the bulletin
Director Nora Dowley-Liebowitz believes middle school is the time to close the achievement gap.
years as a history teacher, so I think I’m bringing classroom management, love for content and understanding of lesson planning to whatever I do. I also worked for Upward Bound programs and other nonprofits, so I have a strong sense of organizational structures and the need for partnership and collaboration and budgets, and the importance of good communication and writing. The last five years, I’ve been within a school but directing the college counseling and alumni program. All of those things feed directly into what Achieve does, which is run an excellent nonprofit focused on supporting first-generation, low-income students to reach their future goals.
In summer 2013, Nora Dowley-Liebowitz assumed leadership of Achieve, a tuitionfree program for low-income, Bostonarea middle school students that provides academic and social enrichment. Nobles started the program in 2008. Editor Heather Sullivan talked with Nora just before her summertime arrival.
[Codman Academy Charter School, in Dorchester, Mass.], and I’m really excited to get access to students when they are still thinking about where they want to be and how they’re going to get there, whether that means college or career. Starting earlier, you get the opportunity to close the achievement gap.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in moving the program forward? ND: The program needs to get a lot more data-focused. If we’re really going to say we’re excellent, we need to be able to say that X number of students are enrolling in private and independent schools or alternatives to the large comprehensive district schools. Also, we need to track their performance in those schools to show the growth that they make under our guidance and, particularly, the growth they make while they’re at Achieve. Being able to measure the effectiveness is really important.
What excites you the most about the prospect of leading Achieve? Nora Dowley-liebowitz: I’m excited to be able to work with Boston public school students earlier. I’m coming from a 9 to 12 secondary education high school
How do you think your experience benefits the program? ND: Next year will be my 10th year in education, and most of my experience has been working with students from underresourced populations. I spent three
What strengths of the program are you happy about having as a foundation? ND: The curriculum work that Jody McQuillan [acting co-director with Eric Nguyen] has done is just extraordinary. I’m totally blown away by how cultur-
New Director for Achieve
Marathon Monday
firmed that members
to this tragedy—dis-
would be available for
that teachers must
reading and writing.
Head of School Bob
of the Nobles commu-
plays of compassion
extra support.
“practice what they
Clark shared one of
Henderson addressed
nity were safe. He told
and the persevering
preach,” and that to
her stories, written
the community after
students to remember
spirit of the commu-
Writing Our Story
teach great writing and
during a creative
the Boston Marathon
the positive and ex-
nity. He reminded stu-
English teacher Shan-
be a respectable writer,
nonfiction workshop, a
bombings and con-
traordinary responses
dents that counselors
non Clark believes
one must always be
first-person narrative
6 Nobles fall 2013