Proviso Township High School D209

Dr. James. L. Henderson
Contact the Superintendent anytime at Superintendent209@pths209.org 
or on his cell phone M-F from 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm. The number is 708-676-6159.

Dr. James L. Henderson joined the Proviso team in August of 2020 with a plan to implement strategies aimed at improving academic outcomes and ensuring all scholars are college and career ready once they complete high school.

Within 100 days of Dr. Henderson’s arrival, he completed a thorough review of District operations, teaching and learning methods, and the technology infrastructure. Based on his findings, Dr. Henderson developed a five-year strategic plan aimed at improving outcomes in all areas. The plan puts equity and educational excellence at the forefront of all we do in District 209, realizing that every scholar should be prepared for success upon completing high school. In order to achieve the anticipated goals, Dr. Henderson and his team introduced School Improvement Plans focused on establishing consistent teaching and learning methods at all schools, with a particular concentration on improving academic achievement in Math and English. 

In an effort to steer an academic U-Turn in the District, Dr. Henderson and his team completed an instructional framework designed to serve as a roadmap to help teachers develop and implement effective lessons and instructional strategies, assist with student engagement strategies, and more. The instructional framework focuses on Equity, Excellence, and Relevance for ALL as we aim to provide scholars with Nothing But The Best!

Dr. Henderson led the District through a pandemic and managed to keep student and staff infection rates low. Understanding that the pandemic impacted students’ mental well-being, Dr. Henderson implemented a multi-faceted Mental Health Initiative aimed at giving scholars opportunities to reflect, regroup, ask questions, and connect with resources that meet them where they are, without judgement.

Dr. Henderson has relied on his 28 years of experience to ensure equity and educational excellence are at the heart of all teaching and learning experiences. He is profoundly committed to addressing circumstances that impact under-served students of color and those from low-income families. He pursues this work by empowering educators, leaders, students, parents, and community members to understand the benefits of diversity and inclusion in all areas of learning communities. 

Dr. Henderson is most inspired when he is engaging directly with scholars and encouraging them to THINK BIG, strategize for success, and execute with excellence. However, for the past two decades, he has served in senior-level administrative positions, focused on crafting the policies and strategies that launch scholars into greatness. Prior to coming to PTHS D209, he served as the Superintendent of Schools of the Holmes County Consolidated School District, Associate Superintendent for academic support in St. Louis, Missouri City Schools, and District Superintendent with the Houston, Texas ISD. He has received multiple professional accolades over the course of his career. He was recognized as Teacher-of-the-Year for the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators. He was a recipient of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus Outstanding Texan Award in Education. And, he was selected among hundreds of applicants for the renowned American Association of School Administrators/Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy. He is a life-long member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated service organization. 

As a native Mississippian and the fifteenth child of 16 children, Dr. Henderson learned collaboration, tact, and diplomacy at home. He credits his family for his educational success - he was the first of his siblings to receive a post-secondary education. Dr. Henderson has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Jackson State University, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Queens, New York’s St. John’s University.