top of page
Search

Questions I'd Like to Explore with the Interim Superintendent Candidates

  • Writer: Tom Hopcroft
    Tom Hopcroft
  • Feb 17, 2021
  • 2 min read

I am really happy to see that we have two strong candidates for the Interim Superintendent position in Winchester, MA. I have provided details for the interviews, candidate resume links, and the questions that I would like to explore with each candidate below.


The Winchester School Committee will be holding a special meeting on February 17, 2021, at 6pm via Zoom to consider and interview applicants for the position of Interim Superintendent of schools. Members of the community are welcome to participate in this Zoom webinar via the following link:


The schedule of candidates is as follows:

6pm Mark McLaughlin, Ed.D. (see resume)

7pm Frank Hackett, Ed.D. (see resume)


Following are the questions that I would like to explore with each candidate:


Reentry Planning

  1. The pandemic has accelerated the use of technology by educators and students, forced us to think more critically about our buildings/infrastructure and laid bare some of the inequities within our communities. How have you pivoted at your school during this past year, and what do you think we should be prioritizing right now?

  2. Given what you have learned about our school district, if you were to be appointed interim superintendent, how would you plan for a return to an in-person learning environment? What factors would be most critical to consider (e.g., spacing, ventilation, testing/surveillance) or need to be in place? How would remote learning and remote learning capabilities factor into your thinking?

  3. Beyond physically returning students, how are you thinking about supporting and level-setting children with differing needs (e.g., relating to behavioral/mental health, learning loss, lack of structure, and executive functioning needs)?


Future-Ready Graduates

  1. What lessons and opportunities do you see coming out of this past year that might enable us to come back stronger to a better learning environment than we left pre-pandemic?

  2. How can we foster innovation at the district level, teacher level and within the student body?

  3. How can we model and prepare our students to graduate prepared for a changing, more tech-enabled, world?


Supporting different groups

  1. Like any town, Winchester has a range of student achievement and needs. Some need academic, executive functioning, behavioral/mental health support, and opportunities for achievement and validation while others feel too much pressure to achieve. How would you build a supportive environment that meets so many different needs?

The Interim Superintendent will be an important partner as we work to bring our kids back safely to a more normal, in-person learning environment, along with a remote option for those who choose it.


A follow-up special meeting to consider applicants for Interim Superintendent with a vote to appoint Interim Superintendent by the School Committee will be held on February 19, 2021, at 12:00.


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page