Listening first: Staff voices, student success and our community

One of the greatest gifts of stepping into the superintendent role this year has been the chance to listen. Not in a formal meeting or from behind a podium, but side by side with the people who make Cape Henlopen schools what they are every day.

As part of my first-year listening tour, I launched Wondering Wednesdays – informal visits where I spend time in schools and departments simply listening and learning from staff and students. Through these visits, I’ve met with more than 1,500 staff members and students across our schools and district offices, including teachers, bus drivers and monitors, paraprofessionals, custodians, cafeteria teams, secretaries, specialists and school leaders. These are the people who open doors before sunrise, calm anxious students, notice when a child is not quite themselves and stay late because one more minute might make a difference.

During these visits, I’ve also had the chance to talk with many of our students, from our youngest learners at age 4 to young adults up to age 22. I have been continually impressed by their thoughtfulness, resilience, humor and pride in their schools.

Here is what I know for sure: the strength of our schools lies in the voices of our stakeholders.

The adults in our buildings see the whole child every day. They see the student who finally reads independently. The one learning English and bravely raising their hand. The child working through anxiety, loss or challenges at home. The student with disabilities mastering a skill that opens the door to greater independence. They also see incredible talent, curiosity, leadership and kindness in our students.

Because we listened, we have already made adjustments. We have added behavioral supports, filled key positions, addressed facility concerns, and begun reviewing curriculum and systems staff identified as needing attention. That is not accidental. When you treat educators and school staff as experts, schools improve.

Listening has not been limited to our buildings. I have also met with many community groups, including Rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, Lions Club members, local legislators and our mayors. I am currently scheduling meetings with each of our PTOs as well. Strong communication with families and community partners matters, and I am always happy to meet with additional groups. Just give us a call.

Great schools help build great communities.

In Cape, we see the results of that every year. Our students go on to Yale and other top universities. They graduate and return as police officers, nurses, teachers, business owners and military service members. Some go on to become doctors and then come back home to serve families right here.  They save lives and make our community better. That cycle of opportunity, growth and giving back starts in our classrooms, on our buses, on our fields and stages, and in the relationships staff build with students every day.

After my last commentary, a few community members reached out with questions about test scores. I appreciate that conversation. Student achievement matters, and we closely examine our data. At the same time, it is important to understand the context behind the numbers.

You may have heard that Delaware ranks low compared to other states on some national measures. One key piece of context is that in Delaware, all students take the SAT for free during the school day. In many other states, only college-bound students who choose to register and pay for the test are included in results. That means we are not always comparing the same groups of students. Similarly, states use different criteria for which students participate in state assessments and how results are reported. Without understanding those differences, it can look like a simple ranking when it is not.

What is clear is how Cape Henlopen students perform within our state. According to the Delaware School Report Card, Cape students are outperforming the next public school district by about 10 percentage points in both reading and math, and show similar strength on SAT performance. Just as important, our African American students have made growth over the past three years, and our multilingual learners and low-income students are making strong progress and performing well above state averages. As Secretary of Education Cindy Marten shared, “This is what closing the gap looks like.”

We are proud of those results, and we are not done. We will keep pushing for growth for every student.

Test scores matter, but they are only one measure. They do not capture the confidence of a student who finally believes they can succeed. They do not measure a sense of belonging. They do not show the relationships that keep kids connected to school or the life skills that prepare them for the real world.

When I walk into schools, I see learning that is active, collaborative, creative and meaningful. I see staff adjusting instruction in real time, supporting one another and holding high expectations with care and compassion.

My role is to keep listening to those voices and remove barriers so our staff can do their work even better. Wondering Wednesdays will continue because staff and student voice is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing partnership.

Strong schools build strong communities. And strong communities support strong schools in return. That is the story of Cape, and I am grateful every day to be part of it.