Dr. Barbara Sargent Reflects on Time in Madison

To hear Dr. Barbara Sargent tell it, six years was about long enough to set Madison’s school curriculum on the right track.

Now, with the district in good hands, the assistant superintendent is moving up, to superintendent of the Readington Township schools as of July 1.

Sargent spoke about the move, and leaving Madison, following the ’s meeting Tuesday night at the high school, where she received plaudits for her work.

“I am very proud of the work the teachers have done here to revitalize the curriculum,” said Sargent, who came to Madison in 2005. “Six years ago, the teachers were just teaching what they had been told to teach. Now, we are at a point where we examine best practices, in concert, and explored new ideas for education together. And the results have been incredible.”

Schools, she opined, have to some degree lost the mandate to actually educate amid the focus on standardized tests such as NJASK when, in reality, one follows the other. “If you have a plan in place that focuses on education, then as a result you’re going to have good test scores. It’s all about engaged students, parental involvement, and a strong curriculum.”

Sargent’s perspective has been honed through years of experience at all levels of the educational system, as principal, department supervisor, and teacher. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in English and Sociology; a M.A. degree in Reading/Language Arts from Rider University, and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Seton Hall University.

The Readington job puts Sargent closer to her home in Hillsborough and her husband and three sons, and she already has a timeframe in mind.

“With a any new position, it takes five to six years in any job to implement a plan and institutionalize change,” she said. I am looking forward to getting to know the fine people who work there.”