Dr. Raymond Bryant answered about 10 questions on a wide variety of topics in just about 20 minutes this morning at the HCPS administration building in Bel Air. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but he covered a lot of ground with a reasonable amount of detail.
Leaving aside the review of Bryant’s background, which are in the official bio and the links below, here’s a rough recap of the Q & A as it happened. Both questions and answers are paraphrased, except when quotations marks are noted.
Q. Referring to your bio, what sort of special education reform did you enact in Washington, DC?
A. A special education charter school was created to provide services to students and to decrease litigation over special ed services in the district. The school is called St. Coletta.
Q. The state of Maryland is struggling with the cost of private placement for special education students; do you see this kind of charter school as a potential solution here?
A. It worked in D.C., but I would “have to ask a million questions to know” if it would work in Maryland.
Q. Why did you leave the Elmira, NY school district?
A. I resigned to look for new opportunities. In Elmira, some of our schools had not made AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress]. Now all schools are in good standing with the state. [see link below for more detail]
Q. What sort of initiatives would you expect to bring to HCPS?
A. That would depend on what we decide. My passions include early childhood education. In Chemung, New York we visited hospitals when a child was born, (with parental approval) to provide a support system for families and then followed up upon request to provide optional, ongoing supports to improve school readiness.
I am also passionate about supports or safety nets for students. For example, providing “after-school credit recovery” for students who may have struggled in a course, but who were trying to learn the material. These students could take an “Incomplete” and take the class after school to stay on course, so they didn’t “lose hope”. Another example: evening high school for single moms or students who work and others who could not attend school during the day.
Another passion is using data. For example if a program is supposed to improve attendance, we measure attendance. Look at the “concrete”… “we did this and this was the result we got”. In Elmira, the state test results were not made available in a timely way, so we purchased a program to score the tests ourselves. The scores provided data we could use ahead of the state reports.
Q. What kind of leader are you?
A. Collaborative, I build relationships in the community with businesses, law enforcement and others. I support staff and hold them accountable. I am accessible – I have an open door policy. I am visible. Lots of parents won’t attend a school board meeting or a PTA meeting but they attend their child’s events; a soccer game, the school play. Parents have approached me at these events saying: Aren’t you the superintendent? I have a question….
Q. What is your position on some of the controversial programs in place in Harford County such as Everyday Math and the block schedule?
A. Of the two high schools in Elmira, one high school had the block schedule and the other had a traditional schedule. The school board wanted the block schedule so we changed. I think it does give more options and opportunities. Teachers also need to be trained for 80 minute classes; class time should be meaningful, not “filler”. Regarding Everyday Math, I would look at the data.
Q. What have you done in the past that has worked to retain experienced teachers and to bring teachers to areas of need?
A. We shared resources, matched principals’ talents with the needs of the community. Built some flexibility into contracts such as longer days, longer summers. New hires were each assigned a mentor who helped them in the early days and met with them regularly. Some mentors were in the school building for ongoing support, others were outside the building, for example to provide curricular supports. New teachers want to spend more time in the building and less time in inservice. Ongoing professional development was on three levels; teachers planning their own hours, principal-planned and system- wide.
Q. In Harford County, and in the rest of the country, there are large percentages of high school graduates who need remediation when they enter college. How would you or have you addressed this apparent disconnect?
A. In high school, the ACCUPLACER test was brought in to assess students early on, followed by remediation. Also, reading teachers were brought into the high schools for students who were struggling in their regular classes due to reading problems. In earlier grades, focus on school readiness, writing, etc. We used a “data wall” to assess students.
Q. What’s a data wall?
A. Literally a wall posting the test scores of every child in the building, color coded by where they were in terms of achievement. So we could see the needs and shift resources.
Whew!
Here’s Bryant’s official bio, put out by HCPS:
Dr. Raymond Bryant
Dr. Bryant received his Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Administration from the University of Maryland. He serves as superintendent in Elmira, NY. Prior to becoming superintendent in Elmira, Dr. Bryant served as associate superintendent for Special Education Reform, Washington, DC, associate superintendent, director of special education services, principal, coordinator of special education, teacher and speech pathologist. Dr. Bryant served 18 years as an educator in Maryland and brought the concept of Judy Centers and student service learning to Elmira. He is a member of numerous educational and community organizations including The United Way, the Chemung Chamber of Commerce, Council for Exceptional Children, and American Association of School Administrators. Dr. Bryant has testified on special education before the Maryland Legislature, the Thornton Commission, and Congress. He was recognized by the Montgomery Collaboration Council. He has taught at the university level including, Gallaudet, James Madison, and George Mason.
And some links of interest:
St. Coletta:
http://www.stcoletta.org/index.php?page=school-program
Elmira, NY
http://www.elmiracityschools.com/releases/03.19.09.Resignation.Statement.pdf
Maryland
http://mlis.state.md.us/other/education/111600_Minutes.htm
Wow. He likes using data. That is good news for those of us who want information. Using ACCUPLACER in the high schools is a good idea, too, though I am not positive that that is not being done already in some limited applications. It isn’t free, so I wonder whether HCPS would add that expense.
I’ll probably be slammed for this, but I don’t think another special educator is what HCPS needs. I think it needs someone who can help train a workforce for our area. No everyone will go to college, but most everyone will work and many of the jobs in this region are techological in nature.
Didn’t any younger people apply for this position?
I have to agree about the Special Education background. I think it is helpful but I think it is more important to have someone who has a progressive vision for dealing with workforce in the area. I also believe HCPS hasn’t done a very good job in that regard. I’ve heard so many good ideas from people and can’t understand why none of them ever even get considered. I hope the elected BOE process will help stimulate those type of conversations too.
What is most important for me is the the person that is filling the spot is really connected with the community but 2, they need to handle all current problems that are splinting the community. it is not worth implementing new until old is water under the bridge…I looking for someone ready to attack the bigger problems of HCPS!
Can’t wait to see the questions for Tomback. By the way, is he to only candidate that is currently working in education? And if so, does this trouble anyone else?
In all afairness the guy from Elmira decided he was moving on and is finishing out this year and the guy from Broward had his contract bought out this year (a common occurance with elected BOE’s). I heard from a friend who is a NE BCPS teacher that Tomback is very involvbed and makes it a point to visit schools regularly.
The nice thing about any of these guys is they are not personally attatched to reform plans and can evaluate unbiased the good parts and bad parts and make a good recomendation about what they want to keep and do away with.
I just worry with all the people who want the new person to be an inditment of the old that they may be dissappointed if this new person does agree in some ways with the old and demand their head on a platter and the BOE vote in 2 years becomes a referendum on this poor guy.
Cdev, in all fairness, even my teenagers asked, “Who would quit a job in this economy?” I understand that a supt job is not usually long-term, it just seems odd to me that three of four of these guys are not currently working in a school system. I wish the new supt all the very best. I just don’t see anyone who looks like a star. Of course, I also think this board doesn’t want anyone who will rock the boat and it looks as though that is what it will get. Just my observation.
Rock the boat-this guy, Bryant will tip it completely over. He was hated in Elmira by everyone. Ask him why he abruptly left town with no explanation and before the school year was over. He was run out on a rail. He is so far from collabrative it isn’t even funny. He is a total Dictator and we in Elmira,are thrilled he is gone. You will be very sorry if you hire this “only my way” guy.
Well we did not hire him!
To John Lane: Re your Oct 6, 2009, comment on your former Sup’t
Ramond Bryant. We endorse your comments but note that they are at odds with some of the others. Mr. now Dr. Bryant was our
former special ed principal in the multiply handicapped program
in Fairfax, Va. We notice that our school (his first position) is not noted on his resume. Just curious as to whether or not
he has returned to Elmira. Sincerely, just a parent of a
daughter with multiple disabilities and autism.
Can you tell me why he left in the middle of the year and was “run out on a rail”
Dr. Bryant was well-respected in Elmira, with very few exceptions. During his tenure, our district and several of our schools were removed from New York State’s “needs improvement” lists after showing improvement in math, English, science scores, and in graduation rates. He was great to his staff, always put his students before the special interests of the naysayers in this pathetic little town, and is greatly missed by many.
Bryant was intelligent, involved, and he’ll be an asset wherever he lands. People like “John Lane”, above, are warts on the rear end of progress, and unfortunately, there are a few loud voices like his in Elmira that have stifled this district for too long. Dr. Bryant was able to change a lot of that, but the inertia in this town is astonishing.
You missed the chance to hire a great administrator. Your loss.
To bad the idiot didn’t stay in Elmira. He’s in the process of flushing our school system down the toilet.
I noticed that this glowing tribute was sign anonymous. I’ll bet you bryant wrote it himself
@Steve Katz: Nice try, but nope.
Can you tell me why he left in the middle of the year and was “run out on a rail”