An Overhaul, Starting at the Top
The changes in Meriden began in late 2019.
Mr. Crispino, a former principal, was hired to oversee all elementary schools after helping turn around one district school that had been at risk of being taken over by the state because of poor performance. The school was eventually awarded a prestigious national award, and Mr. Crispino was asked to take the lessons learned districtwide.
Then the pandemic struck.
Meriden reopened faster than many places, by fall 2020, a decision that surely helped buffer against more serious academic losses. Still, many families opted to stay home, including at Franklin, where some students remained remote for many months.
To make up for lost learning, schools across the country have sought to add instruction, though often outside the school day, during afternoon tutoring or summer school. Such programs can be helpful but depend on student attendance.
Meriden continued to bet on the school day itself.
District officials had repurposed a half-hour meant for extra help on various subjects — either from teachers or through work sheets — and put that time into math.
Up and down the hallways at Franklin, math is now taught the same way: a short lesson, followed by group work. For 15 or 20 minutes, the teacher meets with some students, while others work in their own groups. Students who need extra help go with tutors, some of whom were paid for with federal pandemic relief funds.
At the ding of a chime or buzzer, students rotate.
Julie Sarama, who researches early math education at the University of Denver, said working with students in small groups “is really important, and a lot of teachers past kindergarten don’t want to do it.” Part of the resistance, she said, comes down to tradition. “You just teach the way you were taught.”
At Franklin, the changes hinged on a meticulous schedule for its 350 or so students. The school’s principal, Joanne Conte, observed classrooms, along with Mr. Crispino. Even a five-minute delay returning from recess could draw notice, because that five minutes was lost instructional time.
