AMY’S PASSPORT Travels, reflections and next steps
Dr. Amy E. Cashwell Superintendent Henrico County Public Schools
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Traveling Henrico County.................................. 5-19 A recap of the big moments and special events that introduced me to Henrico County Public Schools.
Reflections........................................................ 21-25 Ideas about exciting opportunities that build on our strengths while blazing some new paths toward improvement.
Recommendations and Next Steps.................. 27-31 After listening, learning and reflecting, the next phase is action. What our stakeholders can expect in the months and years to come.
Surname / Nom / Apellidos
CASHWELL
Given Names / Prénoms / Nombres
AMY
Date of issue / Date de délivrance / Fecha de expedición
DEC 2018
HENRICO COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1
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Hi, I’m Dr. Amy Cashwell and I’m so proud to be the superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools. I come from Virginia Beach, where for 20 years I held a number of positions including classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and eventually chief academic officer for Teaching and Learning. I’m amazed at the opportunities, resources and diversity that Henrico enjoys countywide. You might know that in our school division, at least 85 languages other than English are spoken, and students represent more than 100 countries of origin. In getting to know Henrico County, I feel as if I can travel the world right here at home. On that note, I invite you to come along with me. This “passport” documents my visits with schools, students, families, local leaders, community groups and interested citizens. I’m sharing it here to help our community understand what I’m learning and how that knowledge will be used to make our schools even better. Before we begin, our nationally recognized school division would not be so well regarded without the leadership of the Henrico County School Board and Board of Supervisors, along with the strong partnership we enjoy with County Manager John Vithoulkas. These experienced leaders are tremendous advocates for our schools, students and families. I am grateful for their wisdom, support and trust. And now, please join me! The journey is just getting started…
Dr. Amy E. Cashwell December 2018
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TRAVELING HENRICO COUNTY Happy to call Henrico home! The Henrico School Board introduced me as the school division’s new superintendent in June 2018. It’s hard to describe my excitement as a packed house of HCPS staff members, community partners and Henrico residents took time from their busy schedules to welcome me and my family. Could there be a better introduction to what makes Henrico County so special? Taking the oath of office in July at the Henrico County Circuit Court made things “official” and was also a moment I won’t forget. While stepping into the shoes of Dr. Pat Kinlaw is a daunting task, nothing inspires me like the support and encouragement of this wonderful community.
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Meeting Henrico families I had the pleasure of meeting dozens of interested parents, students, citizens and fellow Henrico Schools colleagues at five informal “meet and greets” this past summer. Our thanks to Henrico County Public Libraries at Twin Hickory, Varina, Fairfield, Libbie Mill and Tuckahoe for being such accommodating hosts! At each event, people who dropped by to say hello also had the chance to fill out “I like, I wish, I want” comment cards. That constructive feedback is being shared with our School Board, and is also part of the recommendations and next steps in this booklet.
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Our team gets ready for a new year The buildup to a new school year is exciting, but as my first in Henrico, 2018-19 was doubly so. My first opportunity to address our school administrators, principals, associate and assistant principals, and other leaders as a group came in early August at an inspirational daylong leadership meeting. A couple of weeks later, I helped welcome teachers new to Henrico (first-year and those from other school divisions) for a week of “New Teacher Academy.” I joined other school division leaders in sharing with our new colleagues HCPS’ mission, vision and strategic goals for the year. It was wonderful to meet school leaders and new arrivals and to challenge our schools to be amazing!
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Convocation Convocation was the highlight of my summer! The pride and spirit on display over these two days in late August were unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I got a chance to introduce myself and deliver keynote addresses to the faculty and staff of every school in Henrico County (we have 72 schools and program centers). I shared some of my personal background, as well as the cornerstones of our 2018-25 Strategic Plan, and our Henrico Learner Profile.
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Connecting with our community Since I arrived in Henrico County, I’ve been impressed with the spirit of cooperation I see as people work to make our community even better. I was reminded of that again when I attended the Henrico Partnership for Family and Community Engagement Council meeting at Libbie Mill Library. The partnership is made up of groups and agencies from across Henrico that work together to strengthen families and communities – from social services to mentoring to mental health and much more. It was my pleasure to learn more about the council partners and share information about HCPS’ new 2018-25 Strategic Plan, four cornerstones and Henrico Learner Profile. I’m proud that Henrico Schools is part of such a caring, collaborative community. I also had a chance to meet with County Manager John Vithoulkas and Fire Chief Tony McDowell, along with Chief Humberto Cardounel and other members of the Henrico Police. We gathered for a daylong training exercise to focus on making Henrico County schools as safe as they can be. Also this summer, it was my pleasure to be invited to meet members of the business community, the Henrico Education Foundation, and our philanthropic partners to share success stories and future ideas about doing what’s best for students and their families. Again and again, I’ve met people who know that public education is an essential part of our community’s strong foundation!
