Silverman overhauled curriculum and instruction with the overwhelming support of teachers and credits their "reciprocal respect" as one of the secrets behind the district's award-winning achievements in the face of many challenges.

BTB: How did the student population surge affect Beach Park School District 3?

MS: Beach Park School District 3 experienced what many other suburban school districts across the country deal with—rapid student population growth, changes to demographics, and a wider range of learners entering classrooms each year. While space concerns were being addressed, the academic performance of our students plummeted. For example, in 1999, third grade performance on state reading tests illustrated that 76 percent of students met or exceeded the Illinois learning standards. By 2004, only 54 percent of third-graders met or exceeded learning standards on the same tests.

BTB: That's a significant drop in a relatively short time period. What did you do to address it?

MS: We quickly realized we needed to amend our instructional strategies and adopt new curriculum to meet the needs of our growing heterogeneous student population. In some grades, tremendous performance gaps existed between various student groups, and those needed to be remedied. Collectively, we adopted the mindset that all children can learn, and all children will learn in our district.

The one-size-fits-all approach that may have worked ten years ago does not work anymore. You can't provide 176 days of lecture-based, whole-group reading instruction to a diverse group of students—25 percent are going to struggle with the text, and 15 percent of top students are going to need something extra to keep them from becoming bored or disruptive. Our district had to change its approach to help our students learn.

BTB: What changes did you implement in the classroom?

We eradicated fragmented reading instruction and replaced it with a ninety-minute literacy block. We also applied a flexible intervention model in which teachers would use both the core reading curriculum and intervention programming during daily literacy instruction. It could be described as a modified guided reading approach for students several years below grade level. Students were placed either in small groups for intervention or in leveled reading groups. The classroom teacher delivered instruction to the intervention group while the teaching assistant supported the small groups.

The key to this model was the integration of the core curriculum with all of the students. By about mid-year, teachers were able to phase out the intervention programming so the lowest-performing students were fully integrated and experienced success in the leveled reading groups. Students still received support and individual attention in the leveled reading groups as the teacher continued to monitor the acquisition of skills.

The changes didn't just take place in the primary grades; they trickled down to kindergarten level. As we implemented our new curriculum, we transitioned our half-day kindergarten program into a comprehensive, full-day program. It was a perfect time to broaden the curriculum with early literacy instruction.

BTB: We understand the director of curriculum position didn't exist before you assumed the role four years ago. How did you ensure a smooth transition with teachers during a period of unprecedented growth?

MS: Successful leadership stems from reciprocal respect and transparent thinking. I don't have a hidden agenda. My agenda is doing what's best for students. It's an agenda shared by our teachers and administrators.

I spent a lot of time having one-on-one conversations with teachers in their classrooms as well as with building principals. We talked and analyzed data together so I could ask questions and get their feedback. There's a lot of intellectual capital in our district, and I take advantage of that by building relationships. I want teachers to listen to me and believe in my decision-making skills because I take the time to listen to them. It's about reciprocal respect and collaborative representation—they represent me, and I represent them.

Personally, I am a very hands-on, whatever-it-takes kind of person. It's the little things that speak volumes. If a teacher or principal calls me or e-mails me, I get back to them that day because I expect them to do the same with parents. If they need me to move a desk or watch their students, I will do it. I am an administrator who hasn't forgotten my roots as a teacher and principal.

BTB: How did all the time spent building relationships with teachers affect the reading program?

MS: I always share the same thought with our teachers and our leadership team—the bottom line is we're in a human-based business. Our output is the learning and skill development of children and that requires communication, understanding, and trust. You can bring in an outstanding curriculum, but without reciprocal respect among educators and administrators, it's not going to have as much of an impact.

I might have been able to implement the reading program in less time by forcing compliance. But by looking at what's important to the district from all sides, I decided slower was better. We took an entire year to implement our reading program, and it paid off.

In 2005, third-graders' reading scores jumped to 72 percent meeting or exceeding state standards, up from 54 percent in 2004. And we just keep getting better. Most recently, third-graders' reading scores rose to 83 percent. As a district, we've achieved great success by working together.

BTB: How do you sustain an upward trend and build on your accomplishments?

MS: You have to believe in yourself, in your district, and in your students. You have to gladly accept any challenge and take it on with great expectations of success. It's incredible how the district improved to such a large degree and that now one of our elementary schools has more than 90 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards. We've come a long way since implementation. The performance gap is closing, and achievement for all students is increasing.

The Illinois Interactive Report Card gives out School House Awards every year. Three schools in our district received the Academic Improvement Award for three years of sustained standardized test result growth, and our highest-performing school was recognized for closing the achievement gap. I am so proud of all of our accomplishments.

Now that we're hitting the state benchmarks, we're working on bringing it to the next level. We want to do whatever it takes to compete with school districts across the country because we believe in unlimited possibilities.