A thought – “All people dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that their dream was empty, valueless and vain. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they act on their dreams with open eyes to make them possible.” (Thomas Edward – Lawrence of Arabia)


January 2012

Dear Colleagues and Residents,

As we begin the New Year of 2012, what should we see for the future of Glen Cove now and in the years ahead?    

We should see a district with a fully coordinated system of education – a continuum of discovery and skill development for all children. A district in which teachers and administrators from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 work together, by design, to create integrated and complementary curricula. A district in which each level of education serves expressly to prepare each child for the next level. And a district – a quality district – in which children and their parents always know what is required to reach the next level and are confident that the educators will help them get there successfully, with confidence and dignity.

We should see a district that uses the social model of the family as the glue that binds us together. A district in which each member of the family shares each other’s joy and carries each other’s burdens – equitably and fairly. A district in which each member of the family has different needs and different abilities and each gains by contributing to common goals. A district of constructive compromise in which each member of the family gains by giving. A district in which the group and the individual interests complement each other to the benefit of all.

We should see a district that appreciates the value and worth of its staff. A district that steadfastly strives to respect and nurture the staff’s professional dignity.

We should see a district that has certain, definitive responsibilities:

• An economic responsibility to allocate its limited resources toward the attainment of unlimited educational aims;

• A planning responsibility to anticipate needs and explore methods for future improvement;

• A leadership responsibility to guide and assist in developing a learning atmosphere which encourages creativity, individualism, inquiry and a healthy awareness and understanding of the world and of people.

We should see a district that is not a board-centered district, not an administration-centered district, not a teacher-centered district, but a child-centered district.

We should see a district that adapts different teaching methods to the varied learning styles of all children.

We should see a district that establishes an atmosphere in which creative teaching and learning can flourish; a district that encourages attitudes of flexibility and not rigidity.
    
We should see a district that promotes research and experimentation; a district that takes the best ideas from the research of others, but will assume that it is possible to discover fresh, useful ideas of its own.
    
We should see a district that encourages fine administrators, teachers and support staff to strive continually for intellectual and professional growth.

We should see a district that involves every staff member in the task of improving education; a district that provides TOP DOWN SUPPORT FOR BOTTOM UP REFORM.

We should see a district whose major goals are:

• to provide the opportunity for all children to develop their talents to the extent of their abilities;

• to develop and sharpen in all children the basic transferable skills – the skills to perceive and solve problems, to understand, to communicate and to deal with people as individuals and in groups, and to organize and make use of information and resources;

• to motivate all children to discover the joys of learning and growing;

• to awaken and nurture each child’s appreciation of beauty and culture;

• to encourage in all children an awareness of their own worth and individuality and to lead them from this to an appreciation, sympathy and understanding of all other individuals, races, religions and nationalities;

• to embrace diversity and to appreciate diversity as an asset to be nurtured and not an impediment to overcome;

• to widen the horizons of all children beyond their own home, community, state and nation, until these horizons are as wide as the universe;

• to quicken in every child a sense of responsibility and dedication to the progress of humankind;

• to teach all children to distinguish between what they know and what they only believe; and to teach them how to discover that which they do not know and to use the knowledge that is required;

• to empower all children to reject rejection rather than rejecting themselves;

• to make all children aware that formal schooling is only a first step toward an education.

With a unity of purpose and with our having a common north, what we see for Glen Cove’s future can be transformed into a reality. With your help, involvement and commitment, we can maintain Glen Cove’s Tradition of Quality and create a Future of Excellence. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN…WE CAN!

Best wishes for a New Year of fulfillment, as our vision becomes a reality.

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November 17, 2011
A Thanksgiving Message

Dear School Board Trustees, Colleagues, Parents, Residents and Children:

With the hectic pace of today’s society, it’s sometimes easy for us to forget that there is much for which to be thankful. As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, let us take a look around us and reflect.

Let us look at our children, and be thankful for wonderment. Let us look at the elderly, and be thankful for dignity. Let us look at our places of worship, and be thankful for faith. Let us look at the helpless, and be thankful for hope. Let us look at the selfless, and be thankful for charity. Let us look at our leaders, and be thankful for perseverance. Let us look at America, and be thankful for liberty. Let us look at our veterans, and be thankful for courage, sacrifice, conscience and conviction. Let us look all around us, and be thankful for life.

