Brookline's Lawrence School To Get A New Temporary Principal

BROOKLINE, MA — Sometimes in Brookline it can feel like a game of musical administrators, especially at the Lawrence School. In February, Principal Alysson Hart announced she would be stepping down at the end of this school year "for personal" reasons. This came as a surprise to many parents wondering who would take over at the school which has seen its fair share of change. But today the superintendent's office announced a temporary replacement.

Monica Crowley, who has been the Upper Devotion principal for the past four years will step in as the interim principal, where she once was vice principal. And with her the help of a Boston Public Schools former chief academic officer, Janet Palmer Owens to help with the transition three days a week.

“Crowley’s close ties with Lawrence staff and families and her strong track record of instructional leadership in the district will serve the Lawrence community well,” Bott said in the letter.

Crowley stepped in at the Upper Devotion School when the school split into an upper and lower during construction at the Devotion School. Next year as students are slated to rejoin in the fresh space, that school will be run by the two lower Devo principals and the vice principal as the district searches for a new singular principal to take on the role and a second vice principal, according to an email the Superintendent sent home to the Devo Community.

Crowley’s appointment comes on the heels of the news that Bott decided to give Driscoll's interim principal the permanent principal gig at the school. >>New Principal For Driscoll School: Brookline Superintendent

The Pierce School is next up to get a permanent principal.

Bott’s full letter to the Lawrence community:

Dear Lawrence School Families and Staff,
It is with great pleasure that I announce that Monica Crowley will be the interim principal of the Amos A. Lawrence School during the 2018-2019 school year. Ms. Crowley is well known by the Lawrence and Brookline community, having served as the principal of the Upper Devotion School for the last four years and as the vice principal at Lawrence from 2008 to 2014. Ms. Crowley’s close ties with Lawrence staff and families and her strong track record of instructional leadership in the district will serve the Lawrence community well.
As the principal at Upper Devotion, Ms. Crowley developed the middle school program in preparation for Upper Devotion’s three-year relocation to the old Lincoln School. She has been instrumental in introducing project-based learning to the school. Ms. Crowley has focused on collaborative leadership, using the expertise of the faculty to develop robust professional development in literacy, to address equity and access, and to create a math “Learning Laboratory” where math teachers, specialists, and coaches work together to identify and implement key instructional strategies across the middle grades.
As the vice principal at Lawrence, Ms. Crowley worked closely with staff, students, and families in all areas of school leadership. She co-chaired the School Council and served as a member of Faculty Planning and Child Study Teams. She facilitated upper school team meetings and faculty meetings and was responsible for planning grade level literacy and data meetings. Ms. Crowley also designed and created the town-wide middle school advisory program. Prior to coming to Brookline, Ms. Crowley was a sixth grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at the Day Middle and the Horace Mann Elementary schools in Newton.
During the 2018-2019 school year, the district will conduct a full search process for a permanent Lawrence School principal.

In addition to announcing Ms. Crowley’s appointment I also want to let you know that, starting next week, Janet Palmer Owens will be supporting the Lawrence School administrative team for the remainder of this school year. She will be at Lawrence three days each week, working with Principal Hart and Vice Principals Horst and Porter to ensure a successful transition to next school year.
Ms. Palmer Owens is the former Chief Academic Officer of the Boston Public Schools. She also served as the Academic Superintendent for Pilot Schools in Boston, as well as Assistant Superintendent for K-12 schools. Ms. Palmer Owens also served as the principal of the Mason Pilot Elementary School. While she was at the Mason, the school served as a demonstration site for the National Alliance of Black School Educators and was named one of the top 50 schools in the Northeast by Boston magazine.
Please join me in welcoming both Ms. Crowley and Ms. Palmer Owens to Lawrence in their new capacities.
Sincerely,
Andrew J. Bott
Superintendent

New Principal For Driscoll School: Brookline Superintendent

-Photo via Google Maps screen grab.