There is a livestream of this, which will be going up here. UPDATED: video is here.
Posting as we go.
Jack Elsey, Lily Laux, Pedro Martinez to be interviewed
and Craven just said a whole bunch of things including the schedule which I missed because I was trying to find the livestream...sigh...it also isn't written down, as best as I can tell
The Board is soliciting feedback on the finalists here.
They're now selected questions from the 22 submitted by members and by the screening committee, though they're referencing them by numbers from a list that is not publicly available, so I guess we'll all just find out together what they are asking.
They seem to have figured that out, and now are having a break to print questions.
Questions asked of all
First question, which they got in advance: Given the current context in Massachusetts...how would you plan to enter the Commissioner role? Talk about getting up to speed... and addressing the current moment
Second question (which is several parts): Approach to managing large organizations
Your personal and professional philosophy around equity and how that shows up in your leadership
How would you build buy-in and partnerships with superintendents? How would you hold districts accountability with consistency across districts, particularly in a state with strong local control?
Third question: what educational innovations have you accomplished and what are the longstanding results of those innovations?
Fourth: persistent racial disparities in achievement, discipline, and access to advanced coursework?
when did you face pushback when working to advance racial equity?
Growing population of multilingual learners: what policies and practices are most effective in ensuring equitable access? A time when you successfully improved programming to such students?
Describe experiences in promoting best practices and ensuring FAPE for these students?
Fifth: districts facing declining enrollment, limited resources, challenges in attracting and retaining educators: speak to your experience
Sixth: what characterizes a quality school district? What three to five data points would you look at?
Seventh: mental health challenges never seen before: how to ensure a top priority?
Eighth: Districts with different needs, perspectives, landscapes, priorities...time you encountered strong resistance or conflicting perspectives brought together?
Ninth: Crisis leadership: share a time you led through a crisis and how you approach decision-making and communications in high pressure or public scrutiny?
Tenth: literacy data influence your approach to leading data? involvement in advancing early literacy
Eleventh: fostering meaningful partnerships with families
Twelfth: number one for some
"going backwards on some key measures"
"continue to lose ground on a number of key measures"
Do you agree with this assessment? How would you approach
Jack Elsey
current living in Detroit, bolstering the teacher workforce
prior to that, spent 5 years leading Detroit Children's Fund, "in service of improving public schools in the city of Detroit"
"was leading schools and districts" prior to that: Detroit, Chicago
taught 7 & 8 graders in the South Bronx
"my goal is to bring all of my experience to light"
first share how he has been spending time most recently
"What enormous opportunity lies ahead for Massachusetts...can and should be"
leading in educator workforce development
22nd century experience of what students can do when they leave
literacy instruction, early college, CTE can be improved upon and built upon
Michigan "has had its share of fights from the education reform era"
"Question is: what are we going to do now that is constructive"
MA "is looked to across the country as an exemplar"
"we in this room also know the data"
"urgent discussion and serious strategy" called for
"unique opportunity to define what Massachusetts has been known for"
"this work is personal for me" first gen, Pell Grant recipient
"only made possible by a great education and equity-based programs"
"I could see a lot of myself" in children over my career
founded a statewide non-profit to address state "entire educator pipeline"
can't just launch a strategy: "need people to know that you're serious"
listen to needs that are unique to where you live
"we're just glad you came; so few ever do"
"there's no substitute for putting miles on a car"
"only sets the table for innovation and improvement"
pipeline was "created by building a common vision"
"creating new governance structures" (ooof)
reciting stats here
fosters an ecosystem of partners; building vision
"vision drives action"
and vision isn't the job of a Commissioner, fwiw
Second: all organizations large and small have to be clear on their values
"grey areas on the elements of strategies that value decisions creep in"
"we've leaned in immediately to the values conversation"
"how are we going to hold each other accountability to living up to these values every day"
Then "it's about clarity" of roles, of goals, of strategic plan
Lots of stakeholders who care about how this work effects them
story of what it looks like to lead a large equity organization from time in Chicago
stopped hiring process because all candidates were white
"have to ask the questions...hiring is a really important way to ensure equity in an organization"
how are your initiatives impacting people of all backgrounds?
"if our goal is to serve all kids, how are we doing that?"
