As the calendar year closes and the academic calendar nears its midpoint, I'd like to share with you some reflections on some of the milestones Pittsburgh Public Schools achieved in 2018.
We are now in Phase Two of our Strategic Plan, "Expect Great Things." We continue our quest for transformational improvement through several key initiatives:
Innovation in Early Childhood: Thanks to a partnership with the Carnegie Science Center and the support of the Heinz Foundation, we expanded STEM opportunities for students with the opening of the first early childhood classroom located in a science center. Additionally, all early childhood classrooms in the district use technology.
Achievement gaps: We have made progress in the achievement gap for African-American students, more of whom are graduating from high school (77.4 percent up from 64.3 percent). More third-grade students (45.5 percent) are reading at grade level today compared to three years ago.
Improved access: We have implemented a pilot program at six schools to screen all second-grade students for eligibility in gifted programming, and all 11th graders will take the SAT for free on March 6. All sophomores and juniors took the PSAT for free on Oct. 10.
New Corporate Partners: Corporate donations have enhanced educational opportunities for PPS students, such as an $11,000 donation of bicycle desks to elementary-age children at Pittsburgh Weil by United Healthcare in October and Sprint's 1Million Project, which gave 630 high school students a free mobile device and free WiFi service.
Reduction in Suspensions: With the introduction of PBIS, restorative practices, and second grade suspension ban, suspension rates are down 35 percent compared to three years ago.
Greater transparency: The State of the District report marks the first time PPS has shared a report that not only includes district-level results, but also graduation rates, detailed suspension information, and budget information. New District Data Dashboards with School-level results can be viewed at www.pghschools.org/dashboards.
In addition to publishing the State of the District report online, I also shared this presentation around the city with many of you. My hope was to share some of our milestones while also soliciting your input on how to best enhance our efforts.
Over a six-month period, we convened a working group that included District staff, representatives from the University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University, The Heinz Endowments, and the Grable Foundation. In partnership with the National Institute of School Leadership, members of this working group studied high-performing educational systems in the United States and abroad. The group then learned the nine building blocks for a world class education system.
We've used the knowledge and skills of the working group to conduct research and planning to explore five key areas. Three of the areas are required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education's District Improvement Planning process, these include:
- Early Childhood Education
- Gifted Education
- Aligned Instructional Systems
- New Teacher Induction and
- Job-Embedded Professional Development.
It is important to acknowledge that 2018 also brought its share of challenges to our District, particularly the tragedy at the Tree of Life synagogue in October. We felt these losses keenly and continue to work in support of one another as we seek to heal and find a path forward, both for our District and our city.
As we close the book on this year, we embrace the promise of what lies ahead: a strong foundation for the future of our District and our students; a contract with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers that allows us to partner together in forging meaningful change; and ultimately, better outcomes for all our students and a brighter future for our city.
On behalf of Pittsburgh Public Schools, I wish you all a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.
Dr. Anthony Hamlet
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