Beginning as a second-grade teacher, Dr. Tameka Lewis currently serves as the Student Attendance & Dropout Prevention Coordinator in Grand Prairie ISD, with over 15 years of dedicated experience in education. Throughout her various roles within GPISD, Dr. Lewis has consistently demonstrated a profound passion for guiding students toward decisions that pave the way for a bright future. In her current position, she focuses on developing innovative strategies to enhance student attendance, graduation rates, and family engagement, all with the overarching goal of maximizing student achievement. Dr. Lewis’s commitment extends beyond her professional duty, as she is also a parent who has raised three remarkable children within the Grand Prairie school district. Her dual perspective as both an educator and a parent enriches her approach to fostering positive outcomes for students and contributes to her effectiveness in her role.

When she was in 2nd grade, Dr. Kara Stern decided she wanted to be a teacher. Her commitment to education never waivered. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Stern began her career as a high school English teacher, later becoming a middle school principal, Executive Director of Math for America, and education content strategist for EdTech marketing teams. A writer and contributor to many publications, Dr. Stern is an education thought leader, creating K-12 resources for teachers and principals. She was a Klingenstein Fellow and earned a Ph.D. in Teaching & Learning from NYU. Dr. Stern brings her knowledge and advocacy for consistent, data-driven school communications to SchoolStatus. Outside academia, Dr. Stern indulges her love for reading, devouring two novels weekly, with a particular fondness for heists and spy stories.

As the Senior Customer Success Manager at SchoolStatus, Brenda Tapp is in constant conversations with the school and district staff who are tasked with improving student attendance. With over 2 decades of experience in overseeing daily operations and leading high-performing intervention and technical training teams, Brenda has honed her expertise in attendance management and interventions. She actively participates with the State Attendance Review Board, serving as liaison with district leaders and collaborating with IT and front-line staff to implement best practices and achieve remarkable attendance goals.