LAGRA NEWMAN

Leading Founder and Head of School | Purpose Prep Academy

Lagra Newman is the founder and Head of School at Purpose Preparatory Academy, a Nashville charter school that is one of the district’s leading schools serving African-American and economically disadvantaged students. Under her leadership, Purpose Prep is a threetime Reward School and the first elementary school in North Nashville to achieve this status for academic performance for ranking within the top 5 percent of schools in the state. Purpose Prep has become a “Level 5” school, the highest designation by the district, for growth and achievement for English Language Arts and for growth for math— among other achievements.

Lagra earned a BA at Vanderbilt University, a M.A. in Teaching at Loyola Marymount University, and a M.Ed. in Public School Leadership from Teachers College of Columbia University. Prior to founding Purpose Prep, she served as a corps member and then recruitment director for Teach for America and continued her teaching and school leadership career in Washington, D.C.