For over a decade, Ann Browning has been a steady presence for students at Tate High School in Iowa City. Now, after 14 years leading the alternative high school, Browning is preparing to retire.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average time a K-12 principal in the state of Iowa serves at a school is just over six years, making Browning’s time at Tate double the Iowa average. 

Browning has served as the principal of the Iowa City alternative high school since 2012, working with students who often come to Tate after facing academic or personal challenges in traditional school settings. 

According to the high school’s website, Tate was built in 2005 and made it possible to serve a population of students in the district with different needs than a traditional high school could provide. These needs can range from different behavioral programs, smaller class sizes, and alternative graduation paths. 

For Browning, seeing her students walking across the graduation stage is always an affirming moment for the work she does. Browning said Tate High School’s average graduation class is around 60 students per year, in comparison to the average of 300 to 400 students at Liberty, West, and City, according to district websites. 

“Graduation is always a big deal, and these students are so thrilled to be crossing the stage,” Browning said. “They are warriors, and they’ve all battled some unique things. I just feel really proud when they walk that stage because I know how hard fought that diploma was.”

Browning’s focus during her time at Tate has been building relationships with students and creating a supportive environment where they can succeed. Alternative schools like Tate often offer smaller class sizes and more flexible learning options for students who may not thrive at a traditional high school. 

“Our mission is to maximize every student’s academic potential and personal well-being through individualized education,” Browning said. “We are really invested in these kids.”

When she first came to Tate, Browning implemented a behavioral system that she said changed the culture of the school in a positive way. The Positive Behavioral Interventional Support system has played an important role in shaping the school’s approach to student behavior. 

Rather than focusing on punishment, the behavioral system highlights clear expectations, consistency, and positive reinforcement. Staff members recognize and reward behaviors by handing out behavioral system “tickets,” which can be used for prizes like snacks and clothes. 

“The kids just love that we’re focusing on the positive and that we’re acknowledging them because these kids never hear anything good about themselves,” Browning said. 

RELATED: A look at ICCSD’s top 10 nationally recognized superintendent

Browning also created a student advisory center at Tate, where students are sent by teachers when they display disruptive behaviors. The room is staffed with two faculty members who de-escalate behavior and help to repair teacher-student relationships. 

Students are given time in the room to calm down, and when students are ready, they speak with their teacher regarding their behavior and make a plan for the future.

“You need to be positive, but you need to hold them up to high expectations,” Browning said. “When we treat them like adults, when we recognize all that they’re doing and trying, and we listen to them, it really helps. So we’ve had a lot of success.”

Ebony Hawkins is one of the full-time staff members working in the student advisory center. Hawkins graduated from Tate in 2011 and was hired by Browning in 2016.

“I tell students all the time that the changes she helped implement have been for the better,” Hawkins said. “The support she established when she took over was always focused on the betterment of students and staff. You can see that in the culture here.”

Hawkins said through her time working at Tate, Browning has always been flexible and adaptable. 

She said Browning is always supportive of growth for her staff, even if that growth takes them away from Tate. 

“She celebrates your wins just as she would her own,” Hawkins said. “As a staff, we are a little apprehensive about her retirement, not in a bad way, but because her leadership has meant so much to this school and to all of us.”

ICCSD School board President Ruthina Malone said Browning is one of the reasons why Tate has been so successful. 

Malone said Browning hires excellent staff who help to ensure students get a quality education at Tate. 

“She has hands down left big shoes that will be hard to follow,” Malone said. “She has given so much of herself to ensure that Tate is seen and is a building that educates serious students that can go on and be successful.”

Browning said her retirement comes with mixed emotions as the school year begins to wrap up. 

She said she is looking forward to spending more time with her grandkids and traveling.

“It was so painful to retire. I absolutely loved it here, and I loved what we’ve built, but I just felt the time was right for me to leave,” Browning said. “I have so much faith in my staff. They’re here for the kids, and they’re here for the right reason.”