Thanksgiving Day is not about turkey, Pilgrims and pumpkin pie. These are just the trappings. Thanksgiving is really about gratitude, plain and simple, for the plain and simple miraculous things all around us. On Thanksgiving we celebrate a harvest of the human spirit that gathers unto itself sunshine and stars and flowers and laughter and poems and music and the myriad marvels of this place we call America. On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrate the glory and the pain and the joy of humanity; a humanity that will never close its eyes to dreams; a humanity with an infinite capacity to conquer inequity, loneliness, despair, grief and adversity of every kind.

If we are fortunate enough to share Thanksgiving Day with loved ones, let us spare a thought for those who are alone and for those who think they are not loved. Let us remember them when we bow our heads. Let us ask blessings not only on our tables, but also upon the people who feel forgotten. Let us promise ourselves to do something about that, even if the something is just a tiny gesture. Let us be thankful for a smile, a word of kindness, acknowledgement of brotherhood and sisterhood and for the chance to give these things and for the chance to remind ourselves of other’s needs.

We can all be thankful for this day and for all our yesterdays and yesterday’s good memories. Above all, let us be thankful for tomorrow and the promise that every tomorrow holds, if we only choose to look for it.

With warmest and best personal wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.

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August 2011


Dear Colleagues and PTA Presidents:

The 2011 – 2012 school year is about to begin. So, welcome back! Hopefully, in the words of another song, those hazy, lazy days of summer restored your energy and renewed your spirit so that you can return fired up and ready to go.

Our theme for the new year is, “A TRADITION OF QUALITY … A FUTURE OF EXCELLENCE – TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN, WE CAN.” Last year, we laid the foundation for all of us to establish a ‘common north’ as we carry out our educational mission. This year, we will build on that foundation by focusing on our strengths, opportunities and all that is right about public education in Glen Cove. Because we all are equal spokes on the wheel, we truly need each other as we work in harmony with each other. As your educational leader, my request is simple. Please join me in the challenge that is ours because I can’t do this job alone.

We are a collaborative learning community at work. Therefore, in that spirit, all full-time staff members (administrators, teachers, clerical, custodial, etc.) are expected to attend an Opening Day Convocation on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. in the HIGH SCHOOL.  All other staff (teaching assistants, part-time clerical, school monitors, night staff, etc.) are more than welcome to attend as an option without additional compensation. A general invitation to attend is also extended to PTA Council Officers and PTA Presidents – our indispensible partners in the education of our children. Enclosed is the schedule for the morning’s activities.

The Board of Education joins me in welcoming you back to another gratifying and exciting school year. As we prepare to receive and educate our children, please let us again reaffirm my request of last year. Let us renew our commitment to quality education in Glen Cove, to have faith in each other as we work together to find better ways and to have patience with each other as we build upon A TRADITION OF QUALITY so that we can create a lasting FUTURE OF EXCELLENCE.

Let us all work together as the Family of Glen Cove so that our children will be the beneficiaries of an investment of incredible value and worth for everyone who works and makes their home in Glen Cove. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN, WE CAN!

With warmest and best wishes for an exciting, productive and gratifying school year.

Opening Day Convocation Agenda - Click Here

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June 2011

 

Dear Colleagues and Parents,

In the words of that classic Sinatra song, “It Was a Very Good Year.” Thank you so very much for making education in Glen Cove meaningful and successful throughout the year.

When we first met almost a year ago, I requested that we join together to find a “common north”. Looking back over the year and considering where we are now, we have indeed embraced our common north as the Family of Glen Cove. The commitment and dedication of ALL STAFF and parents enabled the children to have a fulfilling, gratifying and exciting year. As “equal spokes on the wheel”, we supported and respected each other in unimaginable and incredible ways as we pursued our educational mission. I remain so grateful and appreciative for your effective efforts and devotion to improve the quality of life for our children and to enhance the reputation of the Glen Cove School District. Each of you energized my spirit. Hopefully, I energized yours as much in return.

