REPORT CARD FOR SCHOOLS

To the editor:

With the opening of the public schools this autumn, the new superintendent begins his second year in the position. Actually, he also had a major role in administration for the prior year as well, when his predecessor was largely absent from the schools. So now is a logical time for us to ask how things are going.

At the moment the air quality in the Cyrus Peirce School and the fate of the football Whalers with a decreasing number of players seem to have been receiving an undue amount of attention. Such matters should not, though, obscure the fact that, under the instigation and guidance of Dr. Pellicone, there were many substantive advances for the school district in the last 12 months. Maybe it is worthwhile to actually list some of these:

• A year ago there were thirty teachers in the schools who did not have state certification to teach. Aprogram to assist these teachers in getting their certification has now reduced this number to six.

• A new staff development program that was designed for and by teachers was instituted. It has received strong acclaim from participants.

• A program of community outreach has been put in place. The recently published annual calendar, a valuable reference document, should be reviewed by everyone with an interest in the schools. There have been newly initiated coffees with parents and biannual summaries of the state of the schools.

• The sad performance by many students on the MCAS with the consequent embarrassing overall school ratings has been addressed. Individual students have been offered tutoring in subjects in which they performed poorly, and teaching programs, especially in reading at the NES, have been modified. One can anticipate improvements in scores on the tests from last spring even at this early stage of the program.

• An administrative intern program was begun this autumn for two teachers. This will enable them to get certification as administrators and may allow filling needs in the administration in the future with qualified candidates from within as well as from outside.

• There are 18 new teachers this year, generally with quite excellent qualifications. Their mentoring program is being directed for the second year by the superintendent in contrast to employing an off-island consultant to do this, as was done in the years before he came.

• Notable progress has been made in working with the town administration, especially with reference to school budgets, thereby diminishing the adversarial climate often fostered by the previous administration.

I think these are notable achievements. And there are others. And they all deserve our recognition. But it should also be added that progress does often hinge on climate as well as ideas. If the NPS are to move toward the excellence that we all see as possible, students, teachers, administrators, parents and the community at large all have important responsibilities. One is to meet a need for public statements regarding progress, and to express thoughtful, constructive criticism.

- Leslie W. Ottinger