November 29, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams presented an update on the Hingham Public Schools strategic plan recently, with a focus on five specific areas -- Culture of Collaboration and Community; Culture Responsive Teaching and Learning; Healthy, Equitable, and Inclusive Communities; Capital and Finance; and Human Resources and Leadership -- and accomplishments to date.
Among the top goals are:
- creating partnerships between home, school, and community through effective two-way communication to ensure an inclusive culture and a sense of belonging -- including developing and presenting a communication plan for the new school year; beginning to revise and update district procedures, including training on bullying and harassment, for example; and increased use of social media platforms to highlight district and school happenings and accomplishments.
- ensuring student success through aligned, high-quality PK-12+ curriculum, innovative research-based practices, and data-informed instruction -- including the first quarterly meeting of elementary reading and math specialists and interventionists to determine the needs of all learners and how to support students through the Multi-Tiered System of Support model -- and a new hands-on science curriculum at the Middle School.
- cultivating equitable and inclusive environments that promote "a sense of belonging to allow for social, emotional, physical, and academic wellness" -- including participation by district leaders in the Culturally Responsive Practices Leadership Academy and an equity audit that began recently with a review of past data collection and current policies and practices.
- allocating funding to provide effective, safe, and modern facilities and adequate resources to enhance the student experience, including completion of a staffing audit using the Fiscal 2023 budget to support Fiscal 2024 budget discussions and the formation of a Technology Committee -- which is drafting surveys and focus group questions as it continues its needs assessment and data collection part of the process.
- recruiting, developing and empowering a diverse staff "to lead courageously in teaching and learning," including participation by a district team in the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education's Teacher Diversification Professional Learning Community for professional development on hiring and interviewing practices and identifying how to support reading and math instruction at the elementary level through a review of literacy and math data.
"We hope to come back in the winter and at the end of the school year with [further updates] on how the plan is coming to life and not just sitting on a shelf," Adams said.