And now, refresh and rejuvenate yourself! May your summer months be healthy, relaxing and peaceful. May you return in September refocused to carry on where we leave off today.

To set the tone for a meaningful school year, our keynote speaker on September 1st will be the nationally renowned Robert J. Danzig who will inspire and motivate us with the theme of “Every Child Deserves a Champion”. Bob Danzig will lift our spirits as we continue to work in unity together to preserve Glen Cove’s tradition of quality and to create a future of excellence.

In the meantime, savor the summer of 2011 knowing that you are valued and appreciated. And, in the words of that other song, “See you in September.”

With gratitude and best wishes,

 

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May 9, 2011

Dear Colleagues, Parents and Residents,

Almost two weeks ago, I posted a Superintendent’s message on the district’s website, as I do regularly. The message included a memo to students and staff from an individual who purportedly was a principal of a California high school. The memo described how the school would function under the so-called principal’s leadership. I received the memo in an email from a prominent and respected physician who is highly regarded in the medical profession as a rational thinker.

What I did not know at the time I posted my message was that the memo was not written by a principal. I learned later that the memo was actually a political polemic written by a conservative talk show host and a political commentator named Dennis Prager. I had never heard of Prager nor was I aware of his politics.

The purpose of my including the memo as part of my message was not to support Prager’s politics. The purpose was to show how some educators today might have significantly shifted their perspectives on the standards and expectations of America’s schools. The memo’s content and my message were never intended to be an action blueprint for the operation of Glen Cove’s schools. My intention was to stimulate thought and generate constructive dialogue as we work together to address educational issues of importance to us. However, sometimes what we mean to say can be misunderstood.

As it turned out, parts of the memo were offensive, upsetting, and a cause of concern. It ultimately created a misunderstanding about why I was sharing it, which I now regret. Please know my motive was well-intended, genuine and sincere. I would never knowingly, willfully or maliciously say or do anything that would harm, disrespect, insult or offend anyone in our district. I nevertheless apologize if the use of the memo inadvertently offended anyone’s feelings. Let us now continue to move forward together to focus on the major educational challenges that lie ahead of us.

 

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May 2011

Dear Colleagues and Parents:

My previous article attempted to focus on the need for educational reform. The purpose of that message was to generate discussion and dialogue about “thinking outside the box”. The message was not intended as a blueprint for action here in Glen Cove. The purpose of this article is to reset our focus on the need for reform.

In April 1983, The National Commission on Excellence in Education issued a report to the Nation and the United States Secretary of Education entitled A Nation at Risk: The Imperative For Educational Reform.  In that report, the Commission stated the following:

“Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. We report to the American people that while we can take justifiable pride in what our schools and colleges have historically accomplished and contributed to the United States and to the well-being of its people, the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people. What was unimaginable a generation ago has begun to occur – others are matching and surpassing our educational attainments.”

“If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. As it stands, we have allowed this to happen to ourselves. We have even squandered the gains in student achievement made in the wake of the Sputnik challenge. Moreover, we have dismantled essential support systems, which helped make those gains possible. We have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral education disarmament.”

“Our society and its educational institutions seem to have lost sight of the basic purpose of schooling and of the high expectations and disciplined effort needed to attain them. Our concern, however, goes well beyond matters such as industry and commerce. It also includes the intellectual, moral and spiritual strengths of our people which knit together the very fabric of our society. The people of the United States need to know that individuals in our society who do not possess the levels of skill, literacy and training essential to this new era will be effectively disenfranchised… A high level of shared education is essential to a free, democratic society and to the fostering of a common culture, especially in a country that prides itself on pluralism and individual freedom.”

“Part of what is at risk is the promise first made on this continent:  All, regardless of race or class or economic status, are entitled to a fair chance and to the tools for developing their individual powers of mind and spirit to the utmost. This promise means that all children by virtue of their own efforts, competently guided, can hope to attain the mature and informed judgment needed to secure gainful employment and to manage their own lives, thereby serving not only their own interests but also the progress of society itself.”

