At a recent school board meeting, Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) Superintendent Jack Silva outlined his key BASD Priorities for 2024-25, focusing on improving academic achievement and reducing absenteeism. Silva, in his second year as superintendent, emphasized the importance of enhancing math and literacy outcomes, particularly aiming to boost reading proficiency by third grade.
Silva’s plan also targets chronic absenteeism, which has worsened post-pandemic, with various strategies aimed at student engagement and attendance improvement. Equity remains central to his multi-year goals, as the district works toward eliminating race and family income as predictors of school success.
Focus on Academic Achievement: Math and Literacy
A critical element of Silva’s BASD Priorities for 2024-25 is improving student performance in math and literacy, areas in which the district has struggled in recent years. In 2023, only 42.1% of BASD students achieved proficiency in English language arts, and only 25.9% were proficient in math, according to the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). These scores, the lowest in Northampton County, indicate the need for targeted interventions and data-driven approaches.
Silva highlighted the district’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that all students can read by third grade, describing it as the “biggest turnkey in our system.” This initiative will remain a priority while the district works to expand efforts to boost math proficiency at all grade levels. Silva believes that while state assessments are important, the district’s internal efforts and the data they collect will be the true measure of success.
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism
Another major focus of the BASD Priorities for 2024-25 is reducing chronic absenteeism, a problem that has worsened for many districts across the country since the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days, which equates to 18 days per year for students in BASD. Silva explained that improving attendance is critical for overall student success and is a key indicator of future academic performance.
To address this issue, the district is implementing various attendance strategies, including mentoring programs and greater communication between parents and teachers. School Director Emily Schenkel advocated for improving communication tools and translation services to ensure that all families are informed and engaged. Additionally, Silva mentioned that extracurricular activities and affinity groups have been shown to improve student attendance, though causality is often difficult to measure.
Multi-Year Goals and Equity Focus
Beyond the immediate BASD Priorities for 2024-25, Silva has set several multi-year goals designed to strengthen the district’s leadership, financial stability, and operational efficiency. He plans to work closely with the school board and his executive cabinet to ensure long-term success for the district.
Equity is at the heart of Silva’s strategic vision for BASD. The district remains committed to eliminating race and family income as predictors of school success, with Silva emphasizing that equity will be a central component in all of the district’s initiatives. This includes ensuring that all students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Silva also aims to enhance the district’s organizational leadership and maintain strong community partnerships, which will be crucial for achieving the district’s broader goals, including improving facilities and workforce development.
How this Relates to the Pennsylvania Integrity Network (PIN)
The priorities outlined by Superintendent Jack Silva for the BASD Priorities for 2024-25 closely align with the core values of the Pennsylvania Integrity Network (PIN), particularly around transparency, accountability, and equity in education. Silva’s focus on improving academic performance, reducing absenteeism, and addressing systemic inequities reflects PIN’s commitment to creating an education system that serves all students fairly, regardless of their background.
PIN advocates for transparency in public institutions, which is evident in Silva’s commitment to using data-driven methods to track and improve student outcomes. This aligns with PIN’s mission to hold public officials accountable and ensure that decisions made by educational leaders are clear, measurable, and focused on the needs of the community. Silva’s pledge to improve communication between teachers, parents, and students also supports the broader goal of building trust and ensuring that every voice is heard.
Moreover, Silva’s emphasis on equity within the school district, particularly his dedication to eliminating race and family income as predictors of success, directly mirrors PIN’s advocacy for fair and equitable access to education for all students. This approach ensures that no student is left behind due to socioeconomic status or racial background, aligning with PIN’s ongoing efforts to push for inclusive policies within Pennsylvania’s education system.
By fostering equity, improving transparency, and using data to drive decisions, Silva’s BASD Priorities for 2024-25 reflect the kind of leadership that PIN strives to promote in school districts across the state. This article highlights the importance of these values and demonstrates how they can be implemented at a district level, reinforcing PIN’s mission to drive positive, systemic change in Pennsylvania’s public institutions.
Conclusion: A Clear Path Forward for BASD
Superintendent Jack Silva’s BASD Priorities for 2024-25 outline a clear and focused strategy for addressing the district’s most pressing challenges. His emphasis on academic achievement, student attendance, and equity reflects his commitment to ensuring that every student in the Bethlehem Area School District has the opportunity to succeed.
As BASD moves forward with these priorities, the district’s use of data-driven approaches, combined with Silva’s leadership, will be instrumental in overcoming the challenges ahead and creating a stronger, more equitable educational environment for all students.
Article Originally Published on LehighValleyNews.com