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A big kickoff, and meeting with two of our most important staff groups A big school year deserves a big kickoff. Students, families, staff members and community partners came out in August to celebrate our first Family and Community Engagement Back-to-School Kickoff event! There were kids’ activities, live performances, school and community information, giveaways, food trucks and so much more. It was a great way to meet so many proud supporters of our schools. I was also privileged to meet with two groups of employees who sometimes don’t get enough recognition: school nutrition and transportation workers. Students can’t learn unless their bodies are nourished with healthy options that allow them to perform their best at school. It was my pleasure to address the cafeteria staffs for all of our schools as they met for the start of another wonderful year. For many students and families, bus drivers are the first school system employees they see every morning, and the last ones they see at the end of every school day. Safe and reliable bus transportation is so important to what we do, and I was happy to greet our drivers for their back-to-school meetings.
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The first day of school Finally, it was the first day back with students! What a delight to visit several schools, and to watch the buildings come alive as students returned. I want all of our students to know that here in Henrico County they are cared for as individuals by Team HCPS, and I’m looking forward to many more school visits this year. By the way, did you know that at Henrico High School the librarians go from class-toclass on a bicycle to encourage students to check out a book? What a wonderful idea ‌ and I just had to try it out for myself!
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Exploring what makes each Henrico school unique When I arrived in Henrico County, I wanted to start learning what makes each of our 72 schools and program centers wonderful in its own way. So I started visiting schools, and I continued a Henrico superintendent tradition of holding a faculty meeting at every county school. The faculty meetings started in September. I shared excerpts of a book I like, Tom Peters’ “The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence.” Most of the meetings are spent hearing from teachers about their proudest accomplishments and what they’re doing to prepare “Life-Ready” students. We also set aside plenty of time for questions and answers. I’m continuing my tour of all 72 schools and program centers – that’s a lot of passport stamps! The visits not only give me a chance to see our amazing staff members and students in action, but to learn more about the communities that make up Henrico County.
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Devoted families and citizens: Could Henrico be any luckier? Henrico is an engaged community that cares deeply about our schools – several citizen councils and committees are important expressions of that passion. The Henrico County Council of PTAs is the countywide group with representatives from all HCPS PTA groups. What a privilege to attend two meetings of the council and share our Henrico Schools cornerstones and Henrico Learner Profile. PTA parents are the unsung heroes of our schools! Please consider joining your school’s PTA and take a moment to thank these folks for their tireless support of our schools and their advocacy for our students. I enjoyed talking with Henrico Schools’ Lay Advisory Committee at its first meeting. The citizens’ committee advises the School Board on important educational matters. It acts as a liaison among the School Board, parents and guardians, the Board of Supervisors, community members and teachers – and brings together members of these groups to discuss various issues. I got a chance to share details about our Strategic Plan and the Henrico Learner Profile. Perhaps the best part was sitting with the group, answering questions and talking about new ideas! The Special Education Advisory Committee is determined to provide effective learning environments for students with disabilities. I was pleased to share with members my vision for exceptional education and to hear directly from parents on what services can be enhanced and improved. The Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee formed for the first time in 2018, and I was impressed with its members’ commitment to advocating for the diverse needs of Henrico Coun16
ty’s students and families. Furthermore, Equity Ambassadors, formerly known as Student Congress, also allow me to hear the student perspective and what adjustments we might make in our classrooms to better reflect our changing school division. The Gifted Education Advisory Council works to keep myself and the School Board informed about the educational needs of students identified as gifted. We look to build on the success of the first-year Gifted Young Scholars Academy in order to provide more opportunities for gifted students in our division.
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Working with teachers to solve problems The perspectives of teachers are absolutely integral to making Henrico Schools the best school division it can be. I attended the first meeting of the HCPS Teacher Advisory Council, held at Hermitage High School. Each school chooses a teacher to represent it on this council, and those representatives work with me and members of our division’s leadership team. At the meeting, we shared information about our efforts to unravel the teacher salary compression problem; the next steps for implementing the Henrico Learner Profile and Deeper Learning model; our Equity and Diversity efforts; and the draft school calendar for 2019-20. My thanks to these teachers who brought good questions and thoughtful observations to our attention! Many thanks to members of the Henrico Education Association (the local chapter of the Virginia Education Association) for inviting me to discuss some of the challenges that face our teachers, and talk about solutions. We are fortunate to enjoy a strong relationship, and I look forward to continuing the positive dialogue.
