District 28 superintendent's report identifies strengths, opportunities

Since Jason Pearson arrived as Northbrook District 28 superintendent last July, he's been on a whirlwind tour.

Pearson reported at the Feb. 21 District 28 school board meeting that in the past seven months he'd visited 58 classrooms, met with parents at 12 different events, had meetings with 100 staff members, and held eight focus group sessions with district fourth-graders up to sophomores at Glenbrook North.

"I think for me what was great about this process is I really did get to spend a lot of time in our schools and in our classrooms," Pearson said.

"The classrooms really are where the magic happens."

A former music teacher who came to Northbrook out of a superintendent position in St. Charles, Pearson called his findings an "Entry Plan Report."

It's a prelude to a facility master plan the District 28 board approved in February and will start working on in March, Pearson said, and a new strategic plan that will start in April but ramp up in the fall.

The information he collected fell into several categories. Those the superintendent felt were most important to him were what he called the "culture of learning" and "belonging."

There are 1,846 students attending Greenbriar, Meadowbrook and Westmoor elementary schools, Northbrook Junior High and the Young Explorers Early Childhood Program at Westmoor.

District 28 students were well above their peers statewide in science, mathematics and English, with 32% of seventh-graders and 27% of fourth-graders exceeding English standards in 2022. Each were improvements over prior years, which included terms both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pearson's report suggested opportunities for increased STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programs as well as more collaboration particularly between fifth- and sixth-grade classes and the Early Learners and kindergarten classes.

Either a review of curriculum or revised curriculum in science, world language, health and physical education will occur over the next two school years, with a social-emotional learning curriculum review starting this fall.

The District 28 school board in 2021 implemented a mission toward diversity, equity and inclusion, a move Pearson used to start his section on "belonging."

He found 95% of students said their teachers treat them with respect, and 99% of teachers said they felt respected by the parents of students.

Students, 77% of them, felt safe in and around District 28 schools and said teachers push them toward high performance. That relatively lower number will be addressed.

The district will invest in consulting programs to enhance a sense of belonging, explore further social-emotional learning opportunities and provide more access to Mental Health First Aid Training, the report said.

From his travels Pearson gathered District 28 families do feel a sense of community.

"It's a nice perspective on what some of the strengths of the district are and the areas where we can continue to grow," he said.