It was a pleasure to read about the dramatic turnaround in the Bloomfield public schools. And it was extra special to recognize that one of our scholarship recipients has played a leadership role in this achievement.

Several years ago, the situation in the Bloomfield Schools was bleak. Test scores and graduation rates were low. Only half of the high school’s graduates enrolled in two- or four-year colleges.

The predominantly African-American school system offered a stark example of the achievement gap affecting minority and low-income students in Connecticut and throughout the nation.

Now, the picture is much brighter. According to an article by Robert A. Frahm in the CT Mirror, the dramatic improvement in academic performance in Bloomfield has captured the attention of state officials and education reform organizations.

Last year, 71 percent of 10th graders met the state proficiency standard on a statewide mathematics test, compared with 46 percent in 2011. And 89 percent of sophomores met the state standard in reading, up from 62 percent in 2011.

Bloomfield High School’s four-year graduation rate improved to 90 percent in 2014, from 74 percent in 2011. Last year, 72 percent of high school graduates went on to two- or four-year colleges, compared with 51 percent in 2009.

Dramatic improvements also have been accomplished in the lower grades, where 2000 Alma Exley Scholar Desi Nesmith has been a key leader.

In 2011, Mr. Nesmith was named principal of Metacomet School, one of two elementary schools in town. He was selected by James Thompson Jr., who had been named superintendent earlier that year.

Dr. Thompson had been hired to lead a turnaround in Bloomfield, based on his leadership record in the Hartford Schools. He had a vision of higher academic performance in Bloomfield, and Mr. Nesmith shared that vision.

Right at the start, the new principal established high expectations for academic performance at Metacomet. And his commitment to setting the bar high has paid off.

By 2013, third-grade classes had surpassed state averages in reading, writing and math on the Connecticut Mastery Test. The third-graders, almost all African-American and Latino children, far outperformed similar groups statewide. For example, 65 percent of Metacomet’s third graders met the state reading goal, compared with about one-third of minority third graders across the state.

What made the difference in Bloomfield? Dr. Thompson focused on strengthening academics, promoting good discipline and behavior, and forging ties with parents and the community. Teachers rewrote the curriculum to align it with statewide Common Core standards, and schools adopted new accountability plans.

The district started new after-school programs, added summer classes and provided additional training for teachers. Newly created school data teams regularly reviewed student academic performance.

The results caught the attention of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER), a statewide, business-sponsored non-profit group. The CCER issued a report describing the district’s reforms as a blueprint for narrowing the achievement gap.

Three years ago, Bloomfield received notoriety as one of 30 low-performing districts in the state designated for extra funding. Now, the CCER has singled out Bloomfield for making steady progress in all of its schools.

As someone who grew up in Bloomfield, attending Metacomet School in first grade, Desi Nesmith is gratified to have played a part in the resurgence of his hometown’s schools. But he and his colleagues are not resting on their laurels. They know there is much more to accomplish on behalf of the town and its students.

“We’re not complacent about it,” he said. “We’re not finished yet. There’s a long road ahead of us.”

Congratulations to Desi and all of his colleagues among the leadership and faculty of the Bloomfield Schools. Your achievement shows what can be accomplished through enlightened leadership that sets demanding goals and insists on accountability.

At the Alma Exley Scholarship Program, we have been focused on identifying committed future educators who have the potential to make a difference in the lives of their students. It’s most rewarding to see honorees like Desi Nesmith fulfilling their potential and having an impact.

– Woody Exley

Desi Nesmith, one of our earliest scholarship recipients, is constantly affirming the wisdom of our selection committee in identifying talent and character.

During his 13-year career as a teacher and principal, he has often been recognized for excellence in teaching and leadership. Last fall, he received the most prestigious of his numerous recognitions when he was given the $25,000 Milken Family Foundation Educator Award.

This week he announced at the Bloomfield Board of Education meeting that he is donating 10 percent of his prize to Bloomfield High School for a college scholarship for students who are preparing to become educators.

“When that (Milken Award) happened and all my students got to see it, I wanted to pay it forward,” said Mr. Nesmith, who was surprised by the award at an assembly he thought had been scheduled to celebrate students’s scores on state reading and writing tests.

Mr. Nesmith has served as principal of Metacomet School in his hometown of Bloomfield since September 2011. Since then, he and his colleagues have been recognized for the improvement their students have achieved in state standardized tests.

