Just because Pittsburgh Superintendent of Schools Anthony Hamlet has already held multiple meetings with parents, education advocates and stakeholders from across the city and incorporated the feedback into the district’s visioning, it doesn’t mean he’s stopped listening.
During a recent forum in Homewood, Hamlet said he will continue to gather community input for as long as he is superintendent.
“I’ve said this before. I want this to be my first and last Superintendency,” he said. “I want to be here 10-15 years because you can’t create consistency if every two or three years there’s someone new in charge.”
The Feb. 17 forum, sponsored by the United Front for Education (UFE), was held at the Homewood branch of the Community College of Allegheny County.
The UFE had asked to meet with Hamlet so it could present him an educational model it has been crafting, designed “to educate our children so that they are competent and committed to solve the critical problems of their families, community and the world,” and to build a relationship with him to jointly shape the best possible education for children.
“We’re still working on it,” said UFE member and Pitt emeritus Professor Shirley Biggs, who presented the plan to Hamlet. “It’s an organic, growing experience that we want to share with Pittsburgh Public Schools.”
The curriculum plan, she summarized, called for enhanced arts and esthetic instruction, financial literacy, the history of who Black Americans are and where they came from, more training in effective and persuasive communication—including listening, and even what used to be called Home Economics.
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