All schools in this district are performing well this year. Dr. Ed Mara talks about what his team has done to make that possible.

All of the elementary and middle schools in the Bristol Warren Regional School District in Rhode Island are high-performing once again this year, and the high school is NEASC Commended, according to Ed Mara, superintendent. That was a different story five years ago, when the district (made up of five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school) had only one high-performing school. “We have made tremendous gains in a short period of time,” Mara said.

The district is maintaining focus by having all schools use a common curriculum in literacy and math. “We’re doing whatever it takes to reach higher student achievement,” Mara said. “That has been our goal for the past five years that I’ve been here.”

Professional development
Although she had endured some union management strikes, Mara’s predecessor had a phenomenal three-year run, he explained. “She had a goal to heal the district, gain the trust of the administration, and make a better working climate. I was able to take the academic pieces and put them together, in other words, give teachers the training in all the same areas—professional development—so we could have all the same strategies.”

Dr. Ed Mara

Mara’s big push was the professional development of teachers. He hired coaches and embedded them in the classrooms to assist the teachers. Instead of evaluating their performance, they pushed them forward with new strategies and innovative ideas. “We didn’t want to make any teacher feel uncomfortable. We wanted to get everyone moving in the same direction and have them feel confident with the work they were doing,” he said.

The training is ongoing, but the coaches have pulled back on some things as teachers gain more knowledge and become more successful. However, Mara continues to work on the model. “As things continue to change, Bristol Warren Regional School District won’t be burdened with old curriculum. There are always people around that could assist the teachers when they have questions. I think that’s the biggest benefit to having a well-trained coaching staff,” he said.

To get the faculty to buy into this new model, Mara used the word non-negotiable. He met with groups of teachers and engaged them in conversation, telling them why he’d be instituting a district-wide curriculum. Many teachers loved the idea and latched on to it. Of course, there were a few who were reluctant about the model because they had been using their methods for many years.

“Through coaching, we brought this program to the table,” Mara said. “We know every six to eight weeks where our students are. Because of our initiative in professional development and accountability, we know how to access students, we’re familiar with the same programs, and we know what the programs are doing. We don’t just wait to see how kids are doing when it’s time to hand out report cards.”

Sense of pride
In the past, the Bristol Warren Regional School District hadn’t received a great deal of community support. According to Mara, community members felt they were putting a lot of money into the school district, and it didn’t seem to be performing. “We were looking the same every single year—no great accolades,” he said. “They were wondering why they were putting so much money into the district and not seeing positive results.”

Today, the tables have turned. There’s been nothing short of a positive buzz from the budget and town committees, said Mara. “They are now saying how much the district has turned around and that they want their kids in this district,” he said, noting that some have taken their kids out of private schools because parents don’t think they need to spend so much money for their kids to get a great education. “They are coming right back into the school district.”

According to Mara, the town council feels the same way. “We’re spending our money more wisely, and we’re making great gains. That’s what I wanted to develop when I got here—a sense of pride in our schools. Kids are getting a great education through our schools, and that has been proven by kids going off to great colleges and universities,” he concluded.