Superintendent Marguerite Rizzi
232 Pearl St.,
Stoughton, MA 02072
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 11, 2018
Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Stoughton School District Featured in School Administrator Magazine
Article Highlights Stoughton’s Enrichment and Remediation Programs
STOUGHTON — Superintendent Marguerite Rizzi is pleased to announce that the Stoughton school district was featured in the May issue of School Administrator Magazine for its innovative remediation and enrichment programs.
The three-page article entitled, “Beating the Achievement Gap One Vacation at a Time: A Suburban District Also Uses Formal Before- and After-School Programs for Remediation and Enrichment,” was penned by Superintendent Rizzi, Stoughton High School Principal Juliette Miller and Lynda Feeney, the district’s extended school year, data and extended learning time specialist.
The article focuses on how the district provides programs to students who may be falling behind in their classes by providing extra classroom time during school vacations and before and after school.
“Unless they teach in a homogeneous, high-income school setting, most educators struggle with the achievement gap. When distilled to its essence, the student learning gap can be attributed to the lack of academic readiness,” the article begins. “To make up the deficit, students must have more time — more time for reading, more time for the cultural and artistic experiences that upper-middle-class students have regularly, more exposure to meaningful material and more time working with teachers who can help them understand what they don’t know.”
Stoughton offers learning camps for students during each school vacation, including during the summer. The students learn about wellness, art, literacy, pre-engineering, geography and astronomy. They also take part in book clubs, math games, acting, jewelry making, creative writing, yoga and LEGO building projects.
“If a student attends our camps from 2nd grade to 5th grade, that child will have attended almost one year more of school than the average 6th grader, the precious extra time he or she needs to beat the achievement gap,” the article reads.
In addition, they have support, enrichment and transitional programs held before and after the regular school day.
The programs target the neediest students and those who are English language learners, beginning with preschool and continuing into high school.
The response to the programs has been overwhelmingly positive and prevented students from repeating grades.
“I am very proud to share the success we have had with these programs, and I hope the article is helpful to other school systems,” Superintendent Rizzi said. “It doesn’t take long for a student who is falling behind to feel like they cannot catch up. Our faculty and staff have put forth so much effort and care into supporting our students who need it the most.”
About School Administrator Magazine
School Administrator, a publication of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), highlights remarkable and pioneering actions by schools working to serve their students. Founded in 1865, it produces monthly magazines distributed to every AASA public school member. The articles are aimed at informing superintendents across the country on successful ideas put in place by other schools.
To read the article click here
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