A Message from the Superintendent: Instructional Coaches & Department Chairs

June 6, 2025

Earlier this week at a monthly ZOOM meeting with our PTA, I was asked to share more information with our community regarding next year’s proposal to strengthen all schools academically with increased Literacy and Math/Science coaches at the elementaries and Department Chairs at the Middle School. 

Instructional Coaches 

Eastchester’s strong commitment to the Sciences of Reading, Writing and Mathematics requires us to place a fulltime Literacy and fulltime Math/Science Coach in Waverly, Anne Hutchinson and Greenvale, if we are to seriously expect improvement in our children’s literacy, writing and math skills. 

An instructional coach dedicates the entire day to visiting teacher classrooms, providing model lessons, meeting with teachers individually and in small groups to discuss stronger methods and improved instructional materials to help our students learn better and learn more. 

New York State has launched a strong effort with Pre-K to Grade 3 Literacy Attestation and Mathematics Briefings to move the needle on standardizing effective practices and insisting on foundational skills so every student can succeed. 

Next year Literacy Coaches will be supporting our teachers to ensure the “Literacy Pillars” - Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary Fluency, Comprehension, Oral Language and Writing are present in each 90-120 minute daily Language Arts Block. Likewise, Math/Science coaches will be emphasizing math fluency, curriculum advances in thinking about math and science and systematic approaches to engender students' love for math and science combined with strong basic skills. 
 

Department Chairs

Our high school has enjoyed 9-12 Department Chairs for years. Our middle school has not. 

I asked why not?

Grades 6,7,8 are secondary grades leading to high school. Do we not deserve leadership in English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Special Education at our early secondary levels comparable to grades 9-12? Should not middle school chairs meet regularly with EMS staff to improve curriculum, strengthen teacher training, discover better ways to assess student performance and increase achievement? Should middle and high school chairs meet regularly to test our courses, electives, programs and curriculum against 21st century excellence standards? Should not our middle level students enjoy the same accessibility to lead teachers in a department as our high school pupils rightfully have? 

And finally, over the past three years we have worked hard to increase staff, programs and events in the visual and performing arts as well as better collaboration amongst all K-12 English Native Language (ENL) teachers. 

This is the moment to capitalize on the high growth in our elementary schools general music, band, chorus and orchestra programs to appoint a K-12 District Chair for the Performing Arts and a K-12 Visual Arts Chairs. Likewise a K-12 ENL Chair to ensure best practices and continuity of instruction for our non-English speaking students, now numbering more than 10% of our student body. 

So there you have it… I hope this both helps next year's understanding of instructional coaches and chairs…and, as importantly, prompts more questions and evaluation of these initiatives. 

   Sincerely, 

 Ronald D. Valenti, Ph.D.

 Superintendent of Schools