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The following are the introductory comments of Helen S. Faison, acting superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools: As a person associated with the largest district in the region, I think Pittsburgh Public Schools are in a unique situation. One of the things we clearly must do when we talk with people working in the schools who provide the leadership -- and I’m speaking also of the teacher leader in the classroom -- we need to move away from the defensive stance that we’ve often taken, where we find good reasons why many of our children do not achieve at the level expected.
I think that somehow, we must have people understand that as long as a single child does not succeed, we need to be concerned. The theme for the year in Pittsburgh Public Schools is literacy for every child in the district, and I think we have to emphasize the "every" and not be satisfied when we reach 80 or 85 percent. But if we really believe that every child can learn and that we rarely reach the limits for any child, then I think we need to work harder to provide the environment where that can occur. I liked the comment that every day should be a successful day for every child in the school. And while it’s important to measure what the final outcomes are, I think we have to look at what’s happening day by day for children. I often say to principals and to others, as I greet them at the beginning of a new school year, that children and their parents are going to give us one more chance. They’re going to be there on the opening day of school. And I think we need to look at each school opening as that next chance.
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