River Dell Superintendent Focuses on District Goals

When Superintendent Patrick Fletcher took the helm of River Dell schools seven years ago, he immediately set forth progressive goals that would raise the standard of education for the approximately 1700 students he was responsible for, while at the same time ensure that the education being provided reflected the real world that these students will be entering upon graduation.

According to Fletcher, the district is well on its way to meeting the goals he initially set forth. He sat down with Patch to discuss the progress that has been made and continues to be made.

Increase overall student performance: At the time of his arrival, students’ performance on statewide assessments were compared across demographically similar school districts called district factor groups (DFG). These groups were subject to change with the census every ten years.

"We were exceeding our district factor group in advance proficient math in the 7/8th grade," Fletcher said. "In the other areas we were in line with our district factor group."

The new reforms, set to begin Sept. 2013, do away with DFG's and replace them with peer group ranking that compares each school with about 30 others deemed to be demographically similar.

Focus on technology: When Fletcher arrived, the district did not have a viable technology plan in place, so he hired a Director of Technology, along with a network administrator and a small, but well-trained, staff to support the systems rather than relying on an outside vendor. Computers are the 21st century's primary learning devices and Fletcher is committed to the 1:1 initiative whereby all students and teachers in the High School, along with teachers in the Middle School, have a laptop.

"If you're going to talk about creating 21st Century learning environments, where it's our job to prepare students to be competitive in the global marketplace, then you have to invest in technology," Fletcher said. Technology is the essential tool of the 21st Century.  

Although the middle school does not yet have one computer for each student, Fletcher said that the school is outfitted with three computer labs, along with a mini lab in every classroom.

"If we are making a commitment to driving instruction through technology, and we want to remain competitive, then we have to make a commitment to providing that technology," Fletcher said.

However, understanding the costs associated with the acquisition and implementation of technology, he said that having a staff trained in how to repair hardware and troubleshoot problems saves the district money in the long run.

"Every family in the High School pays $100 per year towards the support of their child's laptop--accidental damage, for example," Fletcher said.

There is also a robust infrastructure to support the technology. Fletcher said that the district creates an image of each individual computer that provides a picture of each student's programs loaded onto that laptop.

"So, should a computer be infected by a virus, we can wipe everything out and completely restore the computer," he said.

"To do this we have to have a robust infrastructure that can back up each computer every day, whether it's from the school, or when a student or teacher logs on from home."

Investing in teachers: Fletcher said that it is vitally important that the teaching staff be provided with the tools that can help them do their job.

"The district is committed to providing professional development for the teachers," he said. Because despite all of the technology that is available in the classroom, the teacher is still the centrifugal learning force in the classroom.

In terms of teacher training, Fletcher said that the district offers workshops, PLC'S (Professional Learning Communities), staff development days and turn-key training whereby teachers in a particular discipline receive aggressive training and then come back to district to teach their peers.

Fletcher said that over the course of the last several years, the district has lost 11 teachers. Although hirings have occurred, the district is still short four teachers, he said.

His concern is that the district does not have the peoplepower to meet the the demands of the implementation of the state's core curriculum that is set to begin in Sept. 2013.

"We are not in a financial position to hire administrators, but the curriculum reform calls for administrators to carry it out," Fletcher said.  

Infrastructure: According to Fletcher, maintaining the infrastructure is always a top priority.

"Our facilities are among the top inside and out," Fletcher said. "These schools and fields are a big part of the community and are used by community groups almost non-stop from March 1 to Thanksgiving."

This year he has been renovating classrooms, replacing tired and worn furniture where and when he can and upgrading the electrical system.

Fletcher said that the goals he set forth all support each other and insists that to have effective students you must provide them with effective, well-trained teachers, usable technology and a robust infrastructure to support it.

"It's those investments that districts need to make in order to stay competitive," he said.

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