Schools Strategize For 2029

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Superintendent Madeline Negrón has her eyes set on bringing kindergarteners’ literacy proficiency rates up from the current 18 percent to 80 percent by 2029 — as one of many goals included in the district’s new five-year strategic plan.

Negrón identified that district-wide ​“path to excellence” as she presented the new plan to the Board of Education Tuesday night.

Several goals were laid out to the board by Negrón and her team of central office leaders during Tuesday’s hybrid Board of Ed meeting, held in-person at Ross Woodward School and online via Zoom. 

District leaders have spent the past five months forming the strategic plan with the help of city staff, principals, community partners, teachers, local clergy, and local college and university staff. 

Click here to read the full plan. 

The plan includes goals for increasing the the number of ninth graders who stay on track for their cohort graduation from a current 73 percent to 94 percent by the end of the 2028 – 29 school year. 

It also includes decreasing the yearly chronic absenteeism rate from the current 36.6 percent to 20 percent or less in five years. 

Negrón said the plan includes annual goals to hold the team accountable for progress. 

“I did not elect to be one of those superintendents that comes in and immediately hires a consultant to put together a strategic operating plan. I’ve elected to tap into the talent that exists in the district to be able to do this,” Negrón said Tuesday. 

The project leads for the plan were Negrón, Chief of Staff Michael Finley, and Assistant Superintendent Keisha Redd-Hannans. 

Internal and external feedback was received through the AI tool Thought Exchange, which collected hundreds of staff and community ideas that the district considered while developing the plan. 

“We were all in that room with the charge of putting together a focused, coherent, and actionable multi-year plan to advance student achievement,” Negrón added. 

The plan emphasized four priority areas that the district will focus on for the next five years: teaching and learning, family and community partnerships, culture and climate, and operational efficiencies. 

These priorities will focus on personalizing student learning, implementing professional development rooted in research strategies, and enacting student success plans. They will also include establishing a district-wide platform for two-way communication between parents and school staff, creating clear expectations for adult-to-adult communication, and assessing facilities’ conditions to develop a 10-year capital improvement plan. 

Board secretary Edward Joyner and other board members thanked the district leaders and community for their work in developing the plan. He added that the community must be a dance partner to the district as it works toward progress. 

Vice President Matt Wilcox agreed and added that he enjoyed the use of Thought Exchange as a new way to bring in community voice. 

“I do appreciate that the beginning of the mission talks about this in partnership with families and community, that’s how it all starts,” he said. ​“And that’s just a reminder that these are public schools, and it’s the public’s responsibility to help with their schools.”