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We need to talk: Five town hall meetings were a great opportunity to listen, share In September and October I held five open-to-the-public “Town Hall” meetings – one in each of the county’s magisterial districts (thanks to Short Pump, L. Douglas Wilder, John Rolfe, Quioccasin and Hungary Creek middle schools for hosting!) At each town hall meeting, I shared a brief video about what I’ve learned so far in my Henrico County travels, along with the four cornerstones of our strategic plan (Safety and Wellness, Academic Growth, Equity and Opportunity, and Relationships), the Henrico Learner Profile, and our Deeper Learning model. We set aside most of the time to take questions from families and interested citizens. I got some fantastic input from people who attended. The questions and comments have been thought-provoking and will be so helpful as we move forward on a number of key initiatives.
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REFLECTIONS In my travels throughout the summer and fall I heard about and observed many tremendous strengths across the school division. I also looked at lots of data and documents about our school system. That combination of firsthand knowledge and “homework” gave me ideas about exciting opportunities that build on our strengths while blazing some new paths toward improvement. Henrico County Public Schools adopted a strategic plan for 2018-25 that organizes our goals around four cornerstones: Safety and Wellness, Academic Growth, Equity and Opportunity, and Relationships. In the next few pages are my reflections on some ways we can use what makes Henrico so great to grow in ways that align with the division’s four cornerstones.
Safety and Wellness Strengths: • • • • • • •
Maintaining safe buildings, grounds and protocols as indicated by annual school audits. Safety practices reviewed and updated, and drills performed regularly. Investment in facility maintenance using meals tax dollars to provide buildings that are safe and conducive to learning. Strong partnerships with local police, fire and other emergency management agencies. Annual review and revision of Code of Student Conduct. Establishment of a variety of student support programs (e.g., school-based mental health and behavior support). Increased focus on social-emotional learning.
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Opportunities: • • • • • • •
Increase wellness programming for students to more fully cover Virginia Department of Education health and physical education standards. Expand opioid and other drug awareness programs to more adequately meet mental health needs for students. Ensure equity regarding disciplinary consequences. Create more robust behavior support systems to benefit all students. Explore quality extended-day programming focused on physical wellness, unstructured and structured play, and enrichment. Improve timing of bus transportation communication, to better inform waiting students, parents and guardians. Develop a comprehensive, long-range plan to provide ongoing training for all safety and security staff members (e.g., school security officers, deans of students, behavioral interventionists, etc.).
Academic Growth Strengths: • • • • • • • • 22
Community largely views Henrico County’s academic program as rigorous and of high quality. Continued gains on Standards of Learning assessments. Number of state-accredited schools at six-year high. Steady increases in graduation rate. Above the state average for SAT performance in reading and writing. Increased Advanced Placement course enrollment. Increased number of industry certifications earned. Robust specialty center programming.
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Henrico Learner Profile clearly articulates a focus on “Life-Ready” skills. Expansion of access to technology at the elementary level to allow for transformative, deeper learning experiences. Comprehensive independent review of special education programming completed in fall 2018.
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Ensure that each school examines data for achievement gaps and has an actionable plan to address those gaps. Implement research-based practices to close achievement gaps, with an increased emphasis on strategies that benefit students living in poverty, African American males and students with disabilities. Redesign curricula to align with Henrico Learner Profile and the Deeper Learning model, using embedded resources and materials for teachers. Add professional development and training in literacy instruction, and adequate specialized staffing. Expansion of computer science and coding opportunities in core kindergarten-grade 5 curriculum. Examine purpose, use and guidelines around homework to ensure educational value. Review of countywide assessment calendar to reduce overtesting. Provide innovative high school offerings to meet the needs of today’s students in regard to flexibility, personalization, access to dual enrollment, and alignment to the needs of the global economy for which we are preparing students. Improve academic career planning process to integrate with an interactive Planning Guide. Improve and expand services for students with disabilities. Ensure a meaningful balance between inclusivity of core instruction and opportunities for individualized or specialized instruction. Redesign Career and Technical Education programming across the division. 23
Equity and Opportunity Strengths: • • • •
Creation of Office of Equity and Diversity. Formation of Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee. Early equity initiatives to increase teacher and student access to culturally relevant literature for embedding in their current curriculum. Early initiatives to provide cultural competency training for staff, students and community members.
