Superintendent Says School Turnaround Program Working

School Superintendent Stephen Russell believes that the turnaround effort at Salem Schools is working because "we have stopped the slide."

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Scores (MCAS) scores from tests given last spring are about to be announced.

"I was hoping we would see a few inclings of progress," he said. But "they are flat."

While disappointing the scores are not better, they are not worse, Russell said.

And by this time next year, he expects the scores to show progress because of all the changes being made in personnel, assessment tools, even down to lighting and carpeting to improve the atmosphere at some schools.

At this time last year, Russell, new to the Salem Schools, had no idea that the Bentley School was about to be rated at a Level 4 poor performing school, which required that the entire district be rated at Level 4. Four other schools -- , , and -- were "on the cusp" of joining  in the poor performing category.

With the latest round of MCAS scores, it appears that those schools have avoided that fate.

To bring all the schools and the district up, "We have a lot more work to do," said the superintendent, who is wearing a orthopedic boot to help repair a tendon in his foot he injured walking across the parking lot.

'Something Good'

Russell rejects the idea that because Salem is an urban school district, that it can be a high performing school district.

"Salem is small enough to see something good happen," he said.

The turnaround plan has attracted both new money and new people to help make the progress Russell is seeking.

From the federal government, the district will have $500,000 each year for three years to help fund its school improvement.

The state has also sent, at its expense, a retired school superintendent to oversee the turnaround effort. Retired Sudbury Superintendent John Brackett has been assigned to Salem schools to manage the turnaround efforts.

Brackett, who has been commuting to Salem three days a week since July, is overseeing the development and implementation of Salem’s accelerated improvement plan. He will also serve as a liaison between the school district and state agencies.

Russell praised the state's choice of Brackett because he understands how schools work and the challenges they face. "And he is a good guy," he said.

The superintendent is probably most excited about a series of four student assessments that the district will conduct in English arts and mathmetics. The first round of tests in October, he said, will be primarily getting everyone acquainted with the new Achievement Network (ANet) system.

ANet is a non-profit organization that helps students achieve academic excellence. Founded in 2005 as Massachusetts Public School Performance to serve a small cohort of Boston charter schools, ANet is designed to provide schools effective data-driven strategies to identify and close gaps in student learning and embed those strategies into schools’ everyday routines.

By January, when the ANet testing is done a second time, Russell expects that the schools will begin to see progress. The results will be available to teachers in 48 hours after testing, and the ANet staff will begin meeting with teachers to review the results within a week, Russell said.

He is also excited about new personnel in the schools. Kate Carbonne is finalizing her contract to begin work as the new assistant superintendent. Russell expects she will be a good addition to the school leadership and she brings good contacts with the state agencies, he said.

Strong Community Support

The district has also added assistant principals at several schools to give more leadership and supervision.

The turnaround plan has strong support in the community, he said. The superintendent praised the relationship between Bentley and Salem State University, which conducted a summer program.

He said the schools are making a major effort to reach out to the Latino community and encourage the parents to be more involved with the schools. He said the relationships between the schools and the Latino leadership have become stronger in recent months.

The schools have embraced the changes, he said, although teachers have "a lot on their plates." Russell addressed the challenges teachers face at the beginning of school. Among the challenges is a new statewide teacher assessment system.

One of the most important changes in Salem schools is adding 55 minutes to the school day. That has required that students and teachers work on a staggered schedule on Bentley.

"It is working," Russell said.

He also lauded the School Committee for its support of the turnaround programs. Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, who heads the school committee, "is driven" to improve the schools, he said.