In Focus: Independence, Collaboration and Performance
Ithaca's Luvelle Brown, 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year, explains his focus on independent thinking, teamwork and live performance.
Luvelle Brown wants every Ithaca student to work independently, collaborate with a diverse group and perform in front of an authentic audience.
A Superintendent’s Focus on Life Skills
Dr. Luvelle Brown has a vision that teaches kids to think independently, work in groups, and perform live in front of authentic audiences. Brown believes these abilities represent essential life skills that help determine the future success of students.
As the 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year, Brown finds himself in the position to make his vision a reality. Kids in Ithaca, NY are adopting his principals and seeing positive results. According to Luvelle, a superintendent does much more than just close school on snow days; he’s a facilitator responsible for setting up students of a district with the best blueprint for academic and life success. Brown believes superintendents should recognize the importance of constant communication within their communities and take advantage of social media platforms to actively stay in touch.
Brown also spoke about the support, joy and overall impact of a large community of professional peers. Events like the AASA Conference in New Orleans helps to bring those peers together strengthening the bonds of support that continue throughout their careers.
A network of friends
“It’s more than a network of superintendents; it’s a network of friends,” Brown said. “Many of us grew up together. We were teachers, assistant principals, principals, or assistant superintendents in similar or nearby districts. And what’s cool is that, now, we’re spread out all over the country.” With technology, “we’re one group-text message away from sharing a best practice, sharing a good joke, or picking one another up when something is not going well.” A gathering like the National Conference on Education “is like a cool party but it’s also a professional development opportunity.”
AASA’s academies and cohorts for aspiring and sitting superintendents “wasn’t available ten years ago. I had to search for folks, and folks had to find me.” Those networks matter more now, he said: “There are many people out there looking to take superintendents down. And if we’re not working together and sharing best practices and growing together, it can become very easy to take them down.”
More than the snow-day call
“Most folks think I spend my time making snow-day calls and I wake up every day wondering if it’s going to snow and if I’m going to have to close school, and that’s pretty much all I do,” Brown said. “We have to do a better job of educating communities about what we do.” When he posts about his day, “If I’m in a classroom doing a walk-through, if I’m at a basketball game, or if I’m working on policy putting together a budget, folks are getting a sense that that’s what we’re doing, and why.”
For companies hoping to reach superintendents, email rarely works: “We get 400 or 500 emails a day.” Instead, “We do respond to relationship building at events like this ─ professional development opportunities; conferences; and workshops,” where people can “make connections so that we can partner to solve complex problems together.”
Digital curriculum in Baltimore County
What excited Brown elsewhere was “what I’m seeing at some of the larger districts, particularly Baltimore County, around digital curriculum implementation.” Many districts have deployed one-to-one devices, but Baltimore County was building tools into its own infrastructure, partnering with Discovery Education. “It’s a tool and a resource that no other generation of young people has ever had before.”
Three skills for every student
Brown sees future leaders in his own children, a daughter of seven and a son of five. “I don’t necessarily want them to be superintendents but I want them to have the skills that a superintendent must have. I want them to be able to practice and want to practice independently. I want them to be able to collaborate effectively with a diverse group. And I want them to be able to perform with an authentic audience in front of them.” In his words, “I want my children at home and every young person in my school district to have these skills.”
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