"if you value equity, it ought to be one of your values"
"learn the context in which...leaders are operating"
it is a tell that the mention here is superintendents and not the governance body of districts, their school committees
"local control is real"
"understanding their relationship with their board, what their boards care about"
Third: "how do we do something different from the paradigm that's fundamentally of service to children"
what's preventing people who would be great teachers from entering the profession
"it's not a new concept to eliminate some of these barriers"
"work to build something with superintendents, with their leadership"
"that was the innovation with the state"
Fourth: true that where inequities exists, "you have to think about this in tiers"
Multi tiered systems of support (MTSS)
improving baseline instruction is going to support all students
"what does excellent literacy instruction look like"
"with well-trained adults" (ooof, on that phrasing)
how to fund, monitor implementation, foster best practices
Chicago: goal setting
"no one has ahold of 100% of the truth"
takes a collective effort
engaging enough people and enough group that we have not left out a single perspective
understand what educators say across districts
MA long seen as a leader in special education; no doubt some schools are doing it really well; what can we learn from them
policy and funding "these are our levers as a state"
systemic thinking and patience with the process
Fifth: "it is encouraging to know that rural schools have gotten more attention nationally"
"in our experience...spent a lot of time in district"
ensuring any program put in place were truly going to meet their needs
team didn't realize the challenge of childcare
made adjustments in plan
"I think we often ask them to solve problems on their own that are bigger than their scale"
larger systemic thinking at regionalized and state level
"can't be just their challenge to solve"
rural schools partnering together to share resources, providing opportunities that are different from school to school
"no cookie cutter approach" but opportunities to deeply understand, develop strategies that work for them with them and make sure they have the resources from the state to do it
Six:
"meets the needs of all students" and helps them to fulfill their potential
Not sure any district does that every day
international economy where goalposts are moving
"I don't know how to answer your question and I am comfortable with that"
leaving elementary school reading and math
do they feel joy and have things that fill their lives
leaving middle school with interest in high school with some ideas of what they might want to try
is college possible for them? has the school made college possible?
Is that district paying attention when they miss it?
"It is unfair to ask any district to be perfect" but surely have to be paying attention
what are proficiency levels what are growth levels what are post-secondary success rates
are they able to go on and have careers that they wanted to?
"beyond that I think it is really up to the community"
Seventh: need for more social work and counseling staff
Do more than just certify teachers
asking ourselves where are our counselors coming from? Are we building systems to make it possible for them to get certified? inspiring them to want to be counselors?
organizations that are connected to the schools to serve students and staff as needed
have capacity to support needs that might be out there
"of course funding is critical to that"
"have to figure out what is it going to take for Massachusetts to meet our standard?"
Eighth: a lot of resistance when launching Talent Together
up against a lot of misconceptions
keep people updated, won't close door
some came back and said their staff talked about it being something they wanted to do
often people can get territorial about ideas
"sometimes their skepticism comes from a good place"
keep doors and windows open to get more folks engaged
"Massachusetts has a lot of big questions ahead of it"
Ninth: Flint water crisis, school water being tested
a day when water fountains came back unsafe for drinking
on the heels of Flint crisis, tensions elevated across the board
"make sure that we reacted appropriately and in the best interest of students"
"act urgently but don't panic"
after fountains are shut down, how to get kids water during day
"in a crisis, people have to know what role their playing"
what structures are we building? what are we building as a system?
still know what the plan is
Tenth: have learned a lot about what works in reading over past five or ten years
this is false
"There are evidence-based literacy practices and schools ought to be using them"
NAEP results and who grew: "here are the three here are the five" that are proven to work
often subsided to influence "to make strong outcomes for kids"
"how are teachers prepared"
"do they have exposure to high quality curricula"
"are they being trained on the methods they're going to be expected to use in the classroom"
"that does move the needle for helping kids to learn to read quickly"
worked with states implementing "some pretty ambitious strategies"
he's used "trained" on adults multiple times
Eleventh: school that has a marriage ceremony between the school and the families
Way to communicate something schools try to communicate "a bit more blandly"
"their parent engagement is through the roof and they're a Blue Ribbon School for a reason"
made phone calls home as soon as I could and didn't say a single negative thing
be creative, bring the fun back into schools
some in families did not have the greatest K-12 experiences
"I think we can bring some joy back to schools which includes parent engagement, too"
Twelfth: "I'm inclined to agree with you; I think the data is the data"
shouldn't underestimate influence of Department
states aligning strategy with policy with funding with outcomes do better
what are their theories of what is happening? what would they want to see different in DESE?
