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 4^th 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 4^th graders (having completed 8^th 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!