Great News From Bridgeport Public Schools

I offer this letter to thank the City of Bridgeport and its citizens for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent. I write to celebrate the leadership and commitment that many bring to our public schools and for the schoolchildren and youth we work to support.  And I write to clarify some issues and facts, and most importantly, register with you a “call to arms” on behalf of all of our children and youth.

 

When I was first named superintendent in Bridgeport, many of those who knew me as the state’s deputy commissioner of education offered, in effect, their condolences.  As many have since heard me say, I found some of the same attitude when I arrived to Bridgeport.  If not in words, certainly in body language, there was a, “It’s Bridgeport, what do you expect?” sentiment.  However, after visiting classrooms and seeing many of our students and staff in action, I quickly concluded that our mantra ought to be, “Bridgeport – Expect Great Things!”  In relatively short order, we, both school district and supporting community members, including parent representatives, have defined “great things” in the form of a mission which has been unanimously adopted by the Board of Education:

 

The mission of the Bridgeport Public Schools is to graduate all students "college ready" and prepared to succeed in life.  

 

We now have a clearly articulated vision for our school system as well as measurable objectives that have been written down and are a matter of record, all captured in our Strategic Plan and available on our website, www.bridgeportedu.com.  The blueprint for moving forward is clear. Meanwhile, the Broad Foundation has validated our ongoing efforts, over time, by seeking out and recognizing our school district as a Broad Foundation finalist for the second year in a row.  In so doing, Broad acknowledges us as one of the five urban school districts in the country that is making the most progress in closing achievement gaps and raising the achievement level of all students.  Have we arrived, so to speak?  No.  Still, the Broad Foundation provides positive evidence of a district on the move and our Strategic Plan is providing the pathway and markers for the publics within and outside of our schools to follow.

 

When Broad researchers visited our district last year, one observer stated something that I will never forget.  She said, “These people are making lemonade and they don’t even have the lemons, i.e., the funds to support education reform.”  Herein resides much of the problem in our system, whether we like to admit it or not.  We find ourselves “complaining and arguing” about how to divide a pie that is simply too small. Yet I write not to plead for more money, but to suggest that in spite of the shortfalls in funding we intend to and will succeed.  We can do nothing less because we are dealing with the lives of students and they do not have the time for Hartford to consider the shortfalls and unfairness in the funding Bridgeport receives. Obviously, it stands to reason that children who need more support ought to receive more, not less, but until Connecticut's citizens come to under stand that other people's children are as important as one's own, and that it is in Connecticut's self-interest that all children succeed, we will continue to work to create successful learning experiences for Bridgeport's students in spite of the fact that we lack in resources. Without lemons, lemonade will always taste artificial -- lacking the homemade flavor many children are afforded in wealthier homes.

  

 

In spite of the fiscal woes, we press on.  Moreover, we work within those areas that we can control in an effort to weed out any inefficiencies and/or areas of ineffectiveness whether they are related to our fiscal, facility and other operations systems, or the quality of our instructional programs.  We are working to ferret out any lingering vestiges or new manifestations of mismanagement or politics. We are working to accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives, including the recognition of staff achievements as well as frank discussions with those who don’t hold service to children as foremost in their minds.  We understand that neglect in the form of poor funding over many years has left our system’s infrastructure a shell of what it was, our buildings in poor condition, class size larger than it ought to be, our staff in constant turnover, etc., yet we have the audacity to believe we can still get the job done.  We cannot and will not accept excuses.

 

Presently, our focus is providing equitable resources and services across the district as we build upon the success that led us to the Broad acknowledgement.  Services range from the instructional to the social emotional levels:  The Institute for Learning (IFL) continues to provide us with principles that are embedded in daily instruction.  National Urban Alliance (NUA) has and continues to model renewed belief that all children and youth bring to school intelligence as an opportunity for all, not just a gift to some.  The NUA focuses on culturally responsive teaching, best practice and research which improves achievement, and also provides students with a structure for thinking and focused writing. 

 

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) continues to provide Bridgeport with leadership and support through professional development provided by the Leading and Learning Center (formerly Center for Performance Assessment).  The integration of technology across the content areas has given students access to the most recent information that is grounded in current research.  But most importantly, we have ensured that all students, including those with special needs, have access to the general curriculum delivered by “highly qualified professionals.” 

 

Mathematics gains at the elementary level across the board indicate that the district is proceeding in the right direction. Formative assessments are currently in place for grades 3 through 8, and under development for grade 9.  Our high schools have recently been restructured and are implementing new programs such as Reading Apprenticeship through small learning communities which enable our educators to become more aware of the strengths and weaknesses that our students bring to the classroom.

 

Although the state experienced a modest decline in reading scores, Bridgeport was highlighted for achievement gains in reading and math in grade 4.  We celebrate that Bridgeport was cited in the company of Easton, Oxford, Seymour, Stratford and Monroe.  These gains are attributed to the nurturance, guidance and support we are providing our educators.  Rather than criticize our teachers, we provide the professional support that enables them to build on their excitement about learning and teaching.  All in Bridgeport should become shameless worshippers of the heroes who are our successful teachers.   Who can deny the power of a teacher who makes students fall in love with learning?  They remain the generals in the army of good that our city, region and state desperately needs these days.

 

In Bridgeport, we know how to raise the achievement of students.  It is caused by raising beliefs and expectations about what our students are capable of achieving.  It is caused by supporting our teaching staff through sustained and coherent staff development that animates belief into action, that guides students in their learning through proven methods such as that offered in our partnership with the National Urban Alliance.  They are raised by securing the structural support necessary for building delivery mechanisms for students through small schools, schools-within-schools, and pedagogy that teaches students and staff alike how to uncover the strengths that students bring to school in the context of bridging to what they need to know to succeed.  Through systemic, ongoing professional development, we are building capacity and sustainability throughout the district.

 

We recognize and acknowledge that the tests are constantly changing from one generation to another and that AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) is also a moving target.  And yet schools that were traditionally thought of as underperforming are currently among our district’s strongest schools.  Improvements in student achievement are underway and they will accelerate.

 

 

As a community, we must have a sense of urgency to generate the necessary will and resources to do what must be done for children and youth.  We must pursue this course of action for ethical as well as practical reasons.  It is in our best interest. Our global and technological society demands that our students be prepared.  The economy of our city, state and nation depend upon this generation’s investment in the generations that will follow.  Our efforts must be systemic and sustained. These are our children who, like all other children, deserve the best.  They deserve to graduate “college ready” and prepared to succeed in life.

 

Therefore, I ask you to help us achieve our mission by:

 

1- Reading, understanding, embracing, and working to implement the Strategic Plan; this ACTION PLAN has a job for everyone;

 

2- Working to secure the necessary resources to implement the Strategic Plan;

 

3- Working together - Although history has its place, our dialogue must look to the future without assigning blame for failures that have occurred in the past.  With courage, truth and imagination, let’s suspend disbelief and imagine the Bridgeport of the future, where our schools are all blue ribbon, where our community is world-class, and where many will come to praise and study what we accomplished as a community of the will -- a timeless realm where the heroes of our species dwell.

 

As for me, I commit to walk in the shoes of peace, knowledge and urgency. I will continue to expect and pursue great things of and for our students.  I encourage you to join me in our quest for creating high achieving schools.