Vallas: Steering Schools Out Of Years Of Dysfunction

Superintendent of Schools Paul Vallas, in a commentary that also appears in the Connecticut Post, highlights improvements made in city schools including a rise in the high school graduation rate. In two weeks the Connecticut Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments about his certification to lead a state school district. His essay follows:

The first day of school arrived this past week in Bridgeport. With it came the feeling of promise that accompanies each new school year. As I wrote to staff, though, this year is different. This year, that feeling has a real foundation.

In steering our public schools out of years of dysfunction, we have implemented wholesale changes that will translate the hard work and dedication of teachers and principals–and the support of parents and communities–into real progress for students.

Additionally, thanks to the work of our teachers, administrators and support staff last year in adopting and personalizing a new curriculum and instructional program, the district is now in a position to succeed at a much more sophisticated level in every school and classroom. The payoff for students could not be more critical. Instruction they receive in Bridgeport Public Schools is now designed not merely to prepare their transition to college or meaningful work, but to give them the skills necessary to succeed once they are there.

Change is not simple or even obvious. In our effort to provide teachers and administrators with ongoing information about student performance so that they would be able to better differentiate instruction and intervene when students fell behind, we embraced a new benchmark assessment system that in hindsight was both burdensome and time consuming. This was a hard lesson to learn, but I am pleased to say that teams of teachers and administrators worked hard over the summer to dramatically simplify and streamline this system.

I have always believed the path to improving school district performance is not through elaborate testing and evaluation systems but through giving empowered school and classroom leaders the tools they need to be successful. Thanks to the work of these teams of teachers and leaders this summer, I firmly believe we are back on the right path for students.

While there will be new challenges to embracing change necessary to transform a long-struggling system, as I look around Bridgeport this fall I see real progress and new opportunities emerging for all our students. It is made possible entirely by the talented leadership in our classrooms, schools and community at large, and I am both proud and humbled to share some of these results below.

Our efforts to improve and support our existing high schools have begun to take hold:

We saw a significant rise in the high school graduation rate, in large part due to our focus on supporting over-age and under-credited students, with 66.3 percent of the Class of 2012 graduating, compared to 60.5 percent in 2011.

Twice the number of students are academically eligible for enrollment in the “Early College Program,” which enables students at each high school to take courses for college credit for free at local colleges and universities.

A dramatic expansion of new choices and opportunities for Bridgeport families is underway:

For the first time in 50 years, Bridgeport families will have new high school options–the three new Fairchild Wheeler Inter-District Magnet Schools, Bridgeport Military and First Responders Academy, and the new Pride Academy which focuses on better serving and supporting our most at-risk high school students.

We have also expanded choices at existing high schools by giving more support to existing academies and creating new themed academies.

Additionally, we are doing more to duplicate and expand what is already working in Bridgeport, expanding great schools such as Classical Studies into 7th and 8th grade.

We are committed to support and turn around our struggling schools:

At Curiale, through an innovative partnership with the teachers union, a longer school day and focus on wraparound supports for students in need has already shown signs of improvement.

Likewise, Dunbar School, which has long been threatened with closure, is now on the path towards improvement, thanks to a new partnership with the nonprofit Family Urban Schools of Excellence (FUSE). It has restored life and energy to a school in dire need.

Finally, the broader community is emerging as a critical partner in the work to support our students:

Teachers, parents and community leaders volunteered across the district as coaches to help serve hundreds of students in a reborn middle school sports program.

Over a dozen new principals and assistant principals have been hired this year, all with full support of parent and teacher representatives on the local school governance councils.

Whether volunteering in classrooms through the School Volunteer Association, participating in school cleanup days or serving as mentors to students in need, we have seen community members throughout Bridgeport rally to support students.

These examples are a snapshot of a new dynamism that is beginning to characterize Bridgeport schools. Reflecting this past week on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, it was inspiring to think about the daunting but essential work of equity teachers and staff in Bridgeport public schools have committed to this year. To be sure, there is still a long and hard road ahead, but if we continue to work together, focusing above all else on the needs of our students, I have no doubt that Bridgeport Public Schools will help those students get there.