There is a trend of new-school thinkers taking on some old-school problems in several of the nation’s urban school districts.
Among them are Pamela Randall Hughes, St. Louis Public Schools interim superintendent.
Since taking over for the departed Floyd Crues, Hughes has received accolades for her focus on improving academics in the school district and creating a much-needed atmosphere of cooperation between students, parents, teachers and the community.
“I will not let anyone or anything stand in the way of progress,” Hughes said upon taking the position.
“Our focus will be on academic performance improvement and also creating a positive relationship between parents, teachers, students and administrators. We can’t make progress if we do not have the proper environment for learning.”
Just outside the city limits in the “ring” suburb of Normandy, Connie K. Calloway, another young African-American woman, was named superintendent last summer.
She has quickly demonstrated her passion for education and academic performance in her district.
“We are no longer the same district doing the same thing,” she said upon taking the challenge as superintendent.
“Public school systems such as Normandy are being challenged as never before to educate all students according to much higher standards.”
She said “there is a history of commitment to excellence and the entire community is dedicated to meeting these challenges.”
Calloway, with approval from the Normandy Board of Education, immediately began improving her district’s atmosphere for learning.
Beginning with the 2005-06 school year, all students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 will be required to wear school uniforms. The board adopted a uniform procedure several years ago, after parents overwhelmingly supported the concept.
Calloway also led an initiative that provides monetary awards to schools that achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the 2003-2004. The schools meeting AYP earned funding for each subject area and additional funds if the school met the standard(s) in consecutive years.
Pine Lawn Elementary received $5,000; Garfield Elementary received $2,700; Lucas Crossing Elementary Complex received $2,700; Washington Elementary received $2,700; and Bel-Ridge Elementary received $2,500.
Across the state in Kansas City, Bernard Taylor Jr. was named superintendent of the Kansas City, Missouri School District in April 2001.
He, like Randall in St. Louis, held an administrative position with the district before taking over as superintendent. As executive director for school leadership, he supervised the principals and their staffs at 26 elementary schools, as well as one middle school and one high school.
After less than four years at the helm, Taylor managed to balance the budget for the 2005 year “with help from parents, teachers and the business community.”
The district, which was not accredited three years ago, obtained and maintained provisional accreditation, and the district’s dropout rate had been reduced to 4.2 percent during the 2003-04 school year.
“Our progress has been achieved because of dedicated staff with a common goal to do what is best for our students,” he said.
“We can be proud of these accomplishments, but we must remember that our achievements are not due to complacency and satisfaction with the status quo.”
Hughes, too, will not accept the “status quo” in St. Louis Public Schools, as she made clear when she was named interim superintendent.
She has taken this message to various civic and clergy organizations and the responses have been overwhelmingly positive.
“We have been very impressed with Pamela Hughes. She is an extraordinary educator. She is a great spokesperson for the district and is determined that the children of the St. Louis Public School System have every opportunity to succeed,” said Kathy Osborn, founder and president of the Regional Business Council.
“I have been very impressed with her work ethic and ability to focus everyone in the district on one goal: increasing student achievement. She has the confidence to know that it can be done, if we have the will to do so.”
George Cotton, a vocal critic of the SLPS Board of Education and founder of the grassroots organization The Community, thinks Hughes should be tabbed to lead the district permanently.
“She is the visionary person the district needs right now. She would be the perfect superintendent. Her primary focus is helping the district re-touch with the community. Most importantly, she would stay above the fray and focus on the children,” he said.
“She is outstanding and would motivate the entire district.”
Sandra Moore, chair of the Black Leadership Roundtable, said Hughes is “absolutely fabulous.”
“Her focus and command of the issues and the challenges facing the city school district is obvious. Her willingness to lead is impressive,” Moore said.
“She has command of the primary issue facing the district, which is getting academic performance up and creating an environment where it can be sustained.”
The Rev. Sammie Jones, pastor of Greater Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and president of the Clergy Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis, called Hughes “very impressive.”
“She can motivate students and staff to do the best they can to build a top-notch school district,” he said.
“I think she would be a great superintendent if given the chance.”
A Broad base
Hughes, Taylor and Calloway n and black superintendents Maria Goodloe of the Charleston (S.C.) County School District and Wendy Robinson of the Fort Wayne Community Schools, respectively n are all recent graduates of the Urban Superintendents Academy, a program of The Broad Center for Superintendents.
The 2005 class is the fourth group of urban superintendents to be trained by the Broad Center. Forty-three percent of the 63 graduates in the first three classes have been hired as superintendents or into cabinet positions or have been promoted into those positions.
“We have identified and trained stellar leaders who are making a difference improving student achievement in urban school systems where the need is greatest,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation, which funds The Broad Center.
“We are excited that this new class has made a commitment to public education and is ready to tackle the challenge of learning the skills necessary to effectively manage an urban school district.”
The Broad (pronounced “brood”) Center for Superintendents states that its mission is:
* to train a broad, deep bench of current and aspiring leaders in education.
* to redefine the traditional roles, practices and policies of school board members, superintendents, principals and labor union leaders to better address contemporary challenges in education.
* to attract and retain the highest quality talent to leadership roles in education.
* to equip school systems and their leaders with modern tools for effective management.
* to provide tangible incentives for educators to advance academic performance.
* to honor and showcase success wherever it occurs in urban education.
Hughes demonstrated all of the above during her tenure as principal of Metro High School. The school was rated No. 1 in the state of Missouri in many academic categories, and Hughes said the key components at Metro are just as important to the entire district.
“The key to getting the community really behind us is keeping them involved. We want them to be in schools, and we need to make home visits and be more involved with the community,” Hughes said.
“More can happen, and you’ll see those actions from me.”
Hughes has made herself accessible to powerful business and civic groups, as well as neighborhood-based community organizations.
Like her fellow young, black superintendents, she is determined to forge a successful new district from the disappointment and setbacks of previous years.
“Through conversation and collaboration, it can get done,” she said.
