 2030.

“We’re asking the big, heavy questions,” said John Crowe, Ed.D., Omaha Public Schools director of enterprise strategy and innovation. “It's a way for us to elicit feedback from our stakeholders that helps us answer the question of ‘what do you want to see from us over the next five years?’”

During a recent Board of Education workshop, staff shared that transforming literacy across our district began with listening to and honoring the stories of those who have a direct connection to our schools.

“The lived experience of those around us is so much richer than what we could come up with sitting in a room on our own,” said Crowe.

Staff host conversations using open-ended questions that encourage storytelling and personal reflection. In these conversations, leaders heard about successes and setbacks.

“My school district is listening to my insights on the challenges and opportunities I see in my role as an English teacher to help support our students’ success,” said Loney. “Involving teachers’ voices to be part of that is amazing because we're doing it in the classroom.”

Our district has made progress moving from “random acts of improvement” toward aligned goals, behaviors and processes.

“We listen for four main reasons: to build a shared understanding of the Omaha Public Schools experience, to align our work to our stakeholders’ realities, to strengthen trust between us and those we speak to, and the number one reason is because we care,” said Crowe.

As these conversations continue, our district will apply what it has learned during the conversations to help inform our next strategic plan. The next opportunity for the public to participate is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Lewis and Clark Middle.

October 2025