Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike, accompanied by Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member Kristen Smidy and Rob LePage, assistant secretary of career education, visited the Westfield Intermediate School on Monday. The group was greeted at the door with a gift from Koda the Polar Bear portrayed by sixth grader Edward Matovich.
Zrike was appointed secretary of education in February by Gov. Maura Healey, replacing former Secretary Patrick Tutwiler. Previously, Zrike had served as superintendent in Salem, and before that had led the Holyoke and Wakefield Public Schools.
Before convening in the school library to address the district principals who were able to join, Westfield Intermediate School Principal Mary Claire St. James took the group, which included Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and members of his administrative team, around to fifth and sixth grade classrooms where students were working on math problems in small groups on whiteboards.
Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski said he appreciated Zrike’s background as a teacher, principal and superintendent.
“I tried really hard to hire him in Holyoke,” the secretary said about Czaporowski. Addressing the educators, he described Westfield as a gateway city, with all of the problems of an urban area, but he complimented its approach and areas of focus.
For example, Westfield has adopted a portrait of a graduate, which Zrike said was important work.
He said kids working together to design their own work is important. “We won’t increase the outcomes unless kids own their work; we are creating dependent learners,” he said.
Zrike said that, at the state level, officials are having conversations about early literacy and pre-K. “We’re going to push really hard in the pre-K review to have pre-K (be) part of Chapter 70,” he said, adding that the focus on getting kids to read has to happen before third grade.
“We have to make sure as a state that a high school diploma means more than a piece of paper,” he said, adding that it’s okay to pull MCAS as a graduation requirement, but it’s “not fine” to have no graduation requirement.
Regarding equity, Zrike said the most equitable thing they can do is ensure everyone can read at or above grade level. “We have a responsibility to make sure every kid can read.” He said that, regarding equity, there must be high standards for all kids. “No kid leaves third grade without being able to read.”
Zrike acknowledged Westfield’s work in learning pathways, career technical education and early college work. “These kinds of learning opportunities go a long way,” he said.
“We’re going to lean on places like here (Westfield) that have a lot of momentum around that.”
“I’m really excited (to have) financial literacy and AI literacy be part of the graduation requirement,” Zrike said. He said he was concerned that only students attending career and technical education schools are exposed to them. He said his dream is that every student graduates with CTE exposure, college credits, financial literacy and a minimum of AI literacy.
Czaporowski said 336 students in Westfield participate in early college.
Zrike predicted that entry-level jobs will be filled by AI. “Kids prepared in the traditional way are going to be unemployed. Right now, 50% of jobs require some sort of AI skills. Students feel underprepared,” he said, adding, “Any work you can do right now to move in that direction.”
“Lastly, we have to innovate more; we have rested on our laurels,” Zrike told the educators. He said Massachusetts is the birthplace of public education, but over the last 10 to 15 years, “we haven’t cultivated enough innovation.”
“How do we figure out a way to invest in research and development -- that’s what we’re missing… There are ways to be more flexible. We need districts to be able to take those chances. We want people to choose public schools, and see them as innovative spaces,” said Zrike.
Czaporowski asked if anything was happening at the state level to get more students into teaching. He said Westfield State had four teachers who graduated last year and were going into special education.
Zrike agreed that it is difficult to find teachers. “In Holyoke, I was very scarred at how hard it was to find educators,” he said, adding that DESE has oversight on educating educators and there will be more monitoring.
After the visit, the group went to Westfield Barnes Airport to tour the Aviation program at Hangar 2.