Salem’s new school chief hopes to achieve quality

Photo

Cathy Sanor Salem Schools

The new superintendent is seeking excellence.

SALEM — Thomas P. Bratten, the new superintendent of the Salem School District, is pushing education.

Bratten took over Aug. 1 and is already outlining changes for students.

Keep in mind, he has been on the job for such a short time that he said that nothing in his office was his.

Before his hiring, he was the principal at Canton South High School.

His goal, Bratten said, is to achieve quality, not only in the state’s highest ranking for schools, but overall.

Math and science are being stressed at the high school, and the junior high will study the language arts and reading along with the READ 180 program, a multi-task, computer-based curriculum designed to increase skills in all areas.

Academically, Bratten said, “It’s a whole new redesign.”

The problem traditionally has been, “The kid didn’t get chapter one and the class is moving to chapter two,” he said.

Part of the changes to address that issue has been the focus of Cathy Sanor, the district’s director of technology. She’s worked for the district for a year.

Teachers have gone through two days of work on the new computer system. The educational model can be used because of greater access to standard computer programs.

In the past, teachers, administrators and family had to wait for the grade results for the first nine weeks of schools. If there was a problem, the teachers or staff would have to go back and try to determine why the student wasn’t learning.

Teachers occasionally got behind on grading and would send several tests scores in late. Now, teachers can input grades to make the system work smoothly.

Bratten said the 10-year-old computer program “has some glitches, but when it is up, it’s very smooth. It keeps your grades up to date.”

People who want to find out how their child is doing can also log in, which helps to bring technology into the home, Sanor said.

The new program would also help address some of education’s longtime problems, such as high school students’ falling behind or leaving school.

“When students feel helpless, they stop trying,” Bratten said.

When that happens, he said, “you give your hand to them and show them your heart.”

In the past, students could drop out and make a living fixing cars. That’s not possible with today’s complex vehicles. The school is promoting engineering management and biomedicine for those interested in the health field.

Bratten added that he and the administration want to be good stewards of the public funds.

wilkinson@vindy.com