Inspire and Challenge Every Child Every
Day
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1000 Pennsylvania Avenue
l
Claymont, Delaware 19703-1237
CRAIG A. GILBERT
(302) 793-5000
l
www.brandywineschools.org President,
Board of Education
DANE A. BRANDENBERGER,
Ed.D. NANCY
A. DOOREY
Interim
Superintendent Vice
President, Board of Education
NEWS
RELEASE
DATE: July 24, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rob Ziegler, PIO
(302) 793-5009
Craig A. Gilbert, Board President
(302)
475-5309
BRANDYWINE SELECTS FINALIST
IN SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH
Wilmington - The Brandywine School
District Board of Education has named Dr. James
Scanlon as the finalist in the Brandywine
Superintendent search. The Board is expected to
make a final decision regarding Dr. Scanlon’s
candidacy at its August 21st Board
meeting, after receiving community and staff
input and visiting Dr. Scanlon’s current
district.
Dr. Scanlon, 47, is currently the Superintendent
of Schools for The Quakertown Community School
District (QCSD) of Quakertown, Pennsylvania, a
post he has held since 1999. Quakertown is a
suburban district of 5,500 students (K-12),
located 40 miles north of Philadelphia.
When Scanlon was appointed there, QCSD’s
elementary and middle school state test scores
were at or below the state average; today they
are among the highest in Pennsylvania, and the
district overall ranks in the top 20% of the 501
districts. Among the thirteen districts in
Bucks County, QCSD ranks in the bottom three for
median household income, yet achievement levels
now rival the wealthiest districts. For the
four years that schools have received ratings
under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all
eleven schools have met the criteria for
adequate yearly progress, every year. The
college attendance rate of graduates has
increased under his leadership from 68% to 80%.
(more)
Scanlon credits these improvements to a new
sense of teamwork and collaboration and an
academically rigorous K-12 environment. He
implemented a clear, high quality curriculum,
improved staff morale and empowered teachers
with useful student data and effective staff
development designed and implemented by
teachers, and held teachers, principals, board
members and students accountable for learning.
Of the accomplishments that give him the
greatest satisfaction are five programs that he
worked with others to establish to help
students, all of which are expected to continue
over time. In order to create an on-going focus
on the needs of students and their engagement in
learning, Dr. Scanlon established Focus Walks, a
system in which staff and community members
systematically interview students about learning
to obtain data from “the customers” (students)
to improve instruction. This program has become
popular among teachers. A New Teacher Academy
provides 10 days of customized professional
development for first through third year
teachers, increasing their skills and their
longevity. The Upper Bucks County Parenting
Center, the High School Big Brothers/Big Sisters
program, and the QCSD Education Foundation are
additional examples of new programs Dr. Scanlon
worked to establish to support increased student
learning, development and well-being.
Many of these initiatives were made possible by
Dr. Scanlon’s active participation and
partnership with numerous parent, civic, and
business organizations. Among others, he has
served on the board of directors of the local
YMCA, chamber of commerce, parenting center, a
cyber charter school, and many other educational
and community organizations. He has been honored
with several outstanding service awards.
Scanlon’s many accomplishments, deep commitment
to high expectations for all students, and warm
personal style brought him to the top of the
applicant pool. Through its search consultants,
Hazzard, Young & Attea Associates (HYA), the
District had received 41 candidates from across
the country. Using the criteria determined by
the community and staff on a Leadership Profile
survey, HYA selected four semi-finalists. “The
Board had the opportunity to interview four
outstanding candidates in early July,” stated
Board President Craig Gilbert. “Each has a
strong record of success in raising achievement
and working effectively with staff and community
members. We’re delighted to name Dr. Scanlon as
our Finalist, and look forward to learning if
our community also believes he is a great match
for our district.”
Dr. Vicki Gehrt, who served as Brandywine’s
Interim Superintendent during the 2000-2001
school year, has high praise for Dr. Scanlon.
“Brandywine
School District has selected an exemplary
administrator and individual as their
future
leader. I have known Jim Scanlon for five years
and,
along with my colleagues in Bucks County,
have great respect and admiration for his
commitment to the education of all children. He
is, no doubt, the best in his profession and the
Brandywine
community is most fortunate to have a person of
Jim Scanlon's caliber
as their candidate.”
