Technically speaking, Revere making the grade

REVERE – The district was among 800 nominated and then among 100 selected to be represented at a White House conference on technology in education this November.But retiring Superintendent Paul Dakin has gone to many such conferences to tout the accomplishments of Revere Public Schools.”I actually wasn’t going to go, but then people were saying, ?you gotta go, you gotta go, it’s the White House,'” Dakin said in an interview last week. “So, I reluctantly went because it was something that the district had qualified for. But once I was there, I was completely enthralled with the activities, and the depth of what they were doing, and the honor of representing our teachers and staff members there for the hard work they did over the years. It truly is an exemplar after talking to people down there.”Dakin, 63, is planning on retiring next December after nearly 20 years in the district and 15 as superintendent. He said he will focus on finishing some major projects, including the completion of the new Hill School, but many of his duties will end in July when his eventual replacement is scheduled to begin.”I will be closing off a few projects we’ve got going,” Dakin said. “At the same time (I will) mentor the new superintendent as to the programs we have rolling so that they hit the ground running with the culture of the school district how things are done, and then they can adjust themselves into the program and introduce their new ideas so that they sync up nicely with the past.”Dakin expressed pride in the school district he will be passing along.He noted that Revere is the only Level 2 urban district in the state – based on MCAS scores – and Revere High School was awarded the sole gold-medal award for high schools this year by the National Center for Urban School Transformation. The district schools are deemed “Future Ready” by the federal government, meaning the curriculum involves using extensive technology, the schools are connected with enough infrastructure so many students can use the Internet, and schools incorporate wireless technology. Then there was the visit to the White House.But Dakin said these accolades reflect not only developments during his tenure but also a long-term commitment to new technology and new ideas in Revere schools.”We’ve always run a little ahead of the curve in the implementation of technology hardware and the infrastructure of what makes things happen behind it,” Dakin said. “But most importantly with the training of teachers to diffuse the use of the technology into real practice.”For instance, Dakin said that in 1999 the district was named a Lighthouse District for a program that put four computers in every classroom. Today, every high school student is given a laptop.The Paul Revere Elementary School was the first innovation school in the state, essentially a public charter school that is given more autonomy for curriculum, staffing and budgeting, but is funded by and must report to the district. The district was also an early adopter of the new state teacher evaluations, Dakin said.”The goal was always to be on the front and cutting edge of things, and I think we’ve stayed there,” Dakin said. “But I would have to say having the district represented as a top urban district in the state and having the building program complete were goals long ago when we developed a culture of wanting to be hugely successful in the urban world and comparable to suburban communities.”Mayor Daniel Rizzo praised these accomplishments in an earlier interview, citing public education as one of the core tenets for the city’s successful future and “a great source of pride” for the city.And Dakin said they have accomplished those goals, so it’s now time for somebody new.”At one time we were looking to have kids proficient, we’re now looking for kids to be advanced,” Dakin continued. “And we’re not just satisfied with kids testing okay, we want to test at and above the state averages…I feel that the philosophy we’ve be