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New
Year and Great Goals for Bridgeport Public
Schools
by
Dr. John J.
Ramos, Sr.,
Superintendent of Bridgeport Public
Schools
For
schoolchildren in Bridgeport, the
new decade begins with pride for what they and
their teachers
have accomplished.
Achievement
gains, which range from stunning for some schools
to sustained upward trending by others, are
recognized despite the challenge of an unequal
playing field, where they, as compared to suburban
students, do not benefit from families who have
the additional resources to enable their children
to succeed.
Reports
suggests some families will go so far as to spend
$12,000 on helping their child construct a
"perfect" college application to those who will
spend $30,000 per year
on tutors.
In
a Christmas Eve op-ed, "A letter to the new
governor about equality," Eric Cooper of the
National Urban Alliance passionately cautions
our state about the disparities of inequality that
can have a negative effect on "social mobility,
health, education, employment, security and
happiness" -- not only for those challenged by
poverty, but also for the rich and middle class.
Yet with that said, the major premise of the
opinion piece remains the hope the writer suggests
comes from
education reform.
He
recognizes the only pathway to the promise of
America
for our citizens remains the promise of
education opportunity.
For
the most part, the community of Bridgeport
recognizes the purity of the premise.
Stakeholders, elected officials, and business,
faith-based and nonprofit leaders have embraced
the mantra that we should maintain "great"
expectations in Bridgeport.
As
superintendent, I often point with pride to what
students are accomplishing at a growing number of
our schools. Educators who work fearlessly on
behalf of their students -- and a growing number
of students succeeding not only with state
standards and assessments, but also learning the
higher-order thinking skills such as
problem-solving, creativity and inferential
comprehension. On visits to schools, students have
expressed to us that they "feel like a CEO or
producer." Among others, students have written,
produced, recorded and hosted radio shows
highlighting their strengths as well as the
schools. "Doing a news story is fun," Taheera
Rivera, of Beardsley, has said, "because it's
something different, and you're doing something
that any other kid could only dream of. We're
professionals -- like people that actually work at
radio stations. I think that's cool. I think
it's awesome."
Beardsley
has had the dubious distinction of being among the
first schools in Connecticut to
have been labeled failing under No Child Left
Behind legislation. This year, for the first time,
they have made significant progress sufficient for
them to reach what is called "safe harbor." We
celebrate Beardsley and our other schools that are
succeeding
beyond expectations.
A
Belgian banker on visiting Beardsley, which
partners with the NUA, indicated he never expected
to see students so focused on learning skills that
will enable them to succeed in the global
"knowledge economy." Our students are learning to
be entrepreneurs, innovators and artists as
opposed to graduates who may be test-wise, but
lack curiosity and the ability to think
critically, reflectively or as an intellectual.
Many of our students are becoming comfortable with
the incessant concentration required on
increasingly complex content. They pursue learning
as an act of discovery, as a process, going beyond
a fixed focus on grades or test scores. And in so
doing, many gain the confidence to do well on
tests and grades,
as well.
As
we spring forward into a new decade, our school
community welcomes visits to our schools -- not
only to see our successes, but also our
challenges. We point to our schools with deep
pride for the hope they are providing our
community and the next generation of leaders. We
know we have much more work to do, but we
celebrate the improvements
under way.
We
welcome all to Bridgeport's
school community where we have learned to expect
and accomplish
great things.
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