The
final phase of the search process involves a
site visit to his current district to talk with
staff, residents and Board members, and two
visits by Dr. Scanlon to Brandywine to meet with
numerous groups. In early August, a group of
approximately 16 staff representatives,
community members and parent leaders will
accompany three Board members on a site visit to
(more)
Quakertown. Dr. Scanlon will then visit
Brandywine School District on August 7th
and 16th for
discussions with groups of staff, parents,
students and community members, and an open
public forum each evening. The schedule is
attached, and the public is encouraged to attend
the evening
sessions. The Board will gather feedback from
all participants before making its final
decision
regarding Dr. Scanlon’s candidacy on or before
August 21st. If hired, Dr. Scanlon
will assume his new duties on or before November
1, 2006.
The Search Process:
The Board of Education contracted with HYA in
April when Dr. Harter, then Superintendent of
Schools for Brandywine School District,
announced his resignation. HYA advised the
Board to conduct a confidential search,
committing to applicants to bring forward to the
public only the name of the sole finalist. The
Board was reluctant to do so, as it preferred
the format utilized five years ago in the
District when the Board charged a group of seven
community and staff representatives to select up
to three semi-finalists for public
consideration. However, HYA advised that the
pool of candidates has decreased and that a
confidential search would allow them to recruit
sitting superintendents with a track record of
success who would only participate in a
confidential search. The Board instructed HYA
to add a question to the public Leadership
Profile survey, asking community members and
staff if this approach was acceptable. This
spring, the survey was placed on the District’s
website and given to more than 80 individuals
who participated in interviews. 70% of
respondents indicated they supported the
confidential search in order to gain the
strongest applicant pool.
The Leadership Profile also yielded for HYA the
primary personal and professional
characteristics desired in the superintendent,
as well as the skill sets necessary to maintain
what stakeholders value and to address current
and emerging issues which the District may be
facing. The consultants utilized these to
recruit candidates and then screen the 41
applicants. “It wasn’t difficult at all to
“sell” Brandywine – it’s a great community and a
very strong school district, with tremendous
potential,” stated Deborah Raizes, one of the
HYA consultants.
Additional Background:
Prior to 1999, Dr. Scanlon was an assistant
superintendent in the 10,000 student Neshaminy
School District in Lower Bucks County, PA. He
worked there for a total of eight years, serving
as an elementary principal, curriculum director,
and then assistant superintendent for secondary
education. Prior to Neshaminy, he worked as a
principal in the 20,000 student Central Bucks
County School District, and as a teacher for
eight years in the New Hope School District,
also in Bucks County. Scanlon obtained his B.S.
in education from the University of Pittsburgh
and his Masters of Education and Doctorate of
Education from Temple University. He received
an Outstanding Dissertation Research award for
his doctoral work in staff development and its
impact on student achievement.
Dr. Scanlon and his wife, Beth Trapani,
previously lived for three years in the
Brandywine School District and are eager to
return to the community, where they hope to
raise their family.
(more)
Meet the
Finalist:
Staff and
Community Sessions with Dr. Scanlon
August 7th
and 16th, 2006
All members of the Brandywine School District
community and the media are welcome to attend
the two public sessions on the evenings of
August 7 and 16. All other sessions listed
below are closed to the media and general public
as they are working meetings and part of the
interview and selection process. For each of
these sessions, a Board member will have a
conversation with participants after Dr.
Scanlon’s departure. Members of the media are
welcome to contact Dr. Scanlon directly for an
interview, and his contact information has been
provided in the press kit.
Note: This schedule is subject
to minor modifications as needed to facilitate
participation of staff and community members.
Monday,
August 7th:
Staff Meetings, and 1st Open Public Session
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. BSD Administration
Executive Team, at District Office
9:00 – 10:00 All other
administrators, at District Office
11:00 – 12:00 All teachers,
specialists and paraprofessionals,
at Harlan Elementary School
12:15 – 1:15 Brandywine
Education Association, at Harlan Elementary
School
2:00 – 3:00 All Support
Services staff and clerical staff,
at Mt. Pleasant High School
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Open public
meeting, Harlan Elementary School
Wednesday,
August 16th:
Community, Parents, and Students, and 2nd
Open Public Session
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Business leaders,
elected officials and leaders of local
religious,
community
and civic groups, at Brandywine High School
9:30 – 10:30 Parent leaders:
PTA, Citizens Advisory Council, and Brandywine
Special Needs PTA, at Mt. Pleasant Elementary
School
11:00 – 2:30 Touring of schools
3:00 – 4:00 Students: open to
all BSD students, at Brandywine Hundred Public
Library
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Open public
meeting, Brandywine High School
NOTE: Attendees are asked to stay for
twenty minutes after the conclusion of the
discussion with Dr. Scanlon in order to provide
feedback to the Board of Education.
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