SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Springfield Public Schools celebrated success stories on Friday while also acknowledging struggles with literacy and attendance. Western Mass News got answers on the district’s latest plan to improve their overall statistics.

Springfield Public Schools Class of 2017 graduate Brandin Stewart never imagined he’d make it out of the city, at least not without facing the challenges he did while he was a student. Now, he’s a Marine Corps naval aviator who has earned his wings, “just learning to work with both the negative and the positives and stuff like that to get to where I was at now.”

He was the keynote speaker at the Springfield Public Schools “State of the Schools”, getting the chance to share his success story.

Dr. Sonia Dinnall, Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools told Western Mass News that the district has come a long way since Stewart graduated, hence why he was chosen to speak at Friday’s event, “I wanted to showcase our best and our brightest and let them see the results of all the hard work of our educators who show up every day giving their best and teaching from a place of passion and purpose.”

However, the State of the Schools is not just about success, “we have lots of room for growth, and we look forward to working together to forge solutions to our thorny problems and make sure that we shrink that achievement gap.”

The Superintendent highlighted the district’s new strategic growth plan during her address, spotlighting four specific priorities that, according to data gathered by the district, is really struggling. Those priorities include early literacy, middle school transformation, college and career readiness, and post-secondary success.

This plan will be combined with the district’s current expectations titled “Portrait of a Graduate,” which prioritizes student skills and attributes needed to find success in college and their careers.

The long-term goal, raise student attendance, graduation rates, MCAS scores, and post-secondary scenarios like college enrollment and job placement.

“This strategic growth plan will allow us to come together as a community, wrap our arms around the students of Springfield Public Schools, and ensure that they are living up to all of the expectations,” Dinnall said.

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