Here, You Drive

On a Saturday no less, the third annual Hartford ROOTS Youth Leadership Conference last month brought nearly 300 students from 28 Hartford high and middle schools to get beyond common, cute cliché photo ops and identify real neighborhood needs and solutions.  If helping develop leadership skills is the transmission, youth organizing is the engine.  Where is the fuel?

The fuel comes from students like Frances Reyes and Marvin Medina, junior students at the Hartford Public High School Law and Government Academy.  They helped organize the Teach for America-sponsored event May 13^th at Pathways to Technology and Design High School.  More than a dozen workshops featured 20 facilitators, slam poetry, youth organizing specialists, and guidance from leaders like Hartford community icon Trudy LeBron.

“Our goal is to amplify student voice and bring students together across neighborhoods and schools to recognize their school leadership skills,” Teach for America Managing Director of Hartford Programs Michelle Szynkowicz said, calling for getting beyond cute student photo ops to address real needs.

Supported by Law and Government Academy Principal José Colon and English Teacher Kaitlin Curran, here’s what the Hartford High students added in an interview Tuesday about their two years of participating in the planning of ROOTS youth conferences, including the most recent one at Pathways:

• Frances Reyes arrived in Hartford from Puerto Rico at the age of one – and then became a chronicler of educational opportunity.  She attended Parkville, McDonough, Moylan, McDonough again, Clark and a New Britain school, before arriving at Hartford Public High School’s Law and Government Academy, where she is a junior today.

She learned over the years that “you definitely have to connect with your teachers,” she said in an interview Tuesday – and that mobility toughens your character.  As a worker bee for ROOTS conferences over the past two years, she has become interested in conference planning as a career option.  Her lessons learned from planning meetings and running presentations, including one to Bridgeport youth, have led her to conclude that the most challenged students simply need more participation in activities that promote their growth.  “They’re good people, but just come from bad neighborhoods,” she said, recalling her own limited exposure to new experiences as a child.  “Because of lack of money, we didn’t get out and do fun things,” she said.  Now she does.

• Marvin Medina, also a junior at the Law and Government Academy, was not quite the nomad that Frances was, but he attended Naylor and Burns schools before high school and advises students: “Don’t hesitate to search for opportunities.”  Students at the ROOTS conferences are able to articulate their views and feel more connected, he said Tuesday.  “We want everyone to know that people our age are able to do things,” he emphasized.

When he learned of the ROOTS conferences, he said, “I joined because of so many different people wanting to help themselves and their community.”  As he contemplates majoring in business at college, he said, the youth conferences have helped many a young person overcome nervousness about public speaking.

The Bottom Line

ROOTS stands for “Realizing Our Own True Strengths.”

Managing Director Szynkowicz has a plain explanation for the purpose of the effort to convene middle and high school students.  “Youth hold all the power to bring about change in Hartford,” she told us.  “Youth organizing, with deep training in organizing skills, is key because these individuals are the most severely impacted by inequity.”

We all know that affluent families are positioned to, among other things, take vacations, afford extracurricular and musical enhancements, and continually expose their children to powerful, new experiences driving their growth.  ROOTS conferences help fill the opportunity gap that characterizes less affluent students and point us toward the value of youth organizing.

Stage Set for Action at Board of Ed Retreat

The June 2^nd Hartford Board of Education “retreat” reiterated the importance of raising expectations and creating conditions for continuous school improvement in the era of the landmark (albeit complicated) Sheff region-wide integration experiment.  All five appointed, and all four elected Board members attended (the full line-up!).  Facilitator (and UConn Associate Research Professor as well as Executive Leadership Program Director) Bob Villanova set the tone for the day when he urged the leadership team to work with new Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez to create conditions for progress.  Here’s some of what they established.

At one point during the retreat, Facilitator (and statewide superintendent leadership trainer) Villanova remarked, “The egg is cracking a little here,” when Board members’ wide-ranging discussions went to data requests dying on the vine, ventured out into the weeds of what has happened with re-purposed purposed furniture and materials, and, most importantly, sought to understand the implications of staff cuts.

Donald Harris, the Bloomfield District Board chair, now a leadership coach for Hartford, was at the retreat table and candidly commented on the budget limbo now at every level of our government.  To Board member comments that “the superintendent has the opportunity to clean house a bit” but that the District has no money to buy out contracts, Mr. Harris intoned, “You don’t have to buy out contracts – you can take that person and put them in the classroom … and you know what?  They won’t stay long.”

Additional highlights from the retreat include these:

• Hopes.  Board members opened the meeting with expressed hopes for a common understanding between the Board and superintendent to yield better communication; identify next steps coming out of the meeting; decide whether there are “too many balls in the air” (what Facilitator Villanova called “initiative overload”), and produce a clear understanding of the common, long-term goals for the District;
• Perspective.  UConn Executive Leadership Program Director/Facilitator Villanova, speaking as a colleague of past longtime Hartford Superintendent Hernan LaFontaine, described new Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez as a leader who knows how to discuss issues with pride and confidence.  “You’ve got a gem here,” he advised, noting, as he put it, that she, while diminutive, has a big intellect.
• Priorities.  The superintendent and Board members identified a number of conditions crucial to continuous improvement:

• Accurate metrics to register progress
• Trust and effective communication
• Appreciation of complexity [from the Sheff court room to the classroom]
• Alignment and execution of activities in furtherance of the mission
• Appropriate communications among Board members, through the chair

• A one-page document, “Accelerating Equity through Organizational Excellence,” visually represented a 30,000-foot view concerning reimagining, redesigning, and restructuring the District for improved student outcomes.

Another Municipality Heard From

Bloomfield (one of Hartford’s next-door neighbors) Board of Education Chair Donald Harris, Jr., noted that his district in 2011 hired longtime HPS administrator Dr. James Thompson, on the basis of his emphasis on rigor, the use of data, and positive community engagement.  Coming from one of the five lowest-performing of the 169 districts in the state, Bloomfield is now number 36 in CT, he said – and its graduation rate has jumped 20 points to 91 percent, since 2011.

Unlike Hartford, where several committee meetings run 90 minutes each on many different days of any week during any month, Bloomfield folds its work into just three committees (Finance, Curriculum, and Policy) and conducts all on one night, 30 minutes each, back-to-back meetings, from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., prior to its regular Board meeting later that same night.  “We’re in there and we’re out,” Bloomfield Board Chair Harris said.  Is this an efficiency Hartford might want to study (since stipends for volunteer Board member hours obviously aren’t on the table at this time)?

Mr. Harris also suggested assigning a Board member to each school; making sure the superintendent calls the Board chair immediately on any major emergent development; and prioritizing the dissemination of data through central office and school teams.

By contrast, Hartford has no data team at the District level.

The Bottom Line

The job of Board members, Mr. Harris advised, is similar to a congregation, as he put it, upholding the arms of its pastor.

In Hartford, support will be needed for a superintendent pursuing the goals of operational effectiveness, transformative teaching and learning, robust family and community engagement, and true systemic accountability.  The foundational commitments on which these goals rest are: putting students at the center of their learning; developing leaders to lead for learning; and organizing and operating in ways that align adequate resources for improved teaching and learning.

And, from our point of view, the Board’s ability to provide strong support will necessitate more and consistent leadership training related to how exactly their role impacts student achievement.

Sonia Turner from the Annie Fisher STEM Magnet School was honored last night as Hartford’s Teacher of the Year.  But even as she celebrated with her husband Corey and Principal Sheri Tanner, Ms. Turner applauded her colleagues and even more so her students, saying she felt it was her duty to give back, to teach her students to persevere through the struggle, and to expect greatness from every child.

Truthfully, every one of the dozens of annual Hartford Teacher-of-the-Year nominees is deserving, as are so many unmentioned others.  This year, we asked the three 2017 finalists to provide a lens into one of the hardest and least rewarded jobs anywhere.  The questions were tough and their answers did not disappoint.  Please take a read to get a view from the opposite of the cheap seats.

Here’s what we found and commend to your attention:

• 2017 Teacher of the Year Sonia Turner was born and raised in Hartford. From Bulkeley High School and the Hartford College for Women, she went on to the University of Hartford and Central Connecticut State University, where she earned her master’s degree in Remedial Reading and Remedial Language Arts. With 18 years logged at Annie Fisher, Mrs. Turner has served as classroom teacher, literacy coach and reading intervention teacher, among other roles, and also is an active church member.

Here is a synopsis of her views:

What makes you optimistic – or have some doubts – about the process of school improvement in Hartford?

In the past 18 years of teaching in Hartford, I have seen numerous changes within the Hartford Public School system.  Although I have seen positive implementations of districtwide initiatives, I am deeply concerned of our economic status and the negative impact that it has on our public schools. Without proper funding many of us ask:  How can we supply our schools with the resources, proper staffing or field experiences that our students need?  Evening the economic playing field for all schools in Hartford is of the utmost priority. All students and educators deserve the necessary tools and resources as well as a safe, updated learning environment. We need to work to provide equality for all students in every school.   Secondly, the turn-over of staff in the district is high.  In my time, I have had several administrators and superintendents.  With every new staff member comes new curriculum, procedures and protocols.  I am always waiting for the next change.  Finally, we have moved away from looking at students as individuals and we only see them as a number or score.  We don’t look at the growth students make; instead we only look at the students who have made proficiency.  We need to view both.  Students might not make proficiency, but they have made tremendous growth and moved closer to proficiency.  If we can combat these issues, I will be optimistic that Hartford public schools will improve so all students can thrive and succeed.

What qualities do you believe characterize the best – and the least – prepared teachers?

The best prepared teacher is the one who will settle for nothing less than the best from every child.  The best teacher sets goals and expectations for her children and does not accept excuses.  You meet the children where they are and you bring them to great heights.  That means going beyond the curriculum.  That means effectively teaching Tier 1 and differentiating and adjusting instruction accordingly.  Effective teaching is having the students self-reflect and evaluate themselves.  The students must take ownership of their learning.  Finally, the teachers must plan ahead and be willing to reflect when given constructive feedback to enhance their craft. Self-reflection is critical; we must model these practices for our students.

