Distress panel leader: Youngstown schools need to believe they can succeed

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The outgoing chairwoman of the Youngstown City Schools Academic Distress Commission says city school students are capable of making academic strides, but not enough people believe it.

“You have some very good teachers, some very good administrators and there’s the possibility of turning students into some very high performers,” said Adrienne O’Neill.

The first step to making that happen is belief or vision, she said.

“I don’t think enough people really believe Youngstown City Schools can perform at a high level,” O’Neill said.

But the district has shown progress, she said.

Another weakness O’Neill sees in the Youngstown district is an inability to stay organized around a task for a long period of time.

“You have to set out a plan, work the plan and stay with the plan for at least five years,” she said.

In the past, the district would implement a plan but abandon it when improvement didn’t happen right away.

Superintendent Connie Hathorn says the district is committed to the academic recovery plan developed by the commission.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.