Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin heralded the start of the school year with a press conference on September 6 featuring reports from teachers and administrators in an atmosphere of optimism and cooperation across the district. Among the initiatives she noted were: a major overhaul of the elementary school day, the first full-curriculum audit in 21 years, a day of professional development on Election Day, restrictions on Internet-enabled devices, and expanded options for enrichment opportunities, dual enrollment, and internships.
NPS begins each school year with a district-wide convocation of educators and administrators. Dr. Nolin reported that this year’s gathering, held on August 28, “focused on cultivating trust and hope in our educator force … working together to turn the page on the last few difficult years in education and our system, to support and inspire our students, and build bridges of understanding and collaboration with our parent and Newton community.” The full complement of 2,100 educators attended – a sign of improved relations between NPS and the Newton Teachers Association (NTA), which last year had advised its members not to attend the 2023 convocation.
Dr. Nolin later said that at this year’s convocation, “[NTA president] Mike Zilles and I publicly committed to continuing to work on joint priorities in supporting our educators and students.” She told Fig City News, “The adversarial stuff portrayed last year in the strike got in the way of the real alignment that exists and the collaborative work and manner of how we do business. Indeed, there is a lot of alignment and synergy. Mike Zilles said he has come to see that he may have to develop new techniques instead of fighting. I am hopeful and find we are doing good things for staff, and morale is up.”
At the press conference, she said, “The Teachers Association are our colleagues, and we share the same values for the education of young people. We have made a concerted effort and a promise to each other, in front of all of our educators, that we will be working in a collaborative fashion.”
Multiple administrators shared similarly warm sentiments. Newton North High School Principal Henry Turner said, “This is one of our more successful starts [of the school year] that we’ve had in a very long time. …From a student perspective, from a staff perspective, we’ve had very positive opening days.”
Kathleen Browning, Executive Director of Newton Early Childhood Program, said, “It’s been a very positive start. Staff are smiling, feeling really wonderful.”
Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education, Dr. Ayesha Farag, said she had visited every elementary school in the last few days and “the energy is so very positive. People are excited for the year ahead. It’s been an absolutely terrific start to the school year.”
Initiatives announced
At the conference, Dr. Nolin outlined several initiatives:
- A “major overhaul of the elementary school day,” with built-in support and enrichment periods to support struggling students and stretch advanced learners, separate from general education time
- The first full audit of the NPS curriculum in 21 years – focusing “first and most aggressively” on mathematics – along with a new instructional leadership academy, to ensure common expectations of high-quality instruction in every classroom
- K-8 math benchmark assessments to ensure educational needs are met before high school because, “We do not want our community to feel they have to engage tutors and services to gain support or enrichment in mathematics.”
- A new literacy curriculum, based on “the science of reading” for Grades 3-5, after its introduction in Grades K-2 last year
- Thrive24, a full day of professional development for educators on November 5 – Election Day – incorporating presenters from within NPS, as well as from across the state and the country, to provide “top-notch, cutting-edge professional development experiences” for NPS staff (This initiative will ensure that public access for voting will not pose logistical or safety challenges in the 12 NPS schools that are among Newton’s 23 polling locations.)
- Expanded options for middle- and high-school students in “Career and Tech, Vocational Exploration experiences, and early college programs …[to] get them thinking about the lives of purpose, passion, and innovation they seek.”
- A new Office of Family Partnerships, led by Christina Maryland, the new NPS Director of Communication and Family Engagement
- A ban on personal electronic devices at all middle schools during the school day, and on the use of such devices during classes, advisories, and study halls at both high schools
- Filtering out unauthorized web access to social media on computers used for instruction in middle schools and high schools, to “focus on instruction and learning through student engagement”
- A social worker in each school building, and expanded pay for assistant teachers, paraprofessionals, and behavior technicians – per the contract reached with the NTA last year – to meet “the rising tide of mental health needs …greater than any time in the last 30 years of public education”
- A new food-service company, Chartwells, with “expanded, culturally diverse, kid-friendly” menus
- Instructional technology positions reframed as digital learning coaches, to teach media literacy and age-appropriate, responsible use of technology
Expanded options in Secondary Education
Regarding the expanded options for middle- and high-school students, the new Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, Dr. Eugene Roundtree, said, “It’s really important … that all students are able to access something that is them, that speaks to their spirit and their aspirations for the future, so we have a real opportunity to build on the strong Career and Technical Education programs in Newton. … and to expand opportunities for dual enrollment [through which students can get both high-school credit and college credit]. We’re in probably the richest place in the country [for] opportunities to partner with post-secondary institutions.”
In explaining her support of enrichment opportunities, dual enrollment, and internships, Dr. Nolin said that the best question she was asked during her interviewing process for the Superintendent position was a question from the Newton South HS student-body president: “How are you going to help us move beyond just looking for grades, to finding lives of passion, purpose, and meaning?” Dr. Nolin said that these programs “allow our students to have life experience while still under our roof in the Newton Public Schools” and she’s “excited to be exploring those programs and reaching out to our community partners.”