
District Goals
Teaching and Learning
Identify, develop, and
execute PK-12 instructional practices that produce powerful learning for
all Attleboro students.
Accelerate and sustain achievement gains in
all grades to ensure that students are college-ready at the
elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Reduce the
performance gap between students within subgroup categories (low-income,
special education, African-American, Hispanic, etc) and their
grade-level peers.
Use opportunities and resources to
effectively support district and school priorities towards reaching
standards of excellence in all areas.
Use opportunities and resources to
effectively support district and school priorities towards reaching
standards of excellence in all areas.
Plan and execute a public engagement process
at each school that articulates and leads to the school community
understanding and embracing the vision for Attleboro Public Schools.
Develop multiple venues within and between
schools that more effectively support parents as partners in their
child’s learning.
Continue to develop an efficient complaint
process so that families receive a timely response to their concerns.

Many Voices, Strong Schools,
Strong Community
Pia Durkin, PhD Superintendent of
Attleboro Public Schools
As we get ready to start the new school year it
is always hard to let go of the slower paced summer months – enjoying time
with family and friends, relaxing outdoors or getting lost in a good book.
“The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett is one such story that has gripped millions
this summer and has lessons that we can carry with us into the Fall.
The book and recent film version, explores race and class during the early
1960s in the South, told mostly through the voice of Aibileen Clark, a black
maid. As the story unfolds, Aibileen’s voice provides the courage for
Skeeter, the young white woman she has cared for, to stand up for injustices
in her town and beyond. These characters evolved from Stocketts’s own
relationship with the maids that took care of her during her own childhood.
Writing “The Help” finally gave those real people a voice that they never
had when she was growing up.
For the 5900 children
starting school in Attleboro, as parents give them that hug and send them
off that first day, we always hope that their voice will be “heard” in that
new classroom. We want them to feel safe. We want them to be engaged
and excited in learning new things. We want them to know it is OK when
they make mistakes, and we want them to try again. We want them to know who
they can go to when they have a problem. All these hopes involve our
children having a voice, along with the courage to do the right thing when
we are not there. We know that family and community involvement has
made Attleboro’s schools stronger and better, not just through generous
fundraising efforts from our PTOs, but in ways that focus on higher
achievement and a culture that values all voices, not just the loudest ones,
to be heard. In 2007, 56% of Attleboro’s 4th graders were
achieving at proficient/advanced levels in literacy. Attleboro High
School had been on the NEASC warning list for years and full accreditation
seemed an elusive goal. The dropout rate was too high and we were far
below the state graduation rate. In my listening meetings with
hundreds of you, I was repeatedly asked “why isn’t Attleboro doing better?”
Today, over 80% of those same 4th graders (having completed 8th
grade) will be entering high school at higher literacy levels and poised to
take on the demands and rigor of freshman year. AHS is fully
accredited and through a lot of hard work, we halved our dropout rate and
increased our graduation rate to above the state average. These are
only a few of the gains we have made and more can be reviewed in our 2010-11
Annual Report available online. My staff and I can say definitively
and with pride say that Attleboro Public Schools are not only doing better,
but continually improving. This is supported by facts and data and
validated by outside authorities such as the Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (DESE). These results did not happen overnight and
are not “quick fixes.” They involve the work of over 400 educators and
300 additional staff members working as a team to raise their “voice” and
identify and execute excellence. This involves difficult conversations
and changing the way we do business. It includes the many people who, with
me, acknowledged first that Attleboro would not be a mediocre school
district and second, that they would take the risk to do the hard work to
improve. Our Journey Toward Excellence is striving for a
world-class education for the community’s children. That journey continues,
despite challenging economic times and a politicized environment. No
Child Left Behind, though correct in its intent to raise expectations
for all students, does not distinguish between schools that fail to meet
federal requirements and failing schools. We know we have much work to
do but we need to stick with the journey and I can unequivocally say that we
do not have failing schools in Attleboro. We have successful schools
that are improving.
We need to move to the next
level of higher performance and ensure that those who
believe in the vision and promise of stronger schools remain clear, focused,
and heard. We need to leverage the sense of collective responsibility of
those who work in our schools, families who use our schools, and the larger
community to produce higher-functioning teams in every venue and call
attention to those who are distracting us from our work. Only then can
we ensure a healthier and more productive environment that values the hard
work it takes for everyone, including the community, to have an excellent
school system.
I look forward to working
with you. Welcome Back! I will see you in the schools!
I look forward to working with you.
Welcome Back! I will see you in the schools!