would be curious about that in the assembly of a new strategy
"have to be clear about what the goals are first"
"will be important to share what those goals are"
"understand what they want the state's role to be"
DESE is not the one executing the strategies
your question says there is a deep recognition: "I think it is possible to do better"
Any questions he has:
You named a lot of issues that are on the table; naming is the first step
Moriarty: guess what? Literacy
West: common benchmark for the state
Stewart: strategies around licensure and preparation as well; meeting diverse needs of all students
Grant: "someone who can hit the ground running on the work" of the agency
Craven: no longer have single evaluation for high school
Tutwiler: foundationally that touches all is chronic absenteeism
MA stances on what is happening with the federal government: you asked no questions about federal distraction; what advice or commentary do you have on tending to the state while contending with DC?
West: "it's an unsolvable problem...there is no clear answer to your question"
plan B/C/D "and you have to adjust"
"if you have a clear path with...fairly clear outcomes" what is this nonsense?
navigate even as resources are crushed (spoken like someone who gets little from the fed)
Fisher: body language of a football player: "you will block and you will hold and you will run forward"
Grant: "we will have to navigate it together"
Moriarty: "we kind of have lead in the political water: don't panic; act with urgency"
Craven: universal problems
Rocha: what is my role in this moment "and this is a 'we' problem"
-----break-----
Lilly Laux
"paradox of my leadership"
Monument Mountain Regional High School "exit 1 of the Pike"
launched into multiple advanced degrees
grew up raised by single mom in a low income household
moved somewhere with no ties because there were "okay schools"
public schoolteachers who shaped me and bring me in front of you today
"what led me to become a teacher"
Memphis teacher: "their limitless potential was really hindered by systemic barriers of race and class"
"how do systems" shape inequity
leading in Texas
"laser focused on outcome"
CEO of a national non-profit 'to drive economic mobility'
persistent and wide achievement gaps, pandemic, federal landscape
"doing extraordinary work to build"
"opportunity to rethink graduation requirements is very exciting"
paradoxes of life have led to this moment
"believe powerfully in public education's ability to do the same for others"
"have been out of Massachusetts for a long time"
"have created the widest achievement gaps we've ever seen"
"deep structural challenges that can't be solved by" something alone
"students cannot strive if the adults who support them are struggling"
"not keeping pace with our own historic excellence" in NAEP
requires someone who knows how to lead at the state level; shifting weekly at federal level
"commissioner with direct experience leading at the state level...policy administration across hundreds of districts"
aha, calling out a difference there
quotes Healey: "we tackle hard problems in Massachusetts" and then cites Celtics quote
and there's the sports question answered
"both require the courage to tackle hard things"
build on exceptional foundation to build an even stronger future where every children can thrive
multiracial, multilingual family in regional school district here in Massachusetts
from urban districts to small towns
approach leadership with humility
"ready to listen, learn, and lead"
"begin with a deep understanding before moving to action"
Understanding local context and building trust; embark on statewide listening tour
"make sure to hear directly" from students, particularly focused on those most impacted by pandemic learning loss
"we simply cannot provide excellent education without" support excellent educators
"students cannot thrive if adults aren't thriving"
support for unions
"full spectrum of perspectives"
"not just by measuring outcomes but understanding how we got them"
high impact tutoring
alignment with workforce "especially as AI and automation reshape the economy"
focus on providing support for all "399" districts (that's charters, too?)
federal level
"overhauling funding systems and overseeing grant" in Texas
focus on equity access and delivering results
"my guiding principle remains 'all students, all the time'"
enter with urgency and humility
"collaborative problem solving"
closes with a Celtics championship analogy
what it means to get great results for children
vision is how everything else happens; make sure you're tracking the right things
internal structures to look and qualitative data
how is this working across subgroups? are there any holes?
