Pittsfield is helping to lead a growing national movement to redesign schools for the realities of 21^st century life.   There is now widespread recognition that in order to prepare our young people for a rapidly changing society, we must “remodel” our educational system.

As with any remodeling project, the goal is to keep what works and change what has outlived its usefulness.  For example, a 19^th century New England home with “good bones” still requires electricity and plumbing that are up to code and insulation that is more weather-resistant and fuel efficient—in keeping with modern industry standards.  Similarly, in our schools, we have a sturdy infrastructure in place, but the delivery system is highly outmoded.

For example, the traditional 6-hour school day and 180-day school year grew out of our nation’s agricultural and industrial economies.  First, families needed children to tend the farm during the summer months; later, industry needed workers with basic skills to fill the assembly lines.  Today, there are few fields to plow and the low-skilled jobs that paid a family-sustaining wage have given way to middle and high-skilled positions in an economy that is global, knowledge-based and innovation-driven.  Simply put, in order to thrive in a much more demanding society, all of our children need more time for learning and a far more sophisticated set of skills and abilities.

New Hampshire has been ahead of the curve in recognizing that our educational system must be better aligned with the new demands of economic and civic life.  In 2007, the state Department of Education released a report, “New Hampshire’s Vision for Redesign:  Moving from High Schools to Learning Communities.” The report articulated a plan for raising graduation rates and creating a more robust, relevant, and rigorous educational experience for every child.  Notably, New Hampshire was the first state in the nation to move from a system based on the Carnegie unit—a measure of the length of time a student has studied a subject—to a system that awards credit based on mastery of a subject.  Other states are just now beginning to follow suit.

In Pittsfield, we began our remodeling efforts in 2008, when we invited community members, students, and parents to a series of Saturday morning forums.  It became clear from those meetings that our community wanted to provide its young people with an education that was personalized and hands-on, and that would result in our kids graduating with a plan for the next phase of their lives and the preparation to actualize the plan.  (We would soon learn that, in education parlance, this is called Student Centered Learning.)

Pittsfield was at a critical turning point at that time:  the last of the nearby towns that were once part of SAU #51 seceded to form their own single-district administrative units.  As the Pittsfield School Board considered the fiscal ramifications of the secession, it determined that Pittsfield’s previously disjointed approach to PS-12 education needed to become more efficient, coherent and systematic.  From danger came opportunity.

But change is never easy, especially for a public institution that is ensconced in tradition.  To help jumpstart the process, we invited the Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR) to work with us.  In partnership with the community, we shaped a vision, organized our teachers into teams, and engaged them in intensive professional development.

In keeping with the student-centered approach, our educational strategies began to address in earnest the learning styles, strengths, interests, and needs of each and every student, and grades were soon replaced by “proficiency” and “mastery” of specific skills and knowledge.  Moreover, teachers moved from their conventional roles as presenters to coaches and facilitators of student learning.  Parents and community members went from spectators to full participants in the redesign process.  The traditional boundaries of time and space were replaced by “anytime, anywhere learning,” and we have created numerous opportunities for young people to intern in local businesses and learn the “21^st century skills” that are so necessary to real-world success.

Of course, as in any remodeling effort, it takes time to fully realize a vision.  It also takes money.  In 2010, we received the first of New Hampshire’s School Improvement Grants (SIG).  That year, Pittsfield was also invited to join the federal Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) working group of thirteen high schools in New England that were funded to focus on student-centered strategies.  We also received generous planning and implementation grants from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the largest private foundation in New England devoted exclusively to education.

We are not “there” yet, and we definitely experience the bumps and setbacks that are inevitable in any remodeling process. But as a small rural school district not unlike so many across New England and the nation that struggle with a shortage of finances and talent, we are beginning to see real evidence of change.  For one, Pittsfield has gone from being among the five lowest-performing high schools in the state to near the top in math.  Reading is also improving.  The middle school was removed from “school in need of improvement” status, a relatively rare accomplishment.