Opportunities: • • • • • • •
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Increased focus on ensuring that school building leaders, students and staff members are culturally responsive. Design a systemic staff training resource related to cultural competence, cultural responsiveness, bias and equity. Design a plan to support the access and achievement of underrepresented student groups in higher level courses. Review student fees for basic instructional items to ensure that we are being respectful of all family financial situations, helping level the playing field for all students. Review employee leave policies to ensure that they do not face undue hardships in areas such as religious holidays. Review and create a standardization of quality services across division in response to reports of inequities in quality of facilities and resource allocation. Explore the expansion of the full-service community school model.
Relationships Strengths: • • • • • •
Strong collaboration with the county manager and government agencies. Regular parent and family engagement workshops. The “Big Blue Bus,” the Family and Educator Resource Center’s valuable outreach vehicle. Large numbers of parents report school staff to be caring and nurturing. Community-supported learning experiences. Partnerships with colleges and universities.
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Increase opportunities for strong, trusting relationships with school staff members, particularly with marginalized families. Create ways for students in the disciplinary process to restore relationships with teachers and students. Strengthening relationships addresses the root of many disciplinary incidents, decreasing the chance that incidents will recur. Strengthen avenues for student support by enhancing our focus and re-examining the ways we serve students and families through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and enrollment variances.
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RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS After listening, learning and reflecting, the next phase is action. I intend to work with our School Board, division leadership, employees, students, families and community stakeholders to align the following next steps with our current strategic plan.
Teaching and Learning: • •
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Revisit the division’s literacy plan, and ensure that schools have the tools, resources and staffing for struggling readers to receive appropriate intervention and instruction. Staff elementary and middle schools with a reading teacher who possesses expertise in teaching reading (a specialization/master’s degree in reading) to serve as the school’s literacy leader to coach and model literacy strategies for teachers, and to work directly with students. Develop a plan to ensure a robust library of guided reading materials at the elementary and middle school levels to meet a wide range of reading levels. Ensure that the curriculum for pre-k through grade 12 is aligned to the Deeper Learning model with an emphasis on the six Cs of the Henrico Learner Profile: Quality Character, Global Citizen, Communicator, Collaborator, Critical Thinker, Creative Thinker. Provide teachers the tools they need for instruction aligned with these attributes, and make sure that students and teachers have an understanding of what mastery looks like. Ensure that the curriculum provides personalized learning pathways and opportunities, and not only meets student academic needs but also builds student agency, and allows for student voice and choice. Examine the division’s assessment system for redundancy of purpose and overall adequacy, and work to ensure a streamlined, balanced system of assessments which does not place an overemphasis on traditional, multiple choice testing formats.
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Establish teacher design teams that will create a vision to shape what is expected for lesson plans, lesson delivery and assessments in every classroom, every day. Design a way of measuring the division’s progress toward implementing the Deeper Learning model, which holds that learning is anytime, anywhere; authentic and connected; student-owned; and community-supported. Redesign the academic and career planning process for pre-k through grade 12 to ensure that students and families have a clear understanding of pathways and prerequisites. Improve the middle and high school course Planning Guide to be a resource for students and families to better understand the course offerings, resources and programming available throughout their pre-k through grade 12 experience. Ensure that prerequisites for special programs and specialty centers are communicated clearly, and as early as possible in a student’s academic career. Infuse coding and computer science concepts into the kindergarten-grade 5 curriculum in alignment with the Virginia Department of Education computer science standards and ensure that kindergarten-grade 1 classrooms have adequate access to the tools and technology needed to engage in regular technology-infused lessons. Examine the elementary health and physical education curriculum and delivery model to ensure that the program allows students the full benefit of a regular wellness and physical activity routine that meets or exceeds state requirements. Ensure that the health curriculum includes early content about substance-abuse awareness in a developmentally appropriate way. Examine the middle and high school health and physical education curriculum with an eye toward adding more opportunities to cover mental health and wellness topics, including suicide prevention and awareness. Expand course offerings and subsequent support structures at each high school so that each student is presented with opportunities to take higher level, rigorous courses before graduation (e.g., Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual-enrollment courses). Examine high school programs in an effort to re-imagine learning models to be more student-centered and innovative.
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Develop and implement a prototype for a “high school of the future” to guide the redesign of high schools across the division. Re-examine structure of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) teacher positions at elementary level; develop a model to provide quality lessons that infuse design thinking and purposeful use of technology across the core elementary curriculum, rather than as an isolated, standalone course. Develop a plan for STEAM teachers (or other staff members) to model, coach and support core content teachers as STEAM concepts are incorporated into the curriculum.
