IDEA Public Schools first launched in Tarrant County in 2019 and now serves more than 3,000 students across Tarrant County.
The charter school network announced that Dr. Dionel C. Waters has been hired as the new executive director of IDEA Public Schools Tarrant County. Waters will oversee eight schools across four campuses.
Waters joins IDEA with more than 13 years of experience as an educator and school administrator, most recently with International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas), where he served as principal for three years at the Arlington K-8 campus before moving into the executive director role for its educator preparation program. During his time at ILTexas, Waters was recognized for achieving 95% staff retention, 90% parent satisfaction and 98% daily attendance, on a campus of more than 1,200 students.
Waters graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and child development. He holds a masters degree in curriculum and teaching from Michigan State University and a dual master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and educational leadership from Dallas Baptist University. In 2018, he earned a Ph.D. in K-16 educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Texas at Arlington.