We attribute this success to a number of factors:

• Our students are more motivated and, hence, more engaged in their learning. They are taking ownership not only for their daily assignments and larger projects, but also for how their schooling connects to the bigger picture of life after high school—college, career and citizenship.
• Our teachers are learning to be coaches and facilitators; they work collaboratively as we’ve increased the amount of common planning time.  They are becoming experts in their own right and share their knowledge with each other on a regular basis.
• Technology is becoming more integrated into the curriculum. Every student in Grades 5-12 now has an iPad.  Teachers are learning to utilize technology so that it’s not an add-on, but rather part of a coherent strategy.  On-line courses enable our students to take college courses, recover credits, or create alternative school schedules.
• Gone are the days of the parent-teacher conference; our middle and high school students now lead these conferences, with parent participation close to 100 percent.
• Our community is highly engaged in the redesign efforts.  We have a growing number of partnerships with local business and organizations. Our Good-to-Great Team, representing a broad group of stakeholders, ensures accountability and continuous improvement.

We invite you to come visit us in Pittsfield anytime, but a great opportunity to do so is just days away.  On Thursday, May 30^th, students at Pittsfield Middle High School will be sharing their work with the wider community at our second annual Exhibition Night.   From 6-8 pm, the community will have an opportunity to ask young people about their learning and to see evidence of that learning.  Our students are articulate about what they know and what they are able to do; they have learned how to reflect on the connections between their schoolwork and their hopes and dreams for the future.

Yes, our students still take tests and write papers, but what and how they are learning goes far beyond the blue books.  In Pittsfield, the “final exam” is life itself.

A school safety forum for parents and community members –a follow-up to the forum held in December following the Connecticut school shootings – will be held from 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, in the PES cafeteria.

School officials will report on emergency preparedness measure that have been instituted or updated in the months since the first meeting; parent and community questions raised in the first meeting will be revisited and any new questions and concerns will be welcomed.

Parents and community members will also be invited to participate in emergency preparedness planning with district and town officials.

Informational Meeting on School Administrative Restructuring

An informational meeting for parents and community members regarding the school administrative restructuring that has been adopted by the Pittsfield School Board will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, in the PES cafeteria.

The restructuring will eliminate the positions of school principals at both PES and PMHS and replace these positions with a Dean of Instruction and a Dean of Operations who will each be responsible for both schools, PS-12.  The restricting is expected to result in (1) academic gains for students, (2) stronger coherence between the two schools, and (3) greater efficiencies in operations.

Beginning in 2008, Pittsfield’s schools have been developing strategies to address these three aims.  Parents and community members are invited to participate in this upcoming informational meeting to learn more about this exciting change for our schools’ leadership.

Ms. Mason’s teaching colleagues have pitched in to help support our students in this transition.  Ms. Mason’s advisory students, for example, have been reassigned to other teachers in our Grades 11-12 team, and these experienced teachers are completing the important work of fulfilling personal learning plans.  We thank our teachers for their contributions in support of our students.

As you may know, both biology and chemistry teachers are in short supply; in fact, these roles are listed on our New Hampshire Department of Education’s critical shortage list, and they have been for many years.  It is particularly difficult to recruit these teachers in the middle of a school year and in rural areas.  As difficult as it may be, the district assumes responsibility for supporting our students’ continued learning and progress through their courses.

The district is pleased to announce that a qualified and experienced teacher has been recruited and will begin service on Tuesday, March 26.  For the first week of our new teacher’s service, Ms. Mason will continue to develop lesson plans and evaluate student work as she has been doing during her absence.  Our new teacher – Ms. Miller – will take over full responsibility at the start of the fourth quarter on Monday, April 1.

We thank our students and parents for their patience and understanding while we worked to accommodate the needs of our students.  We assure that Pittsfield community that the district operates student-centered schools that consider our students are our absolute top priority.

The Pittsfield Forum was both a celebration of how the schools have been moving toward excellence and a call to action to keep the momentum going in the community.

“While 2008 may be best known for the economic downturn in this country, in Pittsfield, it’s also known as the beginning of a period of significant change in our schools,” said Superintendent John Freeman in welcoming the diverse crowd of students, educators, parents, and community members. Special outside guests included Paul Leather, Deputy Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, newly elected State Senator John Reagan, and Bruce Mallory, Director of the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire.

The impetus for change in the District came from the Pittsfield School Board, after the last of several nearby towns seceded to form their own single-district or cooperative district administrative units.  While it was a blow to Pittsfield, the Board also saw it as an opportunity to break the mold. Over the next few years, the Pittsfield School District successfully secured several grants to jumpstart the change process, including a substantial one from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation in 2011.  According to Freeman, a newly established group, the Community Advisory Council (CAC), secured that grant, creating the blueprint for a 7-10 year plan to redesign the educational system. 

