LaSalle-Backus Elementary School
Dr. Simone Wilkinson brings nearly two decades of experience as an educator and instructional leader. She began her career in 2008 as an English teacher at Ballou Senior High School before advancing into leadership roles in Newark, New Jersey.
In 2013, she returned to DCPS as assistant principal at Hendley Elementary School in Ward 8. Most recently, Dr. Wilkinson served as the 12th grade assistant principal at Theodore Roosevelt High School, where she led and oversaw programs for Multilingual Learners, Dual Language, and Career and Technical Education (CTE).
Guided by a commitment to community, student success, and long-term impact, Dr. Wilkinson led Roosevelt’s redesign of its instructional model for multilingual learners. This work resulted in a 79 percent graduation rate for Multilingual Learners in 2025, the highest in DCPS.
Dr. Wilkinson earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. She also holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Seton Hall University.