Danbury Public Schools:
Superintendent of Schools

Cambridge Overview
October 31, 2008

Cambridge Education (LLC) and CT State Department of Education School Reviews

Cambridge Education (LLC) from Cambridge, England and the CT State Department of Education will be conducting educational reviews on our two middles schools and our high school during the month of November. Cambridge Education is a multinational company that works throughout the world. Cambridge Education has completed approximately 3,000 reviews in the United States and has worked for the past 6 years in Connecticut.

The review process is required because we have been identified as a "District in Need of Improvement" in conjunction with the NCLB legislation. Although

the district has been identified due to our performance in secondary mathematics, the review team will examine all aspects of the three schools. The primary focus will be on the degree of student academic performance and the degree of positive results in core instructional areas. The team will review curriculum, community and parental involvement, how well the school uses data, the quality of teaching, students’ personal character development, school climate, effectiveness of leadership and management, and the role of the district in the work of the school.

Each review team will be comprised of a former principal representing Cambridge Education and two State Department representatives. The reviews will take place at Broadview on November 6th and 7th, at Rogers Park on November 5th and 6th and at Danbury High School on November 5th and 6th. The team will visit classrooms to observe teaching and learning, student engagement, and teacher behaviors and their impact on student learning. They will examine samples of student work, review assessment data, meet with the principal and leadership team and will also meet with teachers, students, parents and other representatives from the school community. The results from these reviews will not include any information that identifies specific individuals.

The district, at the central office level, will also be reviewed in January. The areas of focus for the district will be on its effectiveness in securing positive outcomes for students, the effectiveness of the district’s support for student learning and the effectiveness of the district leadership and management. The areas of human and fiscal resources will also be reviewed.

The results from these reviews will illustrate our areas of strength and areas that are in need of improvement will be provided. Consequently, we will use the findings to modify each school’s Outcome Achievement Plan and the District’s Enhancement Plan with an emphasis on what we should maintain, what should we improve and what should we change.

Dr. Sal Pascarella, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools