Two School Leaders Bring Joy to Student and Staff Learning

When Wendy Crocker-Roberge, the former principal of Pyne Arts Magnet School in Lowell, Massachusetts, made the bold decision to replace a content literacy teacher with a dance instructor following the pandemic school closures, some found the move unconventional.

Despite initial skepticism, the school’s focus on enhancing students’ social skills and academic endurance through arts-related activities like dance classes yielded positive results. Crocker-Roberge shared that both attendance rates and academic performance saw improvements during her presentation at the National Conference on School Leadership on Tuesday.

To achieve this transformation, Pyne Arts Magnet incorporated more arts-related activities into its core curriculum and introduced dedicated arts classes. Through significant staff development and support facilitated by a private-public partnership, math classes now integrate dance exercises, and visual art is integrated into 8th-grade algebra lessons, according to Crocker-Roberge, who now serves as the chief schools officer for Lowell Public Schools.

Despite the innovative changes, there were no shifts in administrative roles or expectations for Crocker-Roberge as a school leader.

“The key change that enabled this was a shift in mindset regarding what was achievable, both on my part and that of my teachers and staff. Our test scores not only did not decline; they actually improved,” Crocker-Roberge emphasized.

David Anderson, principal of S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Lowell, shared the strategies his school adopted to tackle declining attendance rates. By analyzing attendance data, the school identified days with low turnout and transformed them into engaging experiences for students.

One notable example was the school’s response to a 37% attendance rate on the day preceding Thanksgiving break. To address this, the school organized STEM challenges featuring enjoyable activities and competitions to attract students to campus.