New Board Leadership Plans Hands-On Approach to Education Reform

While much of post-election business on the Board of Education was overshadowed by talk of controversy, new Board President Doreen Richardson and fellow Board members are making it a point to put controversial matters behind them, and get down to business on what is important: raising student achievement in Windsor Public Schools.

Improvement in academic performance across the district is not something that can be achieved tomorrow, and there are a few things that must be done before the board can even think about addressing curriculum, according to Richardson.

"The thing that I'm going to be championing, with our new superintendent, is to finally get a strategic analysis done for our district," said Richardson.

"[The Board] has tried to troubleshoot achievement issues, disciplinary issues, all kinds of issues, but we've never done a strategic analysis of our schools to identify gaps — whether in the implementation of programs, gaps in application of resources… We've never done a strategic analysis, and to me, you can't fix a problem if you don't know what it is," she added.

Academic problems in Windsor have come in the form of a few catch phrases: achievement gap; standardized-test scores; partner district; no child left behind — problems so expansive that board members are taking a back-to-basics approach.

"We're going to focus on how you can optimize the time [students spend] in the classroom, and then the idea of education — what do you mean by 'an educated person?'" said Minority Leader Paul Panos.

Addressing those larger questions are incredibly important to reform, according to Panos, who said "the purpose is to teach a child how to think about reality correctly, how to think rationally, how to think critically, how to be able to evaluate…"

Rather than having administrators discuss programs being implemented in schools, or making a presentation to the Board, Panos said, the process will be more guided by board members.

"There will be a greater emphasis on focused interaction, a greater involvement [on the part of the Board] in the curriculum," he added.

"It's not just about how to get someone into the next school or how to take the test. We (Richardson and I) both believe you shouldn't teach to the test," Panos added. "you should be able to teach past the test because you have a solid curriculum."

"We need to be addressing things like teaching kids how to learn," said Richardson. "We want kids to have incredible reasoning skills beginning in the elementary schools and all the way through. We need to have alignment of our curriculum that is true. But most importantly, the aim of that curriculum should be substantive. Kids should be getting a really robust education."

Although both sides of the Board seem to be working in concert, raising student achievement is a herculean task in a district just months into its first year as a partner district.

The task will require a hard look at the districts' operation from top to bottom, according to Richardson, who said that evaluation, not just curriculum, may require reform.

"We have to take a look at how we evaluate, not only our students, but our teachers, our administrative staff. We have to make sure those evaluations are aligned with our gas of raising student achievement," she said.

Throughout the process of educational reform, Richardson plans to heavily rely on her fellow Board members.

"I think the administrative duties of chair and running a school district [are] complex, but the good noes is that, that is done as a team," she said. "So I will be relying very heavily on a collaborative, collegiate environment on our board, with the superintendent, to ensure that all the proper administrative duties are properly carried out, and to make sure that everything we do is done with a focus on student achievement, making sure our kids get the richest educational experience possible.

Richardson and the Board have several important decisions to make in the coming months, including the hiring of a new superintendent by January 2012.

The January date is not a deadline, but board members expressed their wishes of heading into 2012 (the year Windsor's elementary school reorganization will go into effect) with a permanent superintendent on board.

The Board will also be faced with the implementation of full-time public kindergarten (a first in town), the closing of Roger Wolcott, the reorganization of the town's public elementary schools, and the execution of a district-improvement plan (under the State Department of Education's guidance) to raise academic performance.

Improvement in academic performance across the district is not something that can be achieved tomorrow, and there are a few things that must be done before the board can even think about addressing curriculum, according to Richardson.

"The thing that I'm going to be championing, with our new superintendent, is to finally get a strategic analysis done for our district," said Richardson.

"[The Board] has tried to troubleshoot achievement issues, disciplinary issues, all kinds of issues, but we've never done a strategic analysis of our schools to identify gaps — whether in the implementation of programs, gaps in application of resources… We've never done a strategic analysis, and to me, you can't fix a problem if you don't know what it is," she added.

Academic problems in Windsor have come in the form of a few catch phrases: achievement gap; standardized-test scores; partner district; no child left behind — problems so expansive that board members are taking a back-to-basics approach.

"We're going to focus on how you can optimize the time [students spend] in the classroom, and then the idea of education — what do you mean by 'an educated person?'" said Minority Leader Paul Panos.

Addressing those larger questions are incredibly important to reform, according to Panos, who said "the purpose is to teach a child how to think about reality correctly, how to think rationally, how to think critically, how to be able to evaluate…"

Rather than having administrators discuss programs being implemented in schools, or making a presentation to the Board, Panos said, the process will be more guided by board members.

"There will be a greater emphasis on focused interaction, a greater involvement [on the part of the Board] in the curriculum," he added.

"It's not just about how to get someone into the next school or how to take the test. We (Richardson and I) both believe you shouldn't teach to the test," Panos added. "you should be able to teach past the test because you have a solid curriculum."

"We need to be addressing things like teaching kids how to learn," said Richardson. "We want kids to have incredible reasoning skills beginning in the elementary schools and all the way through. We need to have alignment of our curriculum that is true. But most importantly, the aim of that curriculum should be substantive. Kids should be getting a really robust education."

Although both sides of the Board seem to be working in concert, raising student achievement is a herculean task in a district just months into its first year as a partner district.

The task will require a hard look at the districts' operation from top to bottom, according to Richardson, who said that evaluation, not just curriculum, may require reform.

"We have to take a look at how we evaluate, not only our students, but our teachers, our administrative staff. We have to make sure those evaluations are aligned with our gas of raising student achievement," she said.

Throughout the process of educational reform, Richardson plans to heavily rely on her fellow Board members.

"I think the administrative duties of chair and running a school district [are] complex, but the good noes is that, that is done as a team," she said. "So I will be relying very heavily on a collaborative, collegiate environment on our board, with the superintendent, to ensure that all the proper administrative duties are properly carried out, and to make sure that everything we do is done with a focus on student achievement, making sure our kids get the richest educational experience possible."

Richardson and the Board have several critical objectives to take on in the coming months, including the hiring of a new superintendent by January 2012.

The January date is not a deadline, but board members expressed their wishes of heading into 2012 (the year Windsor's elementary school reorganization will go into effect) with a permanent superintendent on board.

The Board will also be faced with the implementation of full-time public kindergarten (a first in town), the closing of Roger Wolcott, the reorganization of the town's public elementary schools, and the execution of a district-improvement plan (under the State Department of Education's guidance) to raise academic performance.