Rhode Island Association of School Principals

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May '08 Reporter Now Available

The May '08 edition of The Reporter is now available for viewing and printing.

The RIASP Board of Directors has named Michael Lazzareschi, Principal of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Providence, the 2008 Rhode Island Elementary Principal-of-the-Year.

During his three years at the Dr. King Elementary School, Mr. Lazzareschi has worked to ensure that staff and community stakeholders work collaboratively to meet the academic and social needs of all students.  At the same time, he has successfully shifted the focus of staff and community from behavioral issues to student achievement.  The results have been impressive.  In just three years, the school has moved steadily from its previous low-performing classification to moderately performing, has met its AYP goals for the 2006-07, and has displayed above average State NECAP scores for all student subgroups.

Gary Moroch, Providence’s Executive Director of Elementary Schools says, “Michael is highly committed to providing his learning community with strong leadership resulting in rigorous instruction for all students.  He is a model principal who shows sensitivity regarding his complex role.  Mike has demonstrated his ability to win the trust of his learning community...” A teacher at the school says, “Since Mr. Lazzareschi’s arrival at King, our community has become much more cohesive.  Our school is a place where there are clear expectations for all, where students and staff view themselves as lifelong learners, where all feel welcome.” A National Board Certified teacher on staff says, “Mr. Lazzareschi is a highly organized strong leader who has high expectations for everyone.  Under his leadership Dr. Martin Luther King School has high quality of instruction, a strong culture of learning and a reenergized parent support of our school.”  A parent adds, “he turned things around…the school now has a much better environment.”  Students are equally supportive of their principal.  One says flatly, “he is the best principal in the whole wide world,” while another states, “he doesn’t let kids get away with things” and, most importantly to the youngster, “he is funny, he sometimes jokes around”.

In addition, Mr. Lazzareschi has actively worked with the school PTO to engage and activate the community to further improve the quality of educational services at his school.  His efforts have resulted in an increase in the neighborhood enrollment by almost 25%, and the PTO President says that King has become a school where “every child is welcomed, known well, and respected…and all parents and family members are treated as valued members of the King school community.”  By balancing his workday to make time for parents, Mr. Lazzareschi invites casual contact and conversations, and routinely addresses concerns in a thoughtful and calm manner with a great deal of insight and compassion.  The culture of community cooperation that he has fostered has made both the school and the PTO much stronger.

Mr. Lazzareschi will be recognized by RIASP at the May 22nd General Membership Meeting and again this fall by NAESP in a national ceremony sponsored by AIG Valic.

Mike Carbone Selected Middle School Principal-of-the-Year for 2007-08

Michael Carbone, Principal of Kickemuit Middle School in Bristol-Warren for the past 15 years, has been named the Rhode Island Middle School Principal-of-the-Year. During his tenure, Mr. Carbone has worked collaboratively with his school community to transform Kickemuit MS from low performing to high performing. His efforts to develop a positive school culture that supports learning is evident in all areas of the school and recently resulted in the school being named a NELMS Spotlight School.

Dr. Mara, Superintendent, says that “Mr. Carbone is gifted in his ability to bring the staff together to achieve the goals of the school improvement team and continue to address the needs of the middle level student population. He leads his staff to reach their greatest potential through coaching, observation and weekly learning walks. Mike has developed a highly organized, dynamic leadership team and continues to encourage others to participate through internships and informal leadership opportunities.” A teacher goes on to say “we love working for him, he respects us and has high expectations for us and works with us to build a professional learning community.”

Mike Carbone is a principal who has “personalized” his school, and his style and personality have created a caring culture. The supportive Middle School culture that exists at Kickemuit Middle School is reciprocated by the support that the faculty, students and parents show for their principal. An 8^th grade teachers says that “Since my very first day at Kickemuit Middle School ten years ago, it has continually amazed me how many of our 950 students Mr. Carbone knows by name! So often we hear about the value of “personalization” in our public schools. Mr. Carbone was far ahead of the curve establishing personalization in this community.”

Mr. Carbone will be honored at the RIASP General Membership Meeting on May 22nd at the Radisson Hotel in Warwick and again at the NASSP ceremony in Washington this fall and will compete for MetLife National Middle School Principal-of-the-Year award.

Bob Littlefield Named Rhode Island High School Principal-of-the-Year

Robert Littlefield, Principal of Portsmouth High School for almost ten years, has been named the Rhode Island High School Principal-of-the-Year. During his tenure, Mr. Littlefield has worked to transform the culture, mission and focus of his school into a “High-Performing” and supportive learning environment for PHS students. Everyone agrees that his strong collaborative leadership has rejuvenated the school.

Superintendent Dr. Susan Lusi notes that “Bob came to PHS in 1998, shortly after the school had completed a less than successful NEASC accreditation. During his tenure at PHS, Bob has led the school faculty in the implementation of block scheduling, as well as an advisory period for all students. Both of these changes are essential for personalizing a large high school and for supporting the in-depth instruction necessary for improving student learning. The most recent NEASC accreditation visit to PHS took place last year, and the report was glowing regarding the culture and climate of the school, as well as the teaching and learning that takes place within it. The visitation team described the school as highly mission-driven, personalized, and extremely supportive of students. The team also complimented the high quality of instruction, including the common learning expectations and the move toward common end of course exams and Senior Projects as graduation requirements.”

Mr. Littlefield is a highly visible and accessible leader who works diligently to personalize the learning environment for ALL students, especially the special education population. Bob’s leadership style includes a daily reference to the PHS School Mission statement during the morning announcements, a strong commitment to an inclusion model, and daily “learning walks” through the school. A teacher indicates that “Mr. Littlefield also does the simple things that help to brighten the day of teachers and students. Every morning, after leading the school in the Pledge of Allegiance, Mr. Littlefield wishes a happy birthday to those students celebrating birthdays that day. He is always thrilled to congratulate over the intercom a student or group of students for their successes in something... [and] one would be hard pressed to find a student at PHS who was unable to cite an important aspect of our school mission.” A parent adds “Bob Littlefield epitomizes the school’s motto (PHS C.A.R.E.S) in that he takes a genuine personal interest in each student’s development and activities at the school.”

RIASP will honor Mr. Littlefield at its May 22nd General Membership Meeting. His name has also been forwarded to NASSP for consideration in the National High School Principal-of-the-Year Contest. In the fall he will join other state winners at the MetLife Principal-of-the-Year Awards program in Washington.