For Andrea Jones, education has never been limited to what happens inside a classroom. Her work has always centered on a larger question: What do young people need in order to feel seen, supported, prepared, and empowered to succeed?
For more than two decades, Jones has answered that question through service, advocacy, mentorship, leadership, and a commitment to creating opportunities for children and families throughout Madison.
Jones began working with the Madison Metropolitan School District in 2004 in special education. That experience would ultimately shape the direction of her work. She noticed what she believed was a troubling pattern: too many African American children were entering school and being identified with special education needs at very young ages, including kindergarten.
Rather than simply observing the problem, Jones decided to address what she saw as one of its roots—school readiness.
She left the district and created a preschool program focused on preparing children, particularly those from historically underserved and disadvantaged neighborhoods, to enter kindergarten academically, socially, and emotionally prepared. In 2009, she opened what is now Kreative Kidz Academy Kindergarten Prep School, which has continued serving Madison-area children and families for more than 15 years.
Her philosophy was simple but powerful: give children a strong foundation before they enter school and help families understand how to support their development along the way.
In 2017, Jones returned to MMSD after encouragement from several educators, including JoAnn Brown, who was preparing to leave the position Jones now holds as Multicultural Services Coordinator at Vel Phillips Memorial High School.
Brown’s words stayed with her: she could leave the role feeling better if Jones would consider taking it because she knew the students would be in good hands.
Jones accepted the challenge—and began building.
Today, her work reaches students across grade levels, racial and cultural backgrounds, and life experiences. She oversees Vel Phillips Memorial’s Black Student Union and created the school’s Multicultural Club to provide spaces where students can develop relationships, celebrate their identities, experience other cultures, and, most importantly, feel that they belong.
Under her leadership, traditions have grown that strengthen relationships throughout the entire school community. These include the annual Staff vs. Students Basketball Game, Staff Chili Cook-Off, and Unity in Diversity Festival, which bring students, staff, families, cultures, and communities together through celebration and shared experiences.
Another signature initiative is the I Am Black Excellence Awards and Celebration, which recognizes the achievement, leadership, talent, resilience, and excellence of Black students, staff, alumni, and community members.
Jones also coordinates the annual HBCU and Cultural Experience, exposing students to Historically Black Colleges and Universities while connecting college exploration to Black history and culture. For many students, the experience is more than a college tour—it allows them to see themselves in places and possibilities they may never have imagined.
Recognizing the importance of family voice, Jones created PURE—Parents United for Responsible Education, an African American parent group designed to strengthen communication, advocacy, engagement, and partnership between families and schools.
Alongside the Krystyn Courage to Dream Foundation and Vel Phillips Memorial Black Student Union, Jones helped design and implement the first HerStory Experience High School Girls Conference, bringing young women together for mentorship, empowerment, education, leadership, and honest conversations about their futures.
She also supports students attending the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN) High School Conference, where students of color develop leadership skills and use their voices to advocate for educational equity.
Although many of Jones’ signature programs intentionally celebrate and uplift African American students, her commitment extends to every student, regardless of race, nationality, identity, or grade level. On any given day, her office may become a mentoring space, a problem-solving room, a college-planning center, a place to regroup, or simply somewhere a student knows an adult will listen.
For Jones, those relationships are what she enjoys most about her job. She values getting to know students beyond their names and grades—learning about their goals, families, challenges, talents, and dreams. Watching a student gain confidence, overcome an obstacle, discover a new opportunity, or walk across the graduation stage reminds her why she continues doing this work.
But graduation, she believes, should never be the finish line.
“My goal is for every student I work with to graduate with a postsecondary plan,” Jones says. “That plan does not have to look the same for everyone. It might be a four-year university, a two-year college, a trade or apprenticeship program, the Army, Navy, Marines or another branch of military service, or going directly into the workforce. I just want them to have a plan. When they walk across that stage knowing what their next step is, I feel like my assignment for that year is complete.”
That philosophy captures the heart of Jones’ work. Success is not about directing every student down one path; it is about helping each student discover their own path and making sure they have the information, encouragement, resources, and confidence to pursue it.
Programs matter. Events matter. Academic achievement matters. But before students can fully engage in any of those things, Jones believes they must first know that they matter.
As another school year begins, Andrea Jones continues doing what she has done throughout her career: building bridges between schools, families, and communities, opening doors to opportunities, and making sure young people leave Vel Phillips Memorial with a place to belong, a reason to believe in themselves, and a plan for what comes next.