The report contains significant findings that reflect four (4) important aspects of the educational process:  content, expectations, time and teaching. The report contains specific recommendations “based on the beliefs that everyone can learn, that everyone is born with an urge to learn which can be nurtured, that a solid high school education is within reach of virtually all, and that life-long learning will equip people with the skills required for new careers and for citizenship.” The text of “A Nation at Risk” is attached in its entirety for study and reflection.

The report is more relevant today since it was first issued in 1983. During the last twenty-eight (28) years, public education’s progress has not been commensurate with the advancement of time. Today, public education is under more intense scrutiny throughout the country than any other time in our history. We see a growth in charter schools as an alternative to the unacceptable standards of a public school system. A paradigm shift is imperative if public education is to flourish and regain the confidence and respect of parents and leaders from government and industry. We can no longer engage in business as usual in the conduct and management of schools. As times and the demands upon us change, our protocols and practices must change as well. Our standard must not be an acceptable level of mediocrity. And, we must not settle for good enough.

To that end, let us strive to elevate standards, obtain higher levels of achievement, embrace the application of human and civic values, set high expectations and maintain proper discipline and deportment – both for students and staff alike. And, as we do so, let us stress accountability and take professional responsibility for results. Those are the challenges for us. The locus of control to meet those challenges is within us.

TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN… WE CAN!
 

A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform (PDF)

 

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March 2011

Dear Colleagues, Residents, and Parents:

I wish to thank you and the Board of Education for the honor and privilege of representing the children of Glen Cove City School District as your Superintendent of Schools. I accept this public trust with pride and humility. The pride is in knowing that Glen Cove possesses an excellent staff and enjoys strong community support for its educational programs. The humility springs from the responsibility I share with you as we maintain and expand excellence in education in the years to come.

We can talk about our vision of excellence if, and only if, we are able to demonstrate that our children have the wholehearted support and encouragement of all those involved in their education. The achievement of excellence requires commitment, hard work, sacrifice, team effort, a positive attitude and the will to succeed. As your Superintendent of Schools, I will work with you to provide programs and services which reflect our educational aspirations. Together, we must provide opportunities for all children to develop their potential to the fullest and to become all that they are capable of becoming in an educational environment that is managed efficiently and economically.

To that end, I will develop a framework which brings together our “school-community” – the Board of Education, staff, parents, residents, government officials and students – in order to ascertain our needs, set goals and develop priorities. We will then proceed to acquire and apply the resources required to maintain and expand educational opportunities of highest quality, and to represent our children’s interests to government officials and legislators. Every effort will be made to develop meaningful coalitions in support of our schools – and, to emphasize all that is right with the Glen Cove School District in particular and public education in general.

I look forward to joining you in the challenge that always accompanies the education of children. But, I must emphasize that the challenge is not to one person alone. Educating our children is a partnership shared by everyone who lives and works in the Glen Cove School District. Therefore, I urge you to renew your commitment to public education in Glen Cove, to have faith in each other as we work to find better ways, and to have patience with each other as our district continues its growth toward excellence.

As I assume the mantle of educational leadership, I resolve to be a visible, responsive and responsible public servant. I am excited and enthusiastic about working to make our schools better for children in a community which demands and yet appreciates creativity and excellence.

Without question, the quality of education in our schools impacts the quality of life for the community – and, impacts the equity of everyone’s real estate value. The Board of Education joins me in encouraging residents and parents to visit the schools, to be involved in the educational process and to participate actively in the governance of Glen Cove’s schools.

Education is an investment in the future. Let us work together so that we and our children may reap the dividends of an investment that has incredible potential for us all. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN … WE CAN!

 

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December 2010

Dear Colleagues and Residents,

Last month, I shared with you a vision for Glen Cove. This month I wish to express specifics as to how that vision can become a reality as we build upon Glen Cove's Tradition of Quality so that we can create a Future of Excellence. What do I see for Glen Cove's school district as we move into the second decade of the 21st Century - together for children?

I see a district with a fully coordinated system of education - a continuum of discovery and skills development for all children. It is a district in which teachers and administrators - from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 - work together, by design, to create integrated and complementary curricula. It is a district in which each level of education serves expressly to prepare each child for the next level. And it is a district - a quality district - in which children and their parents always know what is required to reach the next level and are confident that the educators will help them get there successfully, with confidence and dignity.