Mr. Nesmith attended Metacomet School in first and second grades, and he has chosen to name the scholarship in memory of his first grade teacher, Anne Stone Dowdy, who died in 2005.

“She laid down the foundation that game me a love of learning,” he said. “I still remember the things she taught us. She was stern but she loved you. You can’t fake that. She was one of those people you never forget.”

Bloomfield Schools Superintendent James Thompson was pleased and impressed by Mr. Nesmith’s establishment of the scholarship. “It’s a noble gesture on his part,” he said. “It speaks volumes about Desi’s character.”

Yes, it does. Since 2000, when our selection committee chose Desi to receive the Alma Exley Scholarship, we have been privileged to see him grow personally and professionally. He has gone on to have a positive   impact as an outstanding teacher and principal.

I am honored that he has agreed to serve as our featured speaker when we honor our newest recipient, Justis Lopez, at our annual reception on May 4. I’m sure he will offer an inspiring message to the future teachers in attendance.

– Woody Exley

Many of us are troubled by the realization that Connecticut has the nation’s largest educational achievement gap between English-language learners and students fluent in English. While many wring their hands and bemoan this sad fact, Violet Jiménez Sims is trying to do something about it.

Ms. Sims, whom we honored in 2008, has become an advocate for reform of the bilingual education system in Connecticut’s public schools. She served on a panel of educators who addressed this issue at a conference at Central Connecticut State University Feb 27-28. Earlier in February, she spoke at a forum on the topic at the New Britain Public Library.

Most recently, she posted an op-ed essay advocating reform in bilingual education in the CT Mirror online publication. We are reprinting it here.

Ms. Sims taught Spanish and English for Speakers of other Languages (ESL) for several years at New Britain High School and now is a bilingual educator and instructional coach at Manchester High School. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of Connecticut and is pursuing her doctorate at the University of Bridgeport.

Congratulations to Violet for working to make a difference. She is one of many Alma Exley Scholars who are having a positive impact in a variety of ways. Following is her op-ed from the CT Mirror. – Woody Exley

By Violet Jiménez Sims

Central Connecticut State University has taken the lead in speaking up for a marginalized sector of our population with the recent conference titled “Dos Días para Transforming Bilingual Education in Connecticut.”

This topic is especially important to the children, parents, and educators across Connecticut, as a recent Hartford Courant article pointed out the shameful fact that our state leads the nation with the largest achievement gap between English Language Learners (ELL) and their peers who are English fluent.  According to the article, the gap in Connecticut is 54 percent larger than the national average. Why is this happening? Several reasons.

First, Connecticut state statute limits bilingual education (defined as a program where students receive academic support in their native language) to a maximum of 30 months, even though well-established research shows that students need a minimum of five years to attain grade level proficiency in a second language.

Second, Connecticut does not fully embrace dual language models, the best way for children to reach fluency bilingually. There are only six dual-language schools in the entire state and cities such as New Britain have closed down these research-based programs that are thriving internationally and throughout the rest of the country.

For example, New York currently has hundreds of dual language schools and is expanding by as many as 40 new dual language schools this year. These models are superior because they allow both ELLs and monolingual English speakers to become fully bilingual.

Third, bilingual education in Connecticut is not equitable.   For example, affluent suburban communities, such as Avon and West Hartford, offer world language instruction kindergarten through high school.  Meanwhile, most ELLs attending Connecticut’s urban districts are at risk of losing their native language as their schools focus on pushing ELLs to acquire English with methods that sacrifice their first language, but do not lead to grade level proficiency; a process known in language acquisition theory as fossilization.  Therefore, suburban children have the privilege of becoming bilingual, while our urban students lose their home languages and half-learn English.

Local districts in Connecticut have wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on “get proficient quick” schemes, like Kevin Clark’s English Language Development (ELD) program, which have failed elsewhere and have been challenged by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.

Proponents of such programs claim that their data shows sharp improvements in English proficiency, but these results are skewed as they use assessments created by the same people that sell the programs and teachers are trained to “teach to the test.” The validity of these programs is highly undermined by assumptions and a lack of alignment to empirical research, or strong theory. Additionally, ELLs are segregated from their English-fluent peers for several hours a day, where they miss the other important academic subjects like Social Studies and Science. These corrupt practices must stop.

Properly educating our youth is beneficial to the entire population. Thank you to CCSU for taking the lead in Connecticut by hosting a much-needed conversation on how to change bilingual education in our state. Over 200 professionals participated. Our children and society depend on this continued valor.