MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Martirano is making good on his pledge to visit all 55 county school districts, and will be in the Eastern Panhandle through Friday.
Along with an opportunity to personally introduce himself, Martirano is also taking advantage of this quality time to share his vision for the future entitled “One Voice, One Focus: All Students Achieving,” said communications executive director Liza Cordeiro.
“All children can and will learn” is the core value behind the recently released West Virginia superintendent of schools entry and vision plan, Cordeiro said. It includes six distinct goals and 10 priorities, she said.
Martirano, who began his new job in September, has been in education for 30 years – serving in a variety of positions including work as a science teacher, principal and visiting professor at John Hopkins University. Most recently, he served as superintendent of St. Mary’s County Public Schools in Leonardtown, Maryland.
He’ll be with Berkeley County Schools’ officials, staff and students Wednesday. His agenda includes visiting several places including Musselman High, the Mountain Ridge campus in Gerrardstown, Spring Mills Middle School – followed by lunch at Spring Mills High. In the afternoon, and he’ll be at Eagle School and Burke Street Elementary, Cordeiro said.
Thursday will be spent in Jefferson County, while he’ll also visit Morgan County on Friday morning before returning to Charleston that afternoon, she said.
“The plan itself is Dr. Martirano’s initiative and it is very in-depth, which is another reason he’s eager to get to all of these various communities to talk to educators, students and parents,” Cordeiro said.
In an earlier press release, Martirano introduced the program, saying, “I am committed to taking student achievement to a much higher level by increasing opportunities, increasing rigor and, with a one voice focus, providing a fierce level of urgency ‘of now’ for the educational priorities for all of our young people.”
His priorities include creating a robust listening and learning communication opportunity; establishing an organizational structure for the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE); ensuring that resources are aligned to the vision plan’s goals and priorities; convening a key advisory group of educational leaders; ensuring that teaching and learning is designed and aligned to produce more high school graduates; and, delineating a clear and focused set of 10 World-class Educational System Priorities, according to the press release.
The 10 World-class Educational System Priorities include opportunities such as closing achievement gaps among student groups and increasing graduation rates, developing extensive and meaningful parent and community relationships, and establishing safe learning environments, it states.
Martirano holds a Doctorate of Education degree in school management and instructional leadership from Nova Southeastern University, two Master of Education degrees and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland.
He was selected the 2009 Superintendent of the Year in Maryland and a 2010 Innovator of the Year by the Maryland Daily Record.
