This past year has been tumultuous, especially for educators. Across the country, school leaders have had to juggle navigating a global pandemic and our nation’s racial reckoning. They’ve transitioned to virtual teaching and learning, created space to discuss police brutality and systemic racism in their schools, and addressed the physical, social, and emotional needs of their students and families. In light of all, they have persevered through. Our School Leaders Who Inspire Series is intended to celebrate and highlight the prominent and impactful educators we have the pleasure of working with.
Over the course of this series, we will share interviews with school leaders about their motivations to lead and teach, their biggest lessons, influences, and best advice. You will learn more about their contributions to the public school system and how they have worked to provide their students with a high quality and equitable education.
Our Conversation with Tori Jackson Hines
How long have you been working in the charter school sector?
I was first introduced to charter schools back in 2009, when I began working as a 1st grade teacher who taught all subjects.
What motivated you to start working in the charter school sector?
I started my education career at a traditional district public school. Hearing about the experiences of my colleagues at charter schools really piqued my interest. They described an environment of high expectations: it was not acceptable for students to be unable to read on grade level, everyone on the school team was working equally as hard and had a shared mission. I wanted to be a part of that.
Does your school have any strategies to help support students’ racial identity development?
I believe deeply that the adults and role models that we put in front of children are a critical piece of racial identity development. At Resurgence Hall we are 99% Black and I, myself, as a Black woman feel it is very important that our children have adults that look like them and teachers that have shared their experiences. It is important that our schools are being led by members of our community. Additionally, empowerment and development are part of our everyday practice. It is who we are.
What can lenders do to more effectively to support schools and school leaders?
It is about keeping money where it belongs, and money belongs in the classroom. The classroom is where we get the biggest impact. From a lender standpoint, it is about understanding the mission of our school and creating financial products that elevate that mission rather than impeding it. I think it comes down to shared investment in wanting to better our communities and ensure all children have access to a great school. Charter schools have to start somewhere. Understanding and being able to invest in a charter school during its early years is critical to supporting their mission. From the school leader standpoint, it is essential for lenders to understand the value of their investment. I understand that lending is a business and lenders need to generate revenue from it. If lenders partner and become intertwined with the schools they invest in, I believe they will see partnership with school leaders as far more than just a financial transaction.
What are the biggest lessons you have learned from your school community?
Wow! I don’t even know where to start. I can sum it up as the power of community and what is really possible when groups of people with a shared vision come together. Often times, we are confronted by problems that seem unsolvable. We ask ourselves, how can I really make a difference or help? I think the answer lies in the we. Together, we can change what we want to change. I learned that by watching my children tackling challenges with teammates and seeing teachers collaborate and come up with solutions I would have never thought of on my own. The greatest lesson I have learned is the power of we.
What is the best piece of advice you have gotten in your career so far and why?
It doesn’t matter how matter many times you get knocked down, it’s about how you come back and how you get up. There is no such thing as perfection in this work. We do not require our children to be perfect. This is why you go to school to learn, grow and make mistakes. You have successes and failures. It is really about what you do after the setbacks, the mistakes, and the disappointments that really defines those who persist and those who give up.
How many Black teachers or professors have you had over the course of your own education and how has this impacted your educational experience?
The short answer is too few. In high school and college maybe two, if even that, in 8 years. If I go into graduate work maybe one Black professor. These are 12 years where I was surrounded by people that didn’t look like me and who didn’t share some of my experiences. It is very isolating. It makes you think, do I belong here? If I belonged here, surely there would be a lot of other women, Black women and men here. If they are not here, is there some sort of mistake? Am I not supposed to be here? For us at Resurgence Hall, we are Black from top to bottom. Our entire school board is Black men and women. Our leadership team is Black women. Our school staff is majority Black men and women. That matters to our community. That matters to our children.
What book, experience, or resource has had the biggest impact on how you approach this work?
To be honest I can’t highlight just one text but there is something to be said about community. Within Black culture we see the concept of a village: grandparents, godparents, aunties, uncles and the paternal and maternal figures that take care of our children. The idea that schools were accountable to all of them and at the same time they were accountable to the schools in their community as well. I think this is one of the most beautiful things about our people. When I think about how I lead, I lead with a genuine mindset that these are all of my children and that you have invited me into your village and we are raising our children together. This causes us at Resurgence Hall to do things differently, we want to know what are your hopes and dreams? How do you see us participating in the hopes and dreams? This fact has sustained us as a people and it’s that we are a village.
About Tori Jackson Hines
In 2016, Tori Jackson Hines founded Resurgence Hall Charter School. In her role as Founder and Executive Director, Mrs. Jackson Hines has led Resurgence Hall to become the #1 ranked charter school in Georgia with a College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) score of 93.4.
Prior to founding Resurgence Hall Charter School, Mrs. Hines was a 2nd grade lead teacher at 122nd Street Elementary where she implemented workshops and after school tutoring with the goal of ensuring student success. Mrs. Hines is an educator with experience in a variety of urban school settings and at educational non-profits. She has experience teaching, coaching, and leading towards transformational academic outcomes for students in general and special education settings, in Los Angeles, CA, Brooklyn, NY, and Atlanta, GA.
Our Work with the Resurgence Hall Charter School
Resurgence Hall Charter School is a high-performing public charter school that has been a LISC partner since 2019. Resurgence Hall was founded in 2017 and serves a primarily African-American student population. Resurgence Hall’s mission is to provide each and every one of their students with a high-quality, college preparatory education that will prepare them for success in high school, college, and life, regardless of economic circumstances, zip code, race, or home language.
The LISC Charter School Financing Team provided Resurgence Hall Charter School of East Point, Georgia with a $50,000 Spark Opportunity predevelopment grant to help cover the cost of funding the second phase of construction for their new 5-8 middle school facility that will serve 336 students in 2022.
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