He said he was also drawn by the district and school boards passion for equity and mission statement to bring students a quality education so that they can better their community while being global citizens. I wanted to go to a military school. c***@oside.us. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. Anyone reading articles, research and more, both academic and not, knows this. Chief Master Sgt. He received a bachelor of science in mathematics at California State University, San Marcos, in 1997 before teaching math, algebra, college preparation and computer science in Poway. So thats the conversation that were going to actually have. Im not sure if youre familiar with the High Tech High School System, mainly in the San Diego area, but they do whats called learn by doing. Its about accumulating these skills so I can use these skills to make the United States or the globe a better place, and to really tackle pressing economic issues and global issues like COVID. Hurst got his start in the education field in San Diego County, after serving 12 years in the Marines; he served combat duty in Desert Storm and was a drill instructor, communications specialist and maintenance supervisor at Camp Pendleton. Then you have whats called the summer slide, so they get even further behind because of the three months that theyre off during the summer. Dr. Chris Hurst, Superintendent of WCCUSD and the Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA) led the effort to raise the Pan-African flag at all schools and at the district office for . Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is the 10th permanent superintendent in West Contra Costa Unified School District History. Sylvester Greenwood and Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc each served one-year terms as interim . (The school) became a college-going community, and the beginning of a journey for me: where I could see how you can implement effective strategies in a struggling community and really change the outcomes for students and their lives, Hurst said. College and Covid: Freshman Year Disrupted, Education During Covid: Families Struggle to Learn. Hurst should identify a few professional practices such as Explicit Instruction or Formative Assessment with Descriptive Feedback and develop a plan to implement, monitor, and hold everyone accountable for the execution of these aligned practices at very high performance levels. Im a big proponent on ethnic studies, so youre going to see that happening in our district. Buffy Wicks, and his third to ex-WCCUSD trustee, now State Supt. He earned a master of arts in educational administration in 2008 and a Doctorate in Education in K-12 Leadership, at the University of Southern California in 2011. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. Dr. And how do we get them to understand that students are bringing in differences? Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, 60, who served as a superintendent at a school district in Washington state, will be West Contra Costa Unified's first permanent Black superintendent. Thats the kind of role model I want to be. But WCCUSD spent just $450 (3%) more per student than Oceanside did last year yet (a) Oceanside has only 61% disadvantaged vs 71% in WCCUSD, Read More. Categorical Instructional Support Services (CISS), Early Learning Pre-K to Adult Educational Operations, Office of African American Student Achievement (OAASA), Teacher Support and Assistance Program (TSAP), Community Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), Research, Assessment, Accountability & Data (RAAD), West Contra Costa Unified School District, I am excited to join the WCCUSD Community, Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). And I really am now interested in making sure that that doesnt happen to kids, which is why Im really invested in education but especially in systemic inequities and vertical inequities within the system. His approach to collaborative leadership and knowledge of teaching strategies, as well as community involvement, are just what we need here in West Contra Costa.. His military service includes Maintenance Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19911993), Combat Duty (Desert Storm), Saudi Arabia (19901991), Communications Instructor/Supervisor at Camp Pendleton (19881990), Drill Instructor, San Diego (19861988), and Communications Specialist at Camp Pendleton (19821986). We have to look at our training for our principals, because our principals have responsibility of going into the classrooms and being able to identify what are the elements of culturally responsive teaching, what does great teaching look like, and ensuring that theyre providing really good authentic feedback to those teachers as well, thats going to build their capacity. Its going to take a community effort, to take all of us working together as one for a shared vision., Currently, only four of the states 30 largest school districts have Black superintendents. During his five years at Othello, graduation rates increased from 71% to 87%, and absences declined by 33%, he said. He spent 6 years as a principal and assistant principal in Oceanside, including the turnaround principal for Jefferson Middle and Oceanside High schools. What the research says is that most of the growth that were going to see over the next several years is going to be from students coming from Spanish-speaking populations, and from Mandarin-speaking populations. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Email. And sometimes were just like sitting on the couch and she has a book and I have a book and were just kind of reading together in the same room, or Im working on a laptop or something like that. El Cerrito students play at West Contra Costa Unified's Korematsu Middle School during recess before the Covid-19 pandemic. My dad was my role model and he showed me how to be a man, and he showed me how to carry myself, and he showed me how to be a person of integrity and a person with ethics and values and morals. Were not going to let anyone hosannah you in and crucify you out, Smith-Folds told Hurst at the meeting, said, alluding to an often typical pattern of welcoming incoming superintendents as a savior for all the districts problems, before disillusionment sets in, and they are forced out. Chris Hurst's Phone Number and Email. So my whole concept is making sure that we get curriculum in front of our kids, that [we get] role models for our kids that look like them. And how do our teachers address and work with those differences as well? We are presenting to this community someone who can help and I say help because nobody can do this work alone take us to the next level, board president Mister Phillips said at the school board meeting. Thats had a positive impact on students everywhere he has worked, he said. The Bay Area is a liberal place with perhaps the worst economic inequality in the country, and until that changes, WCCUSD will have the same outcomes. Hell get better at his craft, but he is a sitting superintendent with a track record of success, not just where he currently is, but everywhere hes gone, from what I can see.. The Vancouver Public Schools board of directors narrowed the selection for superintendent to two candidates after meeting in executive session on Tue., Feb. 23. Please look for Dr. Hurst's e. Superintendent Dr. Kenneth "Chris" Hurst, Sr. is WCCUSD's 10th permanent superintendent. He wants to hear from everyone at the district to see what strategies they can come up with together. of Schools, Tony Thurmond, to do likewise. Join to connect . If we develop our teachers and our principals, then theyre going to provide quality instruction, because theres a lot of research between a good teacher, an average teacher and an expert teacher. Education | General | Kennedy High School | community. 12/31/2022 7:59 PM. I have seen him on the phone, while emailing someone and texting yet another about a different issue, Stevenson said via email. Its an unhealthy system. So whenever you have all this diversity coming in, and you have a teaching force that really is not equipped and prepared to engage with the language barriers and the cultural diversity, thats when you see as some of these issues that are happening. Chris Hurst Superintendent, West Contra Costa Unified School District. There are some other pieces that are priorities for me but I would say those are the top two priorities. They focus a lot on design thinking, a process which is out of Stanford as well, which is a problem-solving approach. He also implemented Othellos K-12 pathway, the Districts Social-Emotional Learning Standards. Some students may define their success as going into a career field of their choice, or some may define success, another different way. Dr. Hurst also served as an administrator in the San Diego Unified and Poway Unified school districts. Following that, he received his doctorate in education at the University of Southern California in 2011. More than half of the districts students are Latino, 14% are Black, 10% are white, and 8% are Asian. At Oceanside High School, Dr. Hurst led double-digit growth in the schools academic growth performance. His acumen in social justice, equity, and focus on accelerating student achievement here is impressive. He needs to acknowledge or review the abuse of the lowest performing students not given lunches, substitutes and other such things I witnessed myself. But this is its first permanent African American appointee. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy. If we build those early literacy skills, then we have more literate students and theyre ready to engage in the learning when theyre in kindergarten. As the incoming superintendent, I am eager to work within our learning community to confront and address issues of systemic racism, implicit bias, and ensuring growth mindset at every level of the organization, Dr. Hurst said. He also boosted the districts linked learning programs, which integrate academics with real-world work experiences. Before taking the job in May, Hurst was superintendent of the Othello School District in Othello, Washington, for five years, where he is credited with increasing graduation rates and decreasing overall student absences. At USC, I had a professor that showed me how to challenge the system, and that you cant just go on to public education and accept the condition that its in, that we have to literally rewrite the script. What happens is when kids arent being read to, theyre not reading, they come into kindergarten already behind. He started his educational career in Poway Unified as a math and computer programming and computer science teacher. I think its inspirational, motivational, and I know people will look up to me as a positive African American role model.. So its going to be really important that our teachers check in individually with our students and really find out whats happening. But she actually is very efficient in technology.
