On Thursday, May 25, 2023, members of M.A.S.S. and other district leaders met in Marlborough, MA to discuss “From the District Office to the Classroom: Building the Strategy to Translate Vision into Classroom Practice.”
President Dianne Kelly, Superintendent of Revere Public Schools, welcomed all and gave an overview of the past year. The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association representatives joined us and will again be joining us at the Paul J. Andrews Executive Institute to talk about “School Security – A Best Practices Guide” and the importance of school superintendent/chief of police relationships.
The main keynote was Kathleen Federico, Senior Vice President, MITRE Corp. who presented on “Building a Systemic Culture of Change for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” The audience thought the work MITRE had been doing was incredibly impactful and it gave our districts insights into the future for STEM education, workforce development and the need for diversity in our schools and businesses.
Following the keynote, Claire Abbott, Director of Education Effectiveness, DESE, presented the new Teacher and Principal Evaluation Tools and worked with a dynamic panel of practitioners who shared what they’ve learned working systemically to see better classroom practice related to student engagement and cultural competence. The panel consisted of: Superintendent, Joe Sawyer, Shrewsbury, Assistant Superintendent Sharon Wolder, Brockton, and Principal Antonelli Mejia, Boston.
Throughout the day, there were facilitated table talks to reflect on the presentations and how the information could be applied to building work.
During lunch, M.A.S.S. was able to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of M.A.S.S. educators who reached ten (10), fifteen (15), twenty (20), and twenty-five (25) year milestones as educators in Massachusetts, while also recognizing those who were retiring this year. We also recognized our 2023 President’s Award winners for their service. The President’s Award is given annually to members for outstanding service to public education and the Association. This year the 2023 recipients where: Maureen Cohen, Superintendent, Mendon-Upton RSD, Jeffrey Marsden, Superintendent, Medfield Public Schools, Timothy Piwowar, Superintendent, Billerica Public Schools, and Daniel Warwick, Superintendent, Springfield Public Schools.
Dorothy Presser, MASC Field Director, was also recognized as the 2023 Distinguished Service Award winner for her contributions to our organization and education in the Commonwealth. “Dorothy Presser has been a great thought partner for school leaders. Her wealth of knowledge and her practical approach in addressing leadership and governance issues has endeared her to the members of our Association. Dorothy is a credit to the Massachusetts School Committee Association and a valued professional friend to the members of M.A.S.S.”
Commissioner Jeffrey Riley joined the luncheon part of the program to share brief remarks on a variety of topics.
At the end of the day, Supt Dianne Kelly (Revere) passed the “torch” to President-Elect Barbara Malkas, Superintendent of the North Adams Public Schools, who closed out this conference as we look towards next year.