JAVIER MONTAÑEZ, superintendent of the Providence Public School District, was recognized by the national School Superintendents Association with the Family Engagement Changemaker Award during its National Conference on Education held from Feb. 12-14 in Nashville, Tenn.
Selected by an external review panel of peers and family-engagement experts from more than 50 nominations, Montanez was honored for his leadership to change how families and community partners connect with schools, with the overall goal of promoting academic achievement through reduced absenteeism, improved test scores and increased classroom participation.
What inspired you to enter the education field? My inspiration to enter the education field stems directly from my journey as a Providence student. Growing up, I faced significant struggles with reading, which I later discovered was due to dyslexia. During that frustrating time, one dedicated teacher completely changed my trajectory. He took the time to work with me one-on-one, teaching me how to decode words, proving to me that reading was actually possible.
More than just giving me academic tools, he instilled in me the belief that I could achieve success through hard work and perseverance. I became an educator to be that exact same champion for my students.
What has been your greatest challenge in achieving your goals for the district? Two of our greatest challenges are finances and recruiting certified educators, especially in the high-need areas like math, science and special education. The recruiting of teachers is a national problem. This financial strain is primarily driven by two compounding factors – declining enrollment and unpredictable federal funding allocations.
Moving forward, our priority is to engage in productive, ongoing conversations to identify innovative teacher recruitment programs and thoughtful budget solutions. We have created a grow your own teacher apprenticeship program, which helps our current teacher assistants to become certified educators.
What is the greatest factor in getting these results? I believe the targeted, collective effort of our educators and support staff is the driving force behind our recent progress. While we are honest about the work still needed to reach our academic goals, we are seeing progress all while placing the needs of our children first and foremost.
This momentum stems from our commitment to data-driven interventions. Because our educators are intentionally identifying which students need tutoring, extra check-ins, or family outreach, we are able to meet students exactly where they are.
What advice would you give to other school administrators facing systemic issues and underperformance challenges? My advice is to create a master plan and keep at it. Don’t give up. In Providence, we have our Turnaround Action Plan that was created with the community for our students. We keep turning to that to monitor our progress and make sure we continue to move the needle forward.
