Eileen Cassidy Rivera’s Priorities

Priority #1: Identify ways to close achievement gaps among our students

Every child deserves a chance to succeed.

Academic success is not even among all students, and the gaps – between those who achieve and those who don't – show up in multiple places: around race, gender, language, disability and income levels.

In order for all of Alexandria’s children to succeed, it is imperative we identify ways to close achievement gaps among our students. To start, we must focus on the factors contributing to achievement gaps – factors within and outside the school’s control. We must make special efforts to ensure that all students and their parents are informed and knowledgeable about the factors that lead to achievement gaps and how these gaps affect learning and academic success. Next, we must identify and engage the stakeholders in closing these achievement gaps. No doubt, families play a significant role in ensuring that students are ready to learn and support learning throughout their child’s education.

At times, outreach to families can be culturally and linguistically sensitive. There are 69 languages spoken among Alexandria’s students with 88 different countries of birth. Some families who come from diverse cultures may have differing views of the role families and parents play in their child’s formal education. We need to be aware and sensitive of these diverse cultures and make special efforts to include them in policy making, school and community meetings and other educational activities.

Achievement gaps exist among students across the U.S. Some states and cities have done a better job than others in closing those divides. By and large, the greatest gaps persist among people of color and the economically disadvantaged. It is up to us to ensure that Alexandria’s schools offer all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, geographic location or language, the knowledge and skills to help them reach their fullest potential.

Priority #2: Recruit and Retain High-Quality Teachers

It all starts with the student-teacher experience.

Hopefully, most of us can point to a favorite teacher while growing up. I can still remember my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Chu. She had this way of making me feel important, whether having gotten 98% on a spelling test, or patting me on the back when I got through a tough math problem. I also can still remember my 5th grade math teacher, Mr. Bobin. Math was not my favorite subject, but that year he actually got me excited about algebra and trigonometry. Perhaps my all-time favorite was my 5th grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Gordon. To this day, I still keep in touch with her. She helped me develop an intrigue and interest in learning more about other people, other cultures and other societies.

My goal is for every student in the Alexandria school system to have at least one experience like mine. I believe that students who develop a special bond or relationship with his or her teacher – at some point during their education – are more likely to excel in school and achieve academic excellence.

Alexandria has lots of great teachers, but we need to ensure we continue to attract, recruit and retain high-quality teachers to educate our children. With teachers' salaries ranking among the lowest of any profession requiring a college degree, combined with the realities of rising real estate prices and taxes, increasing traffic and transportation challenges, it is imperative we do everything we can to recruit and retain high-quality beginning and experienced teachers to Alexandria’s school system.

Priority #3: Ensure our children learn the skills to become responsible, contributing and successful citizens in the global economy

New times require new skills and abilities.

In today's fast-changing, global economy, it is imperative our children learn skills they need to succeed - in school, in their communities, and future workplaces.

As our children progress through K-12 education, they need to learn skills to successfully navigate the challenges of daily life, such as the ability to set and achieve goals, make decisions, solve problems, and effectively manage one's time. By learning these skills, our children will one day be able to maximize their potential, make healthy decisions, and connect in richer ways with others.

Many students learn these skills from their parents and families, or through community or youth organizations. However, some students are not as fortunate. They get through their K-12 education without learning basic “life skills,” sometimes leading to lowered self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect.

My goal is to ensure that all of Alexandria’s students learn basic skills that will enable them to become responsible, contributing and successful citizens in the global economy. Some of these skills and abilities include: Communications and Interpersonal Skills, Conflict Management, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Decision-Making and Managing Emotions.

Another one of my goals is to ensure that educational technology, which can be defined as the combination of human imagination, inventiveness and electronic tools that transform ideas into reality to meet a need or solve a problem, is being widely used in Alexandria’s schools to support learning and teaching. My goal is to assist schools in applying educational technology effectively and appropriately to meet student learning needs, ensure that all schools are performing at high levels, and advance Alexandria’s academic goals.