June 29, 2025 Update
Good afternoon,
I wanted to provide an update on the high school principal search.
As you are aware, the high school principal serves an important role in any district. The same is true in our district. The high school principal is a very visible position that supports the culture not only of the high school but of the entire district. The high school principal helps to shape the perception of how our community, and how other communities, see Rockford. The position is important.
Mr. Hosford's time in Rockford has officially come to a close. He begins his job as an Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources in Forest Hills on July 1. Mr. Hosford did a tremendous job building the culture, being a visible presence, and helping people see the positive things going on in Rockford. More importantly, he is a good person and a good friend. I wish him well on his next journey.
Here in Rockford, over the past several weeks we have been conducting a search for our new high school principal. It has been a robust process led by Dr. Korie Wilson-Crawford.
- A profile of the characteristics and qualities that we desired in our high school principal was developed.
- Over 40 staff members from the high school assisted through two sessions in developing that profile.
- A posting over several weeks generated 22 applications
- After a review of the applications 6 were chosen for the first round of interviews
- A panel of 14 led by Dr. Wilson-Crawford conducted the interviews
- High school staff, building and district administrators, and a parent were on the panel
- A panel of 14 led by Dr. Wilson-Crawford conducted the interviews
- After the first round, 2 candidates were asked back for a second interview
- A panel of 16 led by Dr. Wilson-Crawford conducted the interviews
- High school staff, building and district administrators, a parent and a student were on the panel
- A panel of 16 led by Dr. Wilson-Crawford conducted the interviews
- One finalist was chosen to interview with Cabinet.
The final interview confirmed the recommendation of the interview committee.
Ricky Clark will be the next principal of Rockford High School.
Mr. Clark has been part of our district for many years. He has served in a variety of roles. He was teacher/athletic director at the middle school and assistant principal at the high school. Before coming to Rockford Mr. Clark was a teacher and a coach in Grandville.
Our high school needs an instructional leader who can lead people. Mr. Clark has the qualities needed to be successful at Rockford High School. He understands our high school. He has a clear vision of the next steps needed to move our high school forward. And he cares deeply for the staff and students at Rockford High School.
Mr. Clark will be a person who can help us continue to move forward and continue to build on the momentum that Mr. Hosford brought to the high school.
Mr. Clark officially begins July 1.
Steve
Dr. Steve Matthews
Superintendent
Rockford Public Schools
Parkside Discussion:
Questions about Teacher Collaboration
This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.
The importance of teacher collaboration:
When schools have only one teacher per grade level, students miss out on the advantages of a collaborative teaching team working together daily. This includes teamwork, shared expertise, and differentiated instruction. Having at least two grade level sections in each building where teachers are collaborating together ensures that every child receives a high-quality, well-rounded environment that supports their learning.
1. Stronger Teaching Through Collaboration and Consistency in Learning
- When teachers work together in a building, they easily share ideas, lesson plans, and strategies that help improve instruction for all students.
- Research shows that when teachers collaborate, student achievement improves significantly (Visible Learning, Hattie, 2009).
- With multiple teachers at the same grade level, all students at a grade level in the building receive a similar, high-quality education.
- Schools that follow the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model (DuFour, 2004) see higher student success rates because teachers meet regularly to discuss student progress and adjust instruction based on data.
- Research (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011) shows that when teachers work in teams, they are less stressed, more motivated, and stay in the profession longer.
2. Better Support for Different Learning Needs
- Every child learns differently, and when multiple teachers work together, they can group students flexibly to give them more personalized instruction.
- Struggling students get extra help, and advanced learners receive challenges that keep them engaged.
- Studies on differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 2001) show that when teaching is tailored to a student’s level, learning improves dramatically.
- When teachers work as a grade level team, they can identify areas where students are struggling and quickly provide support to keep them on track.
- Common assessments across classrooms help ensure that every child is making progress and getting the support they need.
- In multi-section grades, students may have opportunities to interact with different teachers, which helps them adapt to different teaching styles and personalities.
- Flexible grouping across classrooms allows students to work with peers at similar academic levels, keeping them challenged and engaged.
