Pittsburgh Schools Make the Grade

Pittsburgh Public School District has become the first-ever urban district to make AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress, as delineated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The standardized achievement measure gauges schools on attendance, graduation rates, and academic progress in reading and math.

Superintendent Mark Roosevelt says the minimum requirements for making AYP grow more difficult every year, so he’s proud that after seven years of quiet from urban districts, his schools finally broke the silence. Roosevelt says the district met 86 of 98 standards because of its superior workforce.

“We need to think about exploring ways of attracting, developing, retaining, and rewarding talent at all levels. That’s what it’s about. If you come to work for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, you’ve got to be better than average. You’ve got to be excellent,” says Roosevelt.

Roosevelt says its important that everyone involved in Pittsburgh’s public schