[Superintendent's Update] Superintendent's Update

[Needham Public Schools Superintendent's Update]

March 5, 2018



Dear Needham Public Schools’ Students and Families:



I think it’s time to talk about your future.



Just the other day I realized that the first class to experience the
planned full day Kindergarten program in Needham will graduate from Needham
High School in 2033.  *That’s right, 2033!*  I can’t even imagine what the
world will be like in 2033, and it’s both daunting and exhilarating to
consider how best to prepare all our students—including those who come
before 2033—for today and tomorrow.  I’d like to share an idea about
preparing all students for the challenges and opportunities in the years
ahead.



I am reminded of a quote attributed to John Dewey, an educational innovator
from the last century: “If we teach today’s students as we taught
yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”  More recently my friend and mentor,
Anthony Bent, shared with me:  “We should not be preparing children for our
past but for their future.”  These observations have really made me think
about our current world and your future:



•  Career options and economic opportunities for your generation will
involve increasing levels of entrepreneurship; technology-driven solutions,
including digital automation and AI (Artificial Intelligence) and data
management; and innovative and disruptive technology tools, marketplaces,
and economic development.



•  Environmental and security challenges, including the impact of climate
change, the availability of increasingly limited resources, cyber-warfare,
and unstable and shifting international alliances, will proliferate.  Renewable
energy development, food sourcing, weapons development, and questions
around sustainability will drive policy-making, growth, and innovation.



•  Issues of race, social justice, poverty, equity, economic development,
immigration, and educational opportunity for a nation that is increasingly
ethnically and racially diverse will dominate decision-making and planning
in the United States.



•  Medical advancements and biotechnology will result in longer and
healthier lives; science and space exploration will continue to flourish;
personal innovation, ingenuity, and creativity will be prized and rewarded;
social media and the creation of new technologies to communicate, solve
problems, and build community will help guide and strengthen a new
generation.



•  Increased civic engagement, including the need for diplomacy, language
acquisition, and religious and cultural understanding within and across
communities and governmental bodies, will be required to avoid
polarization, authoritarianism, injustice, and violence and to build a
sense of an ethical community of care and service.[1]
<#m_-831995931832842239__ftn1>



*So here’s the idea:* We should have a broad conversation about what kind
of educational experiences we want for our students at all grade levels as
we propel them towards graduation, the challenges ahead, and their future
lives.  I think we should research, discuss, debate, and articulate the key
attributes, skills, and qualities we want for Needham’s young people, now
and as far into the future as we can see.  We will develop a framework—a
Portrait of a Needham Graduate—that will inform our work and help us to
establish our priorities and plans around which the community can coalesce
and contribute.



The timing is right to engage educators, students, and parents in a
forward-thinking conversation like this.  First, the world is becoming more
complicated, and the knowledge, skills and tools we provide students in
2018 may be insufficient for 2025, 2030, or 2033.  Second, the need to
ensure an equitable and inclusive education is essential now if we want all
children to have access and opportunity as citizens, parents,
entrepreneurs, and leaders in this amazing and dynamic world.  Finally, we
need to provide clarity and coherence for the adults in our community,
especially our educators, who are tasked with providing for, educating, and
leading our young people during a time of increased accountability and
competing demands, priorities, and interests.



The good news is that Needham’s parents and educators are already engaged
in thinking forward and providing excellent academic support and
programs.  It’s
time to assess both our current practices and to consider and promote ideas
that will boost student learning.



Developing a Portrait of a Needham Graduate will allow us to:



•  Reflect on the direction of the Needham Public Schools;

•  Explore which key attributes, skills, and knowledge our
children—You!—need for the future;

•  Operate within a framework of equity in education, preparing all
students for the world they are facing; and

•  Build a community consensus around the district’s vision, goals, and
strategic priorities.



To accomplish this work we will invite a broad-based group of 30 to 40
members of the community, including high school students, educators,
parents, business and civic leaders, and higher education representatives,
to meet over the next several months to develop a Portrait of a Needham
Graduate and strategic priorities that can be shared, debated, and
ultimately adopted by the School Committee.



The conversation will reflect the many voices, wisdom, and values of this
amazing community.  The work will be invigorating and may challenge some of
our assumptions about what the educational experience should be in the
Needham Public Schools.  The end product, like a portrait hanging in a
museum, will reflect the nuances, perspectives, and experiences of its
creators, and it may be imprecise and contain imperfections.  But we will
strive to use information, research, and data to create a Portrait of a
Needham Graduate, one which is aspirational and will provide a framework
for the critically important work ahead—the development of the education,
success, and livelihood of the young people in the Needham Public Schools.



It’s an idea whose time has come—for you and for those who come before and
after you. If you are interested in participating in the process for
developing a Portrait of a Needham Graduate, please complete the form which
can be found at the following link: Portrait of a Needham Graduate
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-d5T-gxwW15XG5F1-MSezIy08nfJ8oN-BmQ-eXhGUJHazKw/viewform>




Respectfully and with great hope and faith in your future,



Dan Gutekanst

Superintendent of Schools



------------------------------

[1] <#m_-831995931832842239__ftnref1> Franklin, Daniel. “The World in
2018.” *The Economist* 01 November, 2017.

       Marx, Gary. *21 Trends for the 21st Century*. Bethesda, MD:
Educational Week Press, 2013.
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