During his 10+ year tenure as superintendent of the Half Hollow Hills School District, Dr. Sheldon Karnilow has seen many academic triumphs achieved by his students, administrators, and teachers. The key reason is the ability to maintain high achievement results through a top quality education for all.
“This is a very diverse school district with a varied representation of ethnic and socioeconomic groups,” he said. “That is one of the special things about our district, that we serve a diverse population and have results comparable to, or better than, other districts that don’t have anywhere near this level of diversity.”
Common goals
Half Hollow Hills School District has approximately 10,300 students in 11 schools. The district, which is located in Western Suffolk County on Long Island, was ranked on US News and World Report’s Best High Schools 2008 Silver Division list. HHH has a graduation rate of 93%, and 80% of graduates head off to a four-year college while 13% attend a two-year school.
Indeed, HHH’s student achievement levels rank among the highest in New York. It is officially recognized as a High Achieving Gap Closing School District, as it provides educational programs and learning opportunities that are designed to meet the needs of all students.
The District’s Leadership Council of administrators is responsible for creating a common vision for quality instruction. It was this council that began moving HHH toward implementing the professional learning community concept. In effect, the district supports its mission by understanding how students learn, how to design instruction, and how to organize curriculum while providing tools for instruction and using data-driven assessments to improve instruction.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time researching national best practices and looking for research-based programs that prove to be successful over the long term. “Best practices in reading and writing are critical because those are the basis for success in all curriculum areas. We started with that premise, and we’ve since built on and strengthened all core areas,” Karnilow said. “We also support professional development, which is an important factor in our success. Our program is second only to a university program. We’ve hired the best and brightest and invested heavily in training them.”
Using the tools
It is always looking to improve as well. During the 2010-2011 school year, it launched a new K-5 math program based on national math standards. It is a constructivist series that helps children create meaning and develop a deeper understanding of math. An online program, it eliminates textbooks at home, serves as a parental resource, and provides homework pages.
This is indicative of the district’s attempts to integrate technology into the instruction program it offers. In practice, HHH actively employs technology as a tool to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they will need in the modern world. Therefore, it is actively exposing them to the information systems and technology platforms they will need to understand.
All school buildings are connected to a high speed Wide Area Network to enhance communication and access to information. All classrooms have computer workstations, and each school has, at the very least, a 28-station mobile wireless laptop lab. In fact, the middle and high schools have two 28-station computer labs, while the high schools also have a 14-station mini lab.
Every school has access to CD-burners, DVD-burners, color scanners, digital still cameras, and digital video cameras. K-12 libraries are fully automated and have multiple computer workstations, as well. Through various professional development initiatives, teachers are instructed in how to appropriately deploy technology to support curriculum.
The district’s commitment and forward thinking stance on technology has earned it plenty of accolades. In May, Apple Computer recognized the district as a National Exemplary District, one of 40 districts nationwide to earn that distinction for the 2010-2011 school year. This isn’t the first time Half Hollow Hills was designated as an Apple Exemplary Program, which recognizes institutions that demonstrate a strong use of technology in education, enhance instruction through technology, provide professional development support for teachers, and create a 21st century learning environment.
“Our technology integration plan enables differentiated instruction and enables students to use real world tools and engage in collaborative learning,” said Karnilow. “We understand that technology is a tool, something used for the purpose of improving teaching and learning.”
The district has also benefitted from community support of capital projects. Over the last decade, bond issues provided funding for major additions to several school buildings and improvements to athletic facilities. For instance, each new high school has state-of-the-art turf fields, which positively impacts athletic programs and enhances opportunities for community use of the fields.
As Karnilow prepares to enter retirement, he is confident that the district will continue to excel under the leadership of Kelly Fallon, who will take over as superintendent in September. Karnilow believes the district will continue to communicate closely with its community, especially though tools like its website and parent portal, and he feels that Fallon will carry on and expand HHH’s tradition of excellence.
“I would be hard pressed to find another school district where there is greater collaboration among teachers, administrators, parents, students, and outside community,” said Karnilow. “We do have challenges, as we are a highly efficient school system operationally and we have no more fat to trim. The district will be fortunate to have Kelly Fallon’s experience and knowledge, and her leadership will definitely move the Half Hollow Hills School District forward.”
