A 21st century education

By Bennett Gavrish

Alderman Ken Parker wants to redesign the city’s schools.

Parker, a Ward 6 alderman, has waded through test scores and survey results over the last few months to establish long-term goals for Newton’s education system.

“We have met with hundreds of Newton residents, learning their concerns and ideas for how we can improve education in Newton,” he said. “The project is intended to bring together these ideas into a vision for the future of our city that is ambitious, but also practical and implementable.”

Parker’s project is part of a city-wide effort to institute a long-term educational plan that calls for broad curriculum changes, new technology and more training for teachers.

“We are stressing the need for creativity, innovation, collaboration and critical thinking as 21st century skills that are essential for our students to compete on a global stage,” said Dori Zaleznik, the chairman of the Newton School Committee. “We are looking to take the Newton public schools from good to great.”

School officials recently launched a 19-member committee to envision what Newton schools should look like in 2020.

“It’s important to plan ahead because it often takes quite some time to make changes in a system as large as ours, with 21 schools and well over 11,000 students,” said Kurt Kusiak, a member of the School Committee and strategic planning group.

Because of recent economic trends, some committee members worry that there will not be enough cash to finance the group’s goals.

“The biggest challenge is money,” Kusiak said. “With the growing structural deficit and the bleak fiscal outlook for the state over the next several years, we’re going to have less money to work with.”

But school officials do not want financial concerns to hinder the long-term plan for the city’s education system.

“I’m hopeful that our plans will come to fruition because I strongly believe that this is the most promising way for communities with a commitment to education to begin to reestablish control even when money is very tight,” Zaleznik said.

The new committee is focusing on curriculum and facility changes that will provide students with skills and equipment necessary for technical careers. Members also said it’s important to educate teachers about technology and develop them into innovative instructors.

“The way people work is so different now, with more collaboration an incorporation of technology,” said Sue Flicop, a member of the committee and chairman of the Parents-Teachers Organization. “We need to bring these ideas and processes into schools to properly prepare students for the real world and for successful lives.”