Superintendent
Thomas Anderson unveiled New Bedford Public Schools District Strategic Plan
2020 at a media event held today at the Keith Middle School Community
Room. Speakers included Mayor Jon Mitchell, school committee, students,
teachers and community members.
The
document unveiled today is the result of input from more than 80 individuals,
including students, parents, teachers/staff, administrators, and community
members over the course of a year. Also informing the Strategic Plan is the
collective feedback from nearly 50 partner organizations representing a wide
range of perspectives from across the community.
Mayor
Jon Mitchell said, “The schools’ strategic plan has the depth and clarity that
New Bedford Public Schools families, and the city as a whole, can appreciate
and support. It’s up to all of us to ensure the district’s continued success
for our students, but it is clear that meaningful, measurable progress is
already happening. New Bedford’s schools have turned the page and are focused
on the future; this document collects the community’s shared vision and charts
a detailed course for further progress.”
Strategic
Plan 2020 – Unlocking the Future, is a comprehensive roadmap for reaching
district goals, benchmarks, action items and priorities. Divided into three
sections, the plan provides an outline on “Lessons Learned” and spells out an
action plan with “Strategic Enhancements” which include “New Data Collection,
Analysis Systems and New Strategic Monitoring.” The 26-page document identifies
district benchmarks and measurable outcomes through 2022.
Introducing
the plan, Superintendent Thomas Anderson related how in 2019, NBPS transitioned
to a District Strategic Action Plan utilizing the “Planning for Success” model,
which does not require the oversight of the Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). “However, our new goals – building
from the initial AIP objectives – use continuous acts of planning, training,
measuring, analyzing progress and implementing strategies,” he said, adding
“the action plan has been in place and has been guiding our processes as we
work to enhance the teaching and learning process.”
Caitlyn
Sentes, a 14-year educator and 6th grade ELA teacher at Keith
participated in the year-long process of creating the plan. “Our main focus as
a committee was to review the current district goals and build a new plan that
would help us to improve different aspects of our schools to ensure that our
students receive a high quality, balanced education in order to prepare them to
compete on the global level,” she said, noting “the opportunity to collaborate
with people from so many facets of our city was invaluable.”
The
new Strategic Plan lays out agreed-upon strategies to realize the district’s
five goals: 1) High Quality Instruction – Increase student achievement by
strengthening teaching and learning; 2) Effective Student Support Systems –
Create an inclusive, culturally responsive learning environment; 3) Strong
Family/Community Relationships – Empower families and the community through
collaboration; 4) Organizational Team Excellence – Cultivate and recruit a
highly skilled workforce; and 5) Public Confidence and Pride – Implement
effective strategies to raise the profile and reputation of NBPS.
Additional speakers included Raquel Reis, New Bedford High School
junior; Joaquim “Jack” Livramento, School Committee; Maria A. Rosario,
Executive Director, North Star Learning Centers; Richard Leeman, Principal,
Irwin M. Jacobs Elementary School; Christopher Garcia, President, New Bedford
Educators Association; and Jennifer
Ferland, Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships NBPS.
Click here for Plan