APS Superintendent John L. Barry

Biography of John L. Barry

Before becoming superintendent of Aurora Public Schools in 2006, Barry had a distinguished military and business career. He served for more than 30 years as a combat veteran, fighter pilot and a commander in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a “Two-Star” Major General.

As executive director and board member of the 2003 Columbia Accident Investigation Team, Barry helped lead the independent inquiry of the tragic Columbia Space Shuttle accident.

After retiring from the military, Barry worked as a Vice President for SAP in Washington, D.C. SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software solutions, including cutting edge software used by school districts.

Barry was an honor graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1973 where he pursued a double major in Political Science and International Affairs. In 1980, he received his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He was a White House Fellow in 1985-1986 and he attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1993-1994.

Barry was a fellow at the Broad Academy for School Superintendents in 2004, where he spent ten months visiting nine major urban areas and studying the state of urban school districts.

Barry has been the Aurora Public Schools Superintendent since July 17, 2006. Since then, he has brought transformational changes to this diverse, urban school district that rivals any in the Nation.

As Superintendent of APS, Barry has instituted a series of multidimensional changes designed to close the achievement gap while raising achievement for all students. Using the framework of the strategic plan, VISTA 2010 – Visionary Instruction Shaping the Transformation of APS – Barry has worked with the APS Board of Education, APS staff members and the Aurora community to develop transformational strategies to give every student the choice to attend college without remediation. With a fully integrated focus on instruction, APS has goals and objectives under four major areas: People, Achievement, Community and Environment (PACE). Some key innovations include:

  • New District-wide literacy curriculum
  • Pacing guides
  • Data teams and transparent data walls
  • Pilot School Program (like a Charter school inside a school district)
  • Fifth Block of Instruction (23 more days of instruction of 4,000 students)
  • Transparent Data for budget, climate surveys and student achievement
  • Standards-Based Grading as opposed to seat time
  • Truancy programs that have 18 facets
  • Restricted campus for High Schools
  • APS PaceSetter Program allowing for students to graduate with Associate Degrees
  • English language Center of Excellence
  • Strategic Leadership training for principals
  • Collaborative Coaching and Learning model
  • P-20 (Pre-school to 20th grade) program unique to the Nation
  • Pathways in schools for Health Sciences, Science-technology-engineering-math

With these programs, Superintendent John L. Barry has helped set the PACE for excellence in APS.

John Barry was recognized as one of the top ten “Tech Savvy Superintendents” in the Nation by eSchool News in 2008.  He was also recognized as the Business Person of the Year by the Aurora Chamber of Commerce in 2009.   Barry is a member of the Denver Area School Superintendents Council. He is on numerous boards in the Metro area to include: Public Education and Business Council; Wings Over the Rockies Museum; Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Colorado and the Aurora Economic Development Council.