I see a district that uses the social model of the family as the glue that binds us together. A district in which each member of the family shares each other's joy and carries each other's burdens - equitably and fairly. A district in which each member of the family has different needs and different abilities and each gains by contributing to common goals. A district of constructive compromise in which each member of the family gains by giving - a district in which the group and the individual interests compliment each other to the benefit of all.

I see a district that appreciates the value and worth of its staff - a district that steadfastly strives to respect and nurture the staff's professional dignity.

I see a district that has certain, definite responsibilities:

•An economic responsibility to allocate its limited resources toward the attainment of unlimited educational aims;
•A planning responsibility to anticipate needs and explore methods for future improvement;
•A leadership responsibility to guide and assist in developing a learning atmosphere which encourages creativity, individualism, inquiry, and a healthy awareness and understanding of the world and of people:
I see a district that is not a board centered district, not an administration centered district, not a teacher centered district, but a child centered district.

I see a district that adapts different teaching methods to the varied learning styles of all children.

I see a district that establishes an atmosphere in which creative teaching and learning can flourish - a district that encourages attitudes of flexibility and not rigidity.

I see a district that promotes research and experimentation - a district that takes the best ideas from research of others, but will assume that it is possible to discover fresh, useful ideas of our own.

I see a district that encourages fine administrators, teachers, and support staff, to strive constantly for intellectual and professional growth.

I see a district that involves every staff member in the task of improving education - a district that provides TOP DOWN SUPPORT FOR BOTTOM UP REFORM.

I see a district whose major goals are:

•to provide the opportunity for all children to develop their talents to the limit of their abilities.
•to develop and sharpen in all children the basic transferable skills - the skills to perceive and solve problems, to understand, to communicate, and to deal with people as individuals and in groups, and to organize and to make use of information and resources.
•to motivate all children to discover the joys of learning and growing.
•to awaken and nurture each child's appreciation of beauty and culture.
•to encourage in all children an awareness of their own worth and individuality and to lead them from this to an appreciation, sympathy, and understanding of all other individuals, of all races, religions and nationalities.
•to embrace diversity and to appreciate diversity as an asset to be nurtured and not an impediment to overcome.
•to widen the horizons of all children beyond their own home, community, state and nation, until these horizons are as wide as the universe.
•to quicken in every child a sense of responsibility and dedication to the progress of humankind.
•to teach all children to distinguish between what they know and what they only believe; and, how to discover that which they do not know and to use the knowledge that is required.
•to empower all children to reject rejection rather than rejecting themselves.
•to make all children aware that formal schooling is only a first step toward an education.
With a unity of purpose and with our having a common north, what I see for Glen Cove's future can be transformed into a reality. With your help, involvement and commitment, we can maintain Glen Cove's Tradition of Quality and create a Future of Excellence. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN ... WE CAN!

 

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November 2010

AN OPEN LETTER TO STAFF AND RESIDENTS
A VISION FOR GLEN COVE

As we strive to move the Glen Cove school community forward together, I would like to make some requests of you.

My first request is simple. Please let us work together because I can't do this job alone.

A hallmark of my educational leadership embraces Edwin Markham's words from the Outwitted. "He drew a circle that shut me out... heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win... we drew a circle that took him in."

This relates to my second request which is as important but more serious... please let us work together to find a common ground. Let us realize that the things that make us the same are more important than the things that make us different. Our differences can be our strength. Let us draw from that strength.

In the Glen Cove family, there must be room at the same table for everyone. The less fortunate cannot wait for crumbs to fall from the table of the more fortunate. To keep hope alive, please let us find a common ground. Let us widen the circle of opportunity. Let us draw a circle that takes people in. Let us not die from the cold within. Rather, let us thrive and nourish each other from the warmth within.

Permit me, therefore, to share with you some reflections about... Schools and Community... about Children and Education... about Environment for Hope and Hope for the Future... and, about Commitment, Faith, and Patience.