Safety and Student-Support Services: •
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Determine a model to capture parent input and suggestions related to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting process, and re-examine IEP meeting protocols to ensure that all meeting attendees are valued members of the team. Develop a multi-year plan with clearly stated desired goals and outcomes that will address the recommendations from 2018’s independent special education review. Develop a plan for key staff in all schools to participate in professional development on conflict management and relationship restoration. Develop a plan to ensure that all schools and key staff members have tools and expertise to facilitate student-to-student and teacher-to-student mediation. Evaluate behavior intervention programs, which provide additional services to students outside the classroom setting. Examine the current model for mental health and trauma-informed-care support systems to ensure sufficiency. Develop a long-range plan for the Henrico County meals tax revenue to ensure buildings are safe and conducive to learning.
Equity and Diversity: •
Implement an annual school climate survey to include components that relate to student, staff and parent perceptions on safety, equity and inclusiveness.
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Ensure curricula are relevant, authentic and provide resources that promote multicultural awareness. Require training for all staff, delivered online annually, that covers cultural sensitivity and implicit and explicit bias. This would be tracked by site supervisors and school division leadership. Develop a multiyear professional development plan for working with all school administrators and instructional staff to engage all schools in courageous conversations about race, equity, access and culturally responsive practices. Develop a plan to actively recruit and retain a diverse workforce. Create a group framework for new equity ambassadors serving in our high schools. The ambassadors elevate student voices about equity issues in their schools and develop leadership skills. Research best practices for the full-service community school model, which is an instructional philosophy that seeks to serve the whole child inside and outside the classroom setting.
Organizational Efficiency: •
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Create a mechanism for community stakeholders to easily understand the division’s work toward meeting the strategic goals outlined in the division’s strategic plan. Communicate measures and progress on attaining those goals. Develop a comprehensive approach to teacher retention that includes: personalized/differentiated pathways for teacher professional development and increased classroom support systems. Examine and create a stronger structure for school improvement. Develop professional learning pathways for all employee groups (e.g., clerical, pupil transportation, construction and maintenance and instructional assistants). Examine, audit and subsequently establish consistent staffing models for elementary administrators, and consider what the standard model should be related to resource teachers and assistant principals. Examine the adequacy of the elementary clerical staffing numbers. Revamp new employee orientation to be less paper-intensive and to clearly reflect the innovative qualities and excellence of the school division.
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Develop a coordinated process and system for monitoring teacher application, licensure and relicensure, and microcredentialing. Improve bus communication to parents, guardians and students; add staff for dispatchers, move to a mobile app that provides real-time bus information to families. Add educational specialists to oversee English-as-a-second-language programming (currently combined with oversight of world languages). Add a staff member dedicated to compliance on internal policies and regulatory requirements as well as federal laws and regulations. Ensure that policies are current, transparent and easily accessible to employees and community stakeholders.
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Develop a financial plan that eliminates student laptop fees and other instructional fees for items and materials essential to course participation in core academic programming. Restore prerecession funding levels that more accurately meet the division’s needs for textbooks, instructional materials and digital resources to ensure equitable access to resources across all schools. Eliminate the burden and reliance on PTAs and other fundraising efforts to provide schools with access to basic instructional resources. Move to a twice-a-month pay structure for employees instead of once a month. Develop a long-term strategy, such as a five-year financial plan instead of year-to-year planning. Engage with a third-party expert to examine facilities and determine a course for either replacement or renovation, and communicate to the public a plan for ensuring equitable capital improvement planning for facilities across the county. Establish a joint government and schools committee to annually examine employee compensation matters.
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Thank you! This “passport” and all of the experiences, reflections and action steps contained within would not be possible without the Henrico County citizens, employees, families, students and community partners who helped contribute to my understanding of our great school division. If you took the time to attend a meeting, write an email, jot down a note, or just stop me to say hello; I sincerely thank you. What a gift it has been to be welcomed with open arms by a community that cares so deeply about public education. I am energized by the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met. As we work to implement our action steps, I want you to know that your ideas and feedback continue to be welcome!
Email: superintendent@henrico.k12.va.us Phone: 804-652-3717 Twitter: @AmyCashwell Instagram: @amy.cashwell.1 www.henricoschools.us Together, let’s create world-class opportunities for the students of Henrico! Amy E. Cashwell Superintendent, Henrico County Public Schools 32
Amy E. Cashwell, superintendent Henrico County School Board Michelle F. “Micky” Ogburn, chair, Three Chopt District John W. Montgomery Jr., vice chair, Varina District Beverly L. Cocke, Brookland District Roscoe D. Cooper III, Fairfield District William A. “Bill” Pike Jr., Tuckahoe District
Produced by:
Henrico County Public Schools December 2018