All Schools, All A's, Three Years in a Row.

I consider the time that I partnered with Mark Rolewski to address our district’s middle school instructional outcomes to be the highlight of my professional career as an Executive Director of Middle School Education.  His integrity, insight and support of our efforts to bring about school improvement were absolutely crucial in bringing about change to a grade level that had a long history of operating as a collection of highly independent schools.  A collection of schools that produced mixed learning results that tracked along socio-economic lines within schools and between schools. 

A direct result of his commitment to work with the constituents of these schools was the creation of a middle school system that became collectively committed, mutually supportive and jointly supportive.  Collectively committed to maximizing the learning of all students, regardless of their socio-economic background.  Mutually accountable to each other for the learning results of all students within schools and among schools.  And, jointly supportive in sharing resources and information for the benefit of all middle school students in the district.

The outcome of this effort resulted in unprecedented improved learning results for middle school students. For three consecutive years every SCPS middle school earned a grade of “A.”  The first and only school district in Florida to ever achieve this feat!  Far more significant than these  school grades was the fact that more middle grades students than ever before, many of whom were from lower socio-economic environments, changed their status from non-proficient to proficient.  This had the important effect of opening more doors of opportunity for these students.       

It’s this kind of impact that Mark can bring to any district.  The breadth of his experience and understanding of education from the macro-level of policy making to the micro-level of how learning occurs in the human brain is beyond anything I encountered during my professional career.  His ability to relate to and effectively communicate with every constituent group is also the best I have ever seen. 

Dr. Ron Pinnell, Retired
Executive Director of Middle School Education 
Executive Director of Human Resources & Professional Standards
Director of Leadership Pathways
Seminole County Public Schools
Chair Department of Education, Stetson University