tied back to equity; if you're not taking it seriously in every single initiative, you might miss entire parent or student subgroups on how that initiative is implemented and impacts them
staff survey, creation of welcoming environment
early college: TX has a long history with early college, as does Massachusetts
quality control in expansion: what does it mean for this model to be in place
designed to serve economically disadvantaged students: not serving as magnet schools
attendance provisions ensure mirror or exceed proportion of economically disadvantaged students
attainment and achievement
state setting really clear guidance with lots of flexibility for how you get there with targeted assistance
"doing what we know is best for students"
great data to support students for outcomes
"almost one-third of classrooms never get access to grade level material"
"if students are never seeing grade-level materials" they're not getting access
"really clear about being a one-size-fits-all" accessing relevant, engaging materials
some concerns are very valid; "selecting among curricula" not single
"has to be done on the front end" not separate things
transadaptive, not just translated curricula
making sure supports are targeted and allow access to most rigorous grade level content
Texas some of the largest and smallest districts in the country
how can something at the state level work at urban, suburban, rural
have different structures, funding considerations
may not have particular staff; thought about segmentation of districts
look across districts; took into account for training or support
not realistic that rural district will offer same things as their peers, but transportation and others allow for options
design with flexibility for different districts; built into all initiatives
worthwhile and important
student mental health data if students feel known and valued
what does what they have access to mean for students future?
how does that access show up after grade 12?
matters that students are able to know and access grade level content
taking seriously across all indicators and all subgroups
make sure that student and adult mental health are statewide priorities and providing supports to make that happen
how do we think about that
"cell phones, social emotional learning, what is it going to take for" students to feel known and valued in schools
"looking as rigorously around student mental health"
"have been heartened by direction of board"
working with community organizations; "front of line for schools but not schools alone"
all teachers K-3 trained in science of reading; more than half balanced literacy districts
having specific conversations about science of reading around the state
"don't want to pretend that we won everyone over right away"
did get there; feedback was that timeline was aggressive, but materials were appreciated
total shock of closing all 1200 districts in Texas
"really no playbook for"
two-way communication with all school districts; daily phone calls
respond within 24 hours to questions from districts
optional resources for districts; saw incredible adoption
needed to be able to hear from districts
responsiveness was key
really transparent about what was and wasn't working
constant listening, learning, having feedback loop
Tenth: (Moriarty notes this might be redundant)
might have briefly was a middle school literacy teacher; "a passion of mine"
really three things:
entire early care continuum: support in preschool
evidence-based practices: teachers "deeply steeped in those practices"
high quality instructional materials: need rigorous grade level texts that are relevant to them
getting families books: Books Beginning at Birth Program: over 300,000 books to families for students even before kindergarten
information that is well-intentioned but not useful to families: right information at the right time in the right way
looking at parents as a diverse user group
can imagine mother clicking closed some websites designed for parents
super specific on any communication designed for parents
question of if something is working obsess over
"a webinar intended for parents that has no parents attending...is not a success"
Twelfth: do see that, MA not keeping up with some of its own progress
"absolutely expect Commissioner to be judged on how we're closing those gaps"
description of state agency is very accurate; boards having own priorities
appreciate piece around legislature being disinclined to have mandates
shared interest: how can some of the work that DESE is doing make the job of a district leader easier?
unified grant application: districts that could afford grant writers won more grants
streamlined application that pre-populated particularly by subgroups
know and have shared conversation about data; want to help them do what they are responsible for to their board
help districts see how different initiatives that state provides can give targeted support, while streamlining how supporting districts
showing evidence of what was working
never about telling folks what to do; bringing conditions to allow them to meet conditions more effectively
when you think about the key priorities for the next year, what do you think are the top three?
West: "we'll all race...."
