Superintendent Pope Moves Forward in "New Culture of Learning"

Accountability. Integrity. High Achievement. Expectations.

These are the core concepts and values of first-year School Superintendent Anthony Pope. And make no mistake about it — these tenets are already ingrained in everyone associated with the .

Raised in a family of six by his mother in Houston, Pope was the only one to attend college, certainly not surprising for inner-city youth in the 1980s.

He graduated with bachelor's degrees in history and psychology from Houston Baptist University, a small private school in the city.

In 1992 when he was in his mid-20s, he taught U.S. history to sixth-graders and coached the eighth-grade football team. Typical of first-year teachers, he was like a thoroughbred out of the starting gate — all fired up and wearing blinders that were solely focused on the kids in his class.

He thought he was on the fast track and dreamed of becoming a superintendent. He even told his class that he wanted to be in a position where he could make a difference in the lives of children.

"My passion for education is really grounded to be purpose-driven and to fight for all children. I think it's about social justice for all children," Pope said. "So early on I knew I wanted to be a public educator.

"At the end of the year, I had my students evaluate me. Just recently before I took this job, I found a letter from one of my students from 1992 which read, 'I know one day you'll be a superintendent and you'll do a lot for kids.'

"So I always try to make those connections. That's why when you see me push, it's because I believe anything is possible," Pope said.

His second year in the classroom was an awakening. The former laser vision and first-year innocence was replaced by an uneasy sense that politics was a major component within the public education environment.

"I stared seeing decisions that were not being made in the best interest of kids, and I asked myself, 'Do I really want to be a part of this?' "

So during this period, Pope said he was considering entering law school and getting an MBA.

Then an assistant principal tapped me him on the shoulder and asked, 'Have you ever thought about going into administration?'

That brought him back to his original plan, and he prepared himself to follow that route as far as it would take him.

In his third year he taught in an alternative school for behaviorally challenged students and worked on his master's degree, which he finished in one year.

From there, he became an assistant principal at the alternative school; assistant principal at a district school in Houston which had 4,500 students, about the same as Marlborough; and  was accepted to the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in its urban superintendents program.

At Harvard, he finished his doctoral dissertation, which focused on principal instructional leadership and the relationship between central office and schools … and how that relationship bolsters instructional leadership.

He then worked in the Boston public schools within the central office, Providence public schools as the executive director for high schools, supervising 14 principals, and as an assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction in Stamford, CT, which has about 15,000 students.

Another stint in Texas as assistant superintendent over curriculum and instruction in a school district of 68,000 students was a prelude to returning to Massachusetts as principal of Weymouth High for two years before landing the superintendent's job in Marlborough.

"Marlborough was attractive because the diversity here is so rich. I feel this community has great potential to do great things," Pope said.

In his first year in Marlborough, Pope has outlined a four-year plan -- called Believe 2016 -- for teachers, students, administrators, parents and the community, which will transform the culture of education in the city.

"I think you have to create a sense of urgency. Sometimes I don't think we keep that front and center. The reason why we're here is student achievement. At the end of the day, everything we do is about student achievement," Pope said.

Outreach and communication are also important components in his plan. Forums, parent, community and school advisory councils, "Workout Wednesdays," which may include Pope, parents and/or other stakeholders of education walking around town, usually concluding with a discussion about the schools and their future. 

By 2020, Pope said he envisions Marlborough offering a world-class curriculum, internships, and opportunities for students to explore a number of careers before they graduate from high school.

"I see a school community where teachers are professionally developed in a consistent manner, and a district that has outlined the goals, objectives and benchmarks on how to get there. We'll measure progress along the way, we'll be consistently focused on the instruction core and we'll have high expectations — and this is key — for children and adults.

"I also see a community for parents where they'll see different pathways and choices for children, and they'll have confidence in our schools.

"It'll be also important that we have a localized accountability system for everyone in the system. All of this equals a culture for learning." 

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