Recognizing and Defining Our Mission

Recently, we presented information to the School Committee on the progress of our Level 4 schools from the site visit monitoring reports prepared by School Works, an independent organization hired by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. While we still have much work to do in Springfield, the good news is the vast majority of our Level 4 schools are making satisfactory progress through the hard work of students, teachers, support staff, administrators and instructional leadership teams. In my view, the collective impact in our Level 4 schools goes beyond the boundaries of their individual schools and is worthy of recognition as a “mission moment.”

Mission moments are opportunities to share affirmations, reflections, encouragement or personal testimony about positive things happening in our school district. As superintendent, I’ve tried to include mission moments as a regular part of our senor leadership, principal and cabinet team meetings. It’s wonderful to hear staff share examples of their direct observations by capturing mission moments in their own words. Simply put, mission moments connect the district's vision, mission and core values with everyday occurrences.

As stakeholders in the school system, we all have a vested interest to take time to reflect upon and reinforce the vision, mission and values of the organization. This is particularly important in the midst of a national climate and culture of naysayers, critics and cynics.

So as we prepare to celebrate this Thanksgiving Holiday, let’s all commit to find time to give thanks to the countless number of educators who are making a difference in the lives of Springfield's students.

Best wishes to all for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!

Reading Success is a Goal Shared by Many

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a long-term effort by foundations to improve third grade reading proficiency for all students and close the gap in reading achievement that separates many low-income students from their more affluent peers. This campaign strives to make grade-level reading proficiency by the end of third grade a national priority.

On Nov. 8, we heard from Ralph Smith, Managing Director for the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and Senior Vice President at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He emphasized the key levers to improved student reading achievement as: kindergarten readiness, improved student attendance and summer learning opportunities.

Locally, there is much work underway through the "Read! Reading Success by 4th Grade," which has been spearheaded by the Davis Foundation and a host of collaborative partnerships. There are also a number of entities who have come together in working with the district to help address reading achievement through a series of strategies.

Some examples include: Hasbro Games’ summer learning initiative; WGBY’s summer reading program in five elementary schools; Regional Employment Board administration of a program at two Springfield Housing Authority sites funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Talk/Read/Succeed which is a placed-based program for children and families with a goal of children’s reading proficiency, parent education partnership and work force development programming); Ready! for Kindergarten (parenting education); Springfield Parent Academy; Springfield museums and libraries; the Springfield Education Association and SPS Collaboration for Change; and high quality early education care to help leverage school readiness across the city.

While there are plenty of challenges and opportunities, there is no shortage of commitment and a willingness to work together on the part of many, to help accelerate reading achievement for all students in Springfield.

Bad actions of a few shouldn't tarnish the whole

The revelations contained in the recent Putnam High School audit should outrage us all. There is no excuse for the disgraceful, dishonest practices that appeared to have run rampant among a group of employees at the school for several years. But we cannot allow the misconduct of a minority to overshadow the great work of the majority of teachers and other school staff and faculty who come to school at Putnam every day and do the right thing. Let’s be clear, the violators of our trust are much fewer in numbers than the honest employees at that school. In fact, I’m sure that none is more outraged over these revelations than they.

Arriving at the conclusions drawn in the audit report was a 13-month process. It’s important to recognize those whose hard work brought this issue to light. Principal Gil Traverso has earned my utmost respect for his courage in requesting an audit when he first suspected foul play. Mark Ianello (auditor), Ed Pikula (city solicitor) and TJ Plante (chief financial officer) and their respective teams are to be commended for sticking with it until the end without compromising the criminal investigation.

I would like to also recognize the entire staff, students and parents of Putnam High School who have had to endure unnecessary public scrutiny. As with any system failure of this magnitude, it is important to learn the lesson and ensure those responsible are held accountable. More than anything, I’d like to reassure you that Springfield Public Schools has already taken many steps (including a Corrective Actions Plan) to shore up the financial short-comings at Putnam so that nothing like this can happen again.

Audits challenge us to do better

The recent audit conducted by the National Council on Teacher Quality was an exercise entered into collaboratively with an understanding that the study would provide Springfield Public Schools with an honest look at practices such as recruiting, hiring, evaluations and compensation.

The results of the study have given us pause to better understand our strengths and opportunities for improvement. I was disappointed by the coverage of the report as it appeared in The Republican. Instead of focusing on the value of the lessons learned from the report and how its findings will help us drive improvements, it focused on the negative, in my opinion. Please know that if we felt there was no room for improvement, an audit would not have been necessary at all.

While we may not be able to adopt every recommendation made in the report, it certainly does provide us with an objective view and our labor-management team is committed to moving beyond the status quo... That, to me, is good news.

Springfield runs/walks/builds for a great cause

The good work of Sirdeaner Walker in her efforts to bring greater awareness to dangers of bullying was not lost on the many, many supporters who showed up in droves on Saturday morning to participate in The Carl J. Walker-Hoover Foundation’s
2nd Annual Anti-Bullying Back-to-School Road Race/Walk.

A spirit of positivity and purpose permeated the air that morning with everyone unified in their commitment to stand against bullying.

It was an honor to serve as a co-chairman of this inspiring event. It was a busy week for so many of the volunteers involved with the “Extreme Makeover” project, which has benefited the Walker family with a brand new house. And the Road Race on Saturday was a perfect build-up to the culminating “Move that Bus” event on Sunday!

Springfield, once again, displayed its one-of-a-kind sense of community and caring to a deserving family and cause.