“It is now time for us to move to the next level of engagement, from planning to implementation” said Freeman about the reason for convening the Good-to-Great Community Forum.   The Community Advisory Council, he explained, would sunset, with a new continuous improvement advisory council – the Good to Great Team – as its successor.

The Good-to-Great Community Forum was facilitated by Bill Bryan, lead technical consultant for the District and Vice President of Leadership and Organization Development for the Center for Secondary School Redesign.  Bryan led the group in two interactive exercises. In one exercise, attendees, who were seated at tables of 6-8 people, introduced themselves to one another.  In the second exercise participants worked in teams to identify questions about the redesign and about the role of the new Team.  Each team shared their questions with the larger group. 

Many of the questions were addressed in a presentation given by Susan Bradley and Tobi Chassie, Co-Project Managers of the District Level School Change initiative.

“Progress has little to do with speed, but everything to do with direction,” said Tobi Chassie in a presentation about the District’s five areas of focus for change.  “In my 22 years in the District, this is the most exciting and dramatic effort I’ve ever seen.”

Chassie and Bradley articulated the five areas of focus for change in the District:  Ensuring student ownership for learning; raising student achievement; 21^st century skills and civic responsibility and social-emotional learning; redefining adult roles and performance expectations; and engaging the community.   All of these elements, they said, are geared toward providing an enriched, student-centered experience.   They explained that for young people to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing workforce and society, they must master a much broader set of skills and competencies than what was expected of previous generations.  These increased demands require that learning be more personalized so that every single student achieves proficiency.  In this new era, “failure is not an option,” said Chassie.

Flexible scheduling, creative use of technology, redefining the role of teachers, providing internship and job shadow opportunities in the community, and increased leadership and decision-making for students were a few of the elements of the redesign that were featured.

The PMHS Site Council, a governing body that sets school policy, also spoke at the Forum.  The Site Council consists of students, faculty and members of the community, with students comprising majority membership.  Three students—Noah Manteau, Max Tuttle, and Rebecca Adams —shared some of their experiences on the Council, as did their adult advisor, Derek Hamilton.  Their short presentation, which included a video that moved many in the audience to tears of joy, was the introduction to a longer and more formal presentation they were recently invited to give at the prestigious National Association of Secondary School Principals Breaking Ranks 2013 School Showcase in Washington D.C.  Pittsfield was one of just 21 U.S. high schools to be invited.

The IMPACT team, a student group at PMHS that focuses on the social-emotional aspects of school, discussed its proposal for a new disciplinary system at PMHS.   Julie Dyer, Madison Johnson, and their adult advisor, Jenny Wellington, explained that the new system is called “restorative justice.” It focuses less on punitive measures such as detentions and suspensions, which have been largely ineffectual, and more on the ways that students should be held accountable to their community by “fixing what they broke.”

Toward the end of the Forum, Bill Bryan charged attendees with another assignment:  to discuss in small groups what they would envision as a process for continuous improvement, a way to keep the ball rolling in the Pittsfield School District.   “We have made good progress,” said Bryan, “but we aren’t all the way there yet.”  For example, one challenge will be to align the 90-plus teams that exist in the District so that everyone is moving in the same direction. Another challenge will be to continue building public will for the redesign so that “we keep supplying the system with energy,” said Bryan. 

Ted Mitchell, local businessman and chair of Pittsfield’s Economic Development Committee, talked about his work on the Community Advisory Team and the importance of the redesign to the entire Pittsfield community.  “I have been able to see the big picture of how the educational system and the economy of our town are tightly connected,” he said.  “We all need to come together—including businesses and community colleges—to make sure our students are getting the opportunities that will prepare them for good careers.” 

The Continuous Improvement Advisory Council is expected to begin its official work in the fall of 2013.  Scott Brown, former School Board member and Chair of the Community Advisory Council, said the effort is now underway to recruit 40-50 people to serve on the Council.  Members will attend monthly meetings and engage in some committee work. 

“This is a unique opportunity to take our District from good to great,” said Brown. “We take it on the chin (in Pittsfield) for our reputation.  We need to get the message out about the great things that are happening here. Talk to your friends, relatives, and neighbors and celebrate what we’ve accomplished,” said Brown. “Because of this work, our community will be much stronger and our school system will have a reputation that is second to none.”

A follow-up meeting to discuss the Continuous Improvement Advisory Council will be held on March 7, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm in Room 113 at PMHS.   Dinner will be served and all are welcome.