NOT GIVE FURTHER INFORMATION. vlog HAS BEEN WORKING FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS TO ESTABLISH A TIMELINE OF WHERE AND WHEN ROBERTS WAS EMPLOYED, WHERE HE WENT TO SCHOOL AND EARNED HIS DEGREES. vlog BEAU BOWMAN HAS BEEN REACHING OUT TO EVERY KNOWN WORKPLACE AND LEARNING INSTITUTION ROBERTS HAS ON HIS RESUME. HE JOINS US WITH WHAT HE’S DISCOVERED. BO. YEAH. BEN. STACEY, ONE THING TO NOTE, MANY OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND UNIVERSITIES I REACHED OUT TO, THEY’RE NOT ABLE TO SHARE A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION BECAUSE IT’S A PERSONNEL MATTER OR IT’S PROTECTED BY FERPA. THEY’RE JUST ABLE TO TELL ME WHEN ROBERTS WAS THERE AND WHAT HIS JOB TITLE WAS. ROBERTS WAS A 1998 GRADUATE FROM COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. CONFIRMED TO vlog BY THE SCHOOL ON MONDAY THROUGH A STATEMENT FROM THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT, WHERE HE SAID ROBERTS WAS, QUOTE, A STANDOUT SCHOLAR AND ATHLETE DURING HIS UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES. SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY SAID, OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS, ROBERTS WORKED TOWARD AND EARNED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN SOCIAL STUDIES. ROBERTS WAS FIRST HIRED IN 2001 TO TEACH AT BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE DISTRICT TELLS US HE WAS A TEACHER FOR FIVE YEARS, A RESIDENT PRINCIPAL FOR ONE YEAR, AND A PRINCIPAL FOR TWO YEARS. DURING THAT TIME, ROBERTS ALSO ATTENDED MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY IN BALTIMORE. FROM FALL 2002 UNTIL SPRING 2007. THE SCHOOL TELLS vlog HE WAS PURSUING HIS DOCTORATE DEGREE, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE ONE. ROBERTS THEN SPENT TIME WORKING IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SAINT LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, AND SERVED AS A SUPERINTENDENT AT MILLCREEK TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA. THAT DISTRICT SENT vlog A STATEMENT JUST BEFORE 5:00 MONDAY STATING THEY RECEIVED ALL REQUIRED CLEARANCES WHILE HIRING ROBERTS, INCLUDING AN FBI BACKGROUND CHECK AND AN I-9 FORM. THE DISTRICT SAYS THEY NEVER RECEIVED ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE EXPIRATION OF ROBERTS WORK AUTHORIZATION. ROBERTS LEFT MILL CREEK TO TAKE THE JOB IN DES MOINES. IN THE PRESS RELEASE WHERE DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRST ANNOUNCED, ROBERTS HIRING IN 2023, THE DISTRICT SAID ROBERTS EARNED HIS DOCTORATE DEGREE FROM TRIDENT UNIVERSITY, A PRIVATE, FOR PROFIT ONLINE UNIVERSITY. vlog REACHED OUT TO TRIDENT TO CONFIRM HIS DEGREE, BUT WE HAVE NOT YET HEARD BACK. CLASSROOMS. WE’RE GOING TO WORK TO CONTINUE TO UPDATE THAT TIMELINE AS WE CONTINUE TO HEAR BACK FROM OTHER DISTRICTS AND UNIVERSITIES THAT WE’VE REACHED OUT TO, BEN. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT MATT SMITH HAS BEEN APPOINTED INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT IN ROBERTS ABSENCE. SMITH STARTED IN DES MOINES IN 2010, WHERE HE WAS THE PRINCIPAL AT NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE DISTRICT OFFICE IN 2013 AND BECAME ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT IN 2018. SMITH WAS INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT BEFORE AFTER THE RESIGNATION OF
Deep dive into Ian Roberts' employment and education history
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Updated: 7:00 PM CDT Oct 1, 2025
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vlog has been working to piece together a timeline of the education and career of Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who was detained by ICE on Friday. Over the past three days, vlog has contacted institutions and workplaces listed on Roberts' resume to verify his credentials and employment history.Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, confirmed that Roberts graduated in 1998. In a statement from the university president, Roberts was described as "a standout scholar and athlete during his undergraduate studies." Following this, St. John's University confirmed that Roberts earned a Master's Degree in Social Studies over the next two years.Roberts began his teaching career in 2001 at Baltimore City Public Schools, where he worked as a teacher for five years, a resident principal for one year, and a principal for two years. During this time, he also attended Morgan State University from Fall 2002 to Spring 2007, pursuing a doctorate degree, though the university confirmed he did not complete the program.Roberts' career then took him to several school districts, including the District of Columbia Public Schools, St. Louis Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools in Oakland, California. He later served as superintendent of Millcreek Township School District in Erie, Pennsylvania. Millcreek officials stated that all required clearances, including an FBI background check and an I-9 form, were completed during his hiring process. They also noted they had no information regarding any expiration of Roberts' work authorization.In 2023, Roberts was hired by Des Moines Public Schools. At the time, the district announced that Roberts had earned a doctorate degree from Trident University, a private for-profit online institution. vlog has reached out to Trident University to confirm this degree, but has not yet received a response.A spokesperson with the Des Moines Public Schools provided an update Wednesday about the resume Ian Roberts provided before he was hired as