turning situation that was thrust upon us by the ballot initiative into an opportunity to redefine what it means to be a high school graduate in the state
Stewart: Department has taken on educator licensure preparation as well
Moriarty: always stress the urgency of third grade literacy, prepared for high school
Grant: moment that we're in, bridge between state and federal government
direct management of a state agency
Tutwiler: really a listening orientation but proceeding with urgency: applying those important qualities
Pedro Martinez
oldest of 12, ten still alive
lived in poverty, father worked two jobs all his life; died at a young age
first in family to graduate from high school, first to go to college
all following have done something past high school
went into non-profit world; Duncan was establishing a turnaround
adopted by academic world from financial world
spent time "to really understand the work of teachers"
"strong rigorous curriculum"
in Nevada "through one election learned the hard lesson of what happens when the board changes"
this is true
went to San Antonio, "had learned importance of relationship with board"
district was "ready for aggressive changes"
high poverty district: will say later about how we looked at that
align not only what was happening in San Antonio of what happened in the entire state
realigned finances with poverty and need
fights with governor and district attorney on masking and vaccinations: fought for students and educators
"and that was a very public fight; you can look it up"
through two board elections
got a call from Chicago "you're the only one in the country who can do this"
hard not to go back when home district needs help
felt like work done before was at risk
district leading in going to college and persisting
Chicago is the epicenter of autonomy; Chicago schools choose their own leaders
77 communities within Chicago, a lot of history "some of it not very good"
district has never been stronger
"somebody who has been deep in the field...understands the challenges"
bring lived experiences to the role
"this is one of the most refreshing opportunities I think you will have" on graduation
federal and state accountability not aligned with career and college readiness
"when the North Star is confusing, it creates challenges"
policy and legislation working with the Governor's office
understand what a lot of district leaders deal with; politics; expanding teacher capacity
"lack of respect for the work in the field"
"not just about vision, not just about values, it's how you walk those values"
"stand up for those values"
"stand up for those board leaders"
"systems are designed for children like mine" not like others
"advocacy for children falls on us"
looked at ten largest school districts: fascinated by demographics
variance in performance across district; strongest correlation is with poverty
opens up questions of wanting to know the history of these districts, really create alignment from the state down tot he district level
really support district leaders
in large districts, approach always that
having a clear buy-in what vision and direction: easiest part, always about supporting our students, and that with the highest need
"and that includes the children in the middle class! God bless them!"
how to be ensure that students in poverty, provide the right support systems, they will always exceed our expectations
"do you know your board chairs in your communities? I'll bring in the superintendents"
THIS HAS NEVER BEEN ASKED OF THEM!!!
how do we align our resources? especially as we see this from the federal government, set that vision
proven strategies
"I'm a patient person; for some it's going to be a ten year plan"
scaffold, differentiate
"if it was easy, it would have been done years ago"
solving a problem that hadn't been solved
leaning into culture in expanding dual program in San Antonio
bring parents, bring in teachers, and help them expand the program: no targets, just improve instruction
by the time he left 60 of 100 schools were already or pursuing dual language
get state as part of funding reform; fund dual language programs in Texas
Chicago in bringing back children in schools
access to algebra as students as they are ready in eighth grade; maybe before or after school, in schools that may not have algebra teachers
all students now have access in eighth grade; all students who benefited were Black and Latinx
next language, career tech programs
use it to solve systemic problems
"we're educational institutions; our job is to educate"
"You don't go in judging; there's a lot of history"
parents want their children to do well, want them to get to know your child
showed programs that had been in place for a decade; brought in researchers and showed evidence and facts
understand communities you're serving; meet people where they are at
working with people at the ground level, and how is it going to benefit your child
majority of people want the right thing for their communities
judge me by actions, hold me accountable; always have the intention of serving children best
Chicago El students outperform the nation; long-term English learners don't do well
area I am humbled by the most: students with disabilities
looking at practices; IEPs not always aligned with academic goals, spend a lot of time on compliance issues
Fourth: Nevada is all country systems, which have rural, suburban, and urban
how fragile rural communities are; single employer left and decimated schools
travel hours to get to school
don't have full-fledged offerings in secondary schools
Texas: strong rural influence in legislature
how to leverage state in really intentional way all around the same vision
"what do we want these children to do beyond high school?"
where is the nearest community college leveraging as resource
given children in rural communities access before they finish high school
how to align resources of state to support them
working with superintendents and districts: "what do you need?"
starts with having a clear vision of we want all children to accomplish
let's backwards map from there
healthy skepticism: are we measuring what we want to accomplish?