Schools and Community

One of our objectives is to bring Glen Cove's schools and the Glen Cove community closer together. We hope to thrust the schools into the mainstream of community life and create a better understanding of the schools by all people who make their home here. A strong and lasting partnership must exist among and between the schools, the children, the business community, parents and the residents. We must build coalitions of conciliation and not coalitions of conflict. Such a coalition of conciliation must exist and must continue if our people and our schools are to flourish. Our schools are an integral part of this community. They reflect the strengths and the challenges of the community. The quality of life in Glen Cove and the value of real estate are directly related to the quality of Glen Cove's schools. It is important for all who live and work here to understand what we are trying and attempting to do. We must help residents understand that what we are attempting to do has a direct effect on the quality of life that exists in Glen Cove. But, we must understand the people who live here. We must respond to the needs of people in all parts of the community. We must have compassion. We must go the extra mile to help people who cannot help themselves. It is important for us and the residents to understand that the schools are and never will be mutually exclusive from the quality of life in the community. We are not going to have a great community with an average school system. A great community and an excellent school system are not mutually exclusive. They are intrinsic to each other and the quality of life in Glen Cove depends upon many factors, one of which is the school system. This community and our school system cannot be blaming each other for problems. The parents of this community send us the best children they have. It is our job to educate them. If we do that effectively, then many of the challenges facing the community and public education will gradually take care of themselves.


Children and Education Are an Investment

To meet that challenge, first we must believe that education is an investment in this community and in America. Education is so valuable that it can make a child's life enduring, fascinating and an ever new adventure of the mind. It cannot be seen only for its effects. It is, in fact, so valuable that even a little of it is a treasure for the individual and the community. Even when badly done, it is better than not done at all.

It is so valuable that it is invaluable. The attempt to quantify it, to set a price tag on it, ultimately fails and must fail... because education is a spiritual process and only material things can be quantified and price tagged.

We must believe that our greatest hope for the future is our children. We must not lose our children to drugs, suicide, AIDS, premature pregnancy, cynicism, pessimism, or despair. We must challenge our children with high visions, hopes and dreams. "If it is to be... it will be up to me" must be the belief of every child. Our children are the workforce of the 21st Century. If they fail, the economy which sustains us all will fail with it. So, if compassion isn't enough to focus on having a strong educational system, self-interest should be.


An Environment of Hopes and Dreams

We must place our children in an environment where those dreams and hopes can be kept alive. And, what is that environment here in Glen Cove. It is an environment in which we invest in our children. It is an environment in which education is revered as the great social equalizer... as the Americanizer of our society.

It is an environment in which teaching is treated as a noble profession. It is an environment in which teachers and other support staff are respected as professionals and treated with respect and dignity. It is an environment in which staff can shape educational policies and share responsibility with school officials. It is an environment in which schools can be effective, in which teachers can teach with fulfillment and in safety, and in which children can learn with excitement.

It is an environment that uses the social model of the family as the glue that binds us together. An environment in which we share each other's joys and carry each other's burdens - fairly and equitably. An environment in which each member of the family has different needs and different abilities and each gains by contributing to common goals - an environment of constructive compromise in which each member of the family gains by giving - an environment in which the group and the individual interest compliment each other to the benefit of all... especially our children.

As we move forward together, I pledge to do my share to keep hope alive by creating an environment in which there is a vision of hope for the future.


Hope for the Future

Hopefully we, in this good community, will lead forcefully, will lead gently, will lead fairly, but most of all will lead morally in a spirit of cooperation and good will. As we meet the challenges and responsibility that lay before us, may we have the insight and the wisdom to keep hope alive. May each of us receive guidance to be wise, to be just, to be effective, and, at the same time, to be challenged, satisfied, and secure, for our good and the good of all the children we educate.


Final Request
Commitment, Faith, and Patience

In that spirit, the Board of Education joins me in asking that the community renew its commitment to our schools; to have faith in us as we work together to find better ways to create more effective schools and to improve the quality of life in our community; to have patience with us as we continually strive to develop a climate of cooperation, understanding, mutual respect and trust and to continue giving each other our support and assistance in a kinder and gentler way. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN... WE CAN!