superintendent in 2023.Read the full statement:For clarification purposes, the Des Moines School Board wants to provide additional context on the current speculation surrounding Dr. Roberts' resume.Dr. Roberts provided an initial resume to JG Consulting that indicated he earned a doctorate from Morgan State University.During the background check, which was the responsibility of the search firm, the degree error was flagged, and the resume was revised to note ABD, or “all but dissertation,” which is required to earn such a degree.The revised resume is what Board members had when they interviewed the finalists.The Board was aware Dr. Roberts did not graduate from Morgan State University at the time of his hiring.After Dr. Roberts was hired in May 2023, there was a FOIA request for the documents related to his hiring. At that time, DMPS reached out to JG Consulting to ask them to provide a copy of the documents. The documents provided by JG Consulting included the original resume and not the revised resume."I want to be clear. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, speculation becomes narrative and blame is rampant," said school board President Jackie Norris. "The Des Moines School Board is also a victim of deception by Dr. Roberts, one on a growing list that includes our students and teachers, our parents and community, our elected officials and Iowa's Board of Educational Examiners, and others. We are committed to the community we serve and will find ways to improve our entire process as we move forward."WATCH: Full statement from DMPS school board chair Jackie Norris after board places superintendent on unpaid leaveMore coverage of Ian RobertsFull DMPS school board news conference following move to put Ian Roberts on unpaid leave
DES MOINES, Iowa — vlog has been working to piece together a timeline of the education and career of Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, who was detained by ICE on Friday.
Over the past three days, vlog has contacted institutions and workplaces listed on Roberts' resume to verify his credentials and employment history.
Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, confirmed that Roberts graduated in 1998. In a statement from the university president, Roberts was described as "a standout scholar and athlete during his undergraduate studies." Following this, St. John's University confirmed that Roberts earned a Master's Degree in Social Studies over the next two years.
Roberts began his teaching career in 2001 at Baltimore City Public Schools, where he worked as a teacher for five years, a resident principal for one year, and a principal for two years. During this time, he also attended Morgan State University from Fall 2002 to Spring 2007, pursuing a doctorate degree, though the university confirmed he did not complete the program.
Roberts' career then took him to several school districts, including the District of Columbia Public Schools, St. Louis Public Schools, Aspire Public Schools in Oakland, California. He later served as superintendent of Millcreek Township School District in Erie, Pennsylvania. Millcreek officials stated that all required clearances, including an FBI background check and an I-9 form, were completed during his hiring process. They also noted they had no information regarding any expiration of Roberts' work authorization.
In 2023, Roberts was hired by Des Moines Public Schools. At the time, the district announced that Roberts had earned a doctorate degree from Trident University, a private for-profit online institution. vlog has reached out to Trident University to confirm this degree, but has not yet received a response.
A spokesperson with the Des Moines Public Schools provided an update Wednesday about the resume Ian Roberts provided before he was hired as superintendent in 2023.
Read the full statement:
For clarification purposes, the Des Moines School Board wants to provide additional context on the current speculation surrounding Dr. Roberts' resume.
- Dr. Roberts provided an initial resume to JG Consulting that indicated he earned a doctorate from Morgan State University.
- During the background check, which was the responsibility of the search firm, the degree error was flagged, and the resume was revised to note ABD, or “all but dissertation,” which is required to earn such a degree.
- The revised resume is what Board members had when they interviewed the finalists.
- The Board was aware Dr. Roberts did not graduate from Morgan State University at the time of his hiring.
After Dr. Roberts was hired in May 2023, there was a FOIA request for the documents related to his hiring. At that time, DMPS reached out to JG Consulting to ask them to provide a copy of the documents. The documents provided by JG Consulting included the original resume and not the revised resume.
"I want to be clear. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, speculation becomes narrative and blame is rampant," said school board President Jackie Norris. "The Des Moines School Board is also a victim of deception by Dr. Roberts, one on a growing list that includes our students and teachers, our parents and community, our elected officials and Iowa's Board of Educational Examiners, and others. We are committed to the community we serve and will find ways to improve our entire process as we move forward."
WATCH: Full statement from DMPS school board chair Jackie Norris after board places superintendent on unpaid leave
More coverage of Ian Roberts
Full DMPS school board news conference following move to put Ian Roberts on unpaid leave