when we look at schools that high poverty, rural schools, when we look at practices, those practices will get results
not just look at results
create a strong vision and system together; "I see the role of our system as social and economic mobility and nothing less"
If we aren't doing that "we aren't doing our job"
this is all hands on deck: business, higher ed
love to look at post secondary results for schools
"the proficiency rates we see in our schools is a reflection of the poverty in that community...the growth measures, that is a reflection of the practices in our schools"
"summative results are good to look at...(but) having strong indicators, and the teachers buy into it and are able to self-reflect"
parents share that they have concerns about student mental health and social emotional well-being
students exposure and unregulated, impact having on children
"many states are starting to adopt no cell phones in the classroom...still early"
double-down on mental health; mental health in secondary
double it, triple it, quadruple it...imagine students access to therapy, always working with parents in partnership
huge opportunity
"why would we trust you with more resources?"
collective effort: "me, Board members" went citywide
passed one referendum: half a billion
second $1.1B, modernize every high school and majority of elementary schools
communities are willing to tax themselves if they trust you and your vision
Chicago: board member against charter schools and exam schools
some neighborhood schools are not where they should be; "have to do both, not one or the other"
have to be sure accountability is in place
can't say to parents they can't have choice "that's not right"
principal meetings each week in San Antonio; have to do work with school leaders
met with all schools virtually in fourth; allowed principals to stay in their schools
to Cabinet: "they're going to complain; they're going to vent; you're going to take it, and you're not going to respond"
could call out from one week to the next
every single week, then every other week, then monthly, still structure
trust level with school leaders, invaluable; showed up
complaint is couldn't train teachers fast enough
rubric to meet standards in selecting standards
largest gains in reading proficiency, passing pre-pandemic levels
structure at school and teacher level around data and planning
want to have ownership of teachers
when teachers see something works, they buy into it
set conditions, provide resources
making sure students are getting access to the content, get the systems in place
Moriarty: what was the process for choosing curriculum
Martinez: brought in experts, alignment with state standards
making sure it was sounded; testing out with different teachers
"what I have to win over is my parents and my staff"
weekly communication: elevate success
always use that vehicle, always positive
wondering if the state superintendent communicates with parents; how does that work at this level
at school level, parent engagement is a strategy, not an activity
leverage technology to have parents come in virtual; make it easier for them
strength of communicating with parents for teachers
working with superintendents; how do we create that vision statewide
Eleventh: looked at our ten largest school districts, wanted to go deeper
resulted in
surprised how high low income rates, high EL rates are in cities
special ed very consistent
higher the low income rate
high income, just the opposite, "a couple of them are in this room"
OH HEY
persistent gaps despite high investment
how are demographics going to shift across the future
making sure that we align our funding system; making sure that we leverage it
"what are the practices we're trying to support in our school districts"
see as a risk if state doesn't align itself
"so many assets here that other states don't have": investment in education, teacher workforce is strong, "they're tough cookies" but bring them in
"be clear about practices"
"this is a whole system approach"
see sometimes not alignment
scaffold supports and alignment
"gotta play the long game"
"when you set your funding model, you set your standards, you played the long game"
"let's try to remove the disclaimers"
"really interested as a Board, how do you keep alignment among all of you, that is so critical"
Hills: types of conversations we have as a Board are largely a function of the culture of the Board and the types of people chosen
Board members who are informed but don't represent communities
that's what we call not recognizing your own privilege, folks
leads to conversations that anyone has
"threat with any public board is policization"
"mixing of any real strong ideology is...toxic, I probably don't need to tell that to you"
quality of people selected across Governor is high quality, and that has continued
oh wow
Moriarty: coming to end of ten years
consistent level of professionalism and collegiality I'm proud of
seriousness of purpose and intentionality on good policy
common ground: anyone coming in here "is going to be blessed with a Board" they can work with
Craven: "I don't look at any of us, except maybe two of us, as being from a particular" location
wow, that's really not how they act. At all
there isn't supposed to be a unanimity
"as these changes are coming"
the ball is moving
how ready are we in our infrastructure?
Tutwiler: potential reduction in funding: "I don't think any state is ready for that, nor can they withstand it"
beyond it, we don't know exactly what it is
"I think being nimble...not departing from our core values is the order of the day"
continuing to support our students, our families, our educators
Tutwiler: I think I'm allowed a few minor rebellions, I'm going to say two
really proud of the work the state's doing around early college
"shared values here is really impressive...particularly in the current"
"ours right on our sleeves for everyone to see"
if there's any way for me to help support them, want to be part of the work
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