The least prepared teachers are the ones who do not take the time to know their students and their needs.  It is the teacher who does not self-reflect and evaluate their own instruction. It is the teacher who wants to become friends with their students – instead of setting boundaries and managing the classroom setting.

How do you recommend teachers be evaluated … or not?

Teachers must be evaluated frequently and given timely feedback to reflect and revise instructional practices.   I believe the most effective way to evaluate teachers is for the administrators to make observations weekly/bi-weekly to view how instruction is taking place within the classroom. Consistent feedback and use of data teams can significantly impact student learning. Creating professional learning communities within schools can transform the culture and climate of any building. Effective coaching and leadership is essential in every school.

• McDonough English Learner Coach William Conroy hails from Bridgeport and Stratford.  If the cliché that “the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree” is under any suspicion, his mom’s teaching of ESL, Portuguese, and Multicultural Studies should settle that!  From his undergrad and master’s degrees at the UConn Neag School of Education, Mr. Conroy has vaulted several times in Hartford, into 10 years of teaching at Batchelder, Capital Prep, Bulkeley, and now at McDonough.

Here is a synopsis of his views:

What makes you optimistic – or have some doubts – about the process of school improvement in Hartford?

I am optimistic about school improvement in Hartford because I believe that more voices are being heard from diverse stakeholders including families, students, teachers, and building administrators in the process.  I also feel that we are getting better at codifying ways to reflect on our instruction throughout the system.  As tough decisions are made to consolidate schools, I believe that resources will be reallocated in better ways to serve the needs of our children.

What qualities do you believe characterize the best – and the least – prepared teachers?

The best prepared teachers have three key components in my opinion.  Teachers must be experts in the content areas in which they teach.  Teachers must be reflective practitioners constantly seeking to improve instructional and affective practices.  Teachers must also be resilient and be able to bounce back from the myriad challenges we face.

How do you recommend teachers be evaluated … or not?

Teachers should be evaluated in a process that includes the reflective practices of thinking of strengths and weaknesses.  I believe teachers should be grown from a place of their strengths and then to allow them to grow and flourish.  Also, teachers should be evaluated on key problems of practice that they are investigating through continual improvement processes such as Data Wise where teachers select instructional practices to address student needs and instructional gaps.

• Breakthrough II Teacher Katelin Jacobs, from Danbury, earned her undergrad elementary education/history and master’s special education degrees from Central Connecticut State University. She brought a Therapy Dog program to Breakthrough II to help struggling students build their reading confidence; is on the School Governance Council; helps co-run Breakthrough II’s school garden; operates the school’s website; acts as a Cohort Literacy Lead; and has led several district professional development programs.

Here is a synopsis of her views:

What makes you optimistic – or have some doubts – about the process of school improvement in Hartford?

I am optimistic about the process of school improvement in Hartford because we are making decisions with students in mind.  As a city we servicing a large population of children, and it is our goal and mission to ensure we are providing quality education for each and every student.  The process of school improvement in Hartford is focused on each student and ensuring their success.

What qualities do you believe characterize the best – and the least – prepared teachers?

Dedication, passion, and the desire to continuously learn characterize the best prepared teachers.  There is an extraordinary amount of dedication in Hartford.  These are the teachers who are working to constantly know their students and curriculum better.  Dedicated teachers pour themselves into their work and it shows through their passion.  I am honored to work with an amazingly passionate staff.  These are the teachers who know their students’ home lives, who put everything they have into every lesson and those who learn alongside their students.  This brings me to the last quality, those teachers who are lifelong learners.  There is so much we teach our kiddos, but so much more they teach us.  Prepared teachers are always looking to be better through new learning.

In terms of least prepared, there are several factors that might account for that such as funding, inadequate resources or large class sizes.  It is our job as educators to make the best out of what we have and put our best foot forward each and every day.

How do you recommend teachers be evaluated … or not?

I personally believe teachers should be evaluated on student progress as opposed to student proficiency.  Students are working on different levels, and it is our job as educators to meet them at their individual level and instruct them with the goal of progress.  Some students may not reach proficiency for whatever reason that might be in their way.  Teachers are constantly striving to progress their students in their academic endeavors. It is an incredible feeling seeing a student who can’t write his name to being able to read a book on his own.  This child may not meet benchmark, but what they accomplished is still an incredible success and should be celebrated.

The Bottom Line

The three 2017 finalists for teacher-of-the-year recognition (and the dozens of others nominated by their schools) demonstrated to us why they … and the dozens of other nominees … don’t just deserve an annual award: They are the bedrock of our society every single day.  As such, they need our constant support if we want to keep the best, develop the novices, and take better care of our most treasured profession.

For those who missed our Inspire Hartford event, but would like a www.donorschoose.org gift card to invest in a Hartford classroom, give us a call.  Our keynote speaker, Charles Best, was a teacher turned philanthropist when he founded Donors Choose, and he was kind enough to provide everyone who attended our event with a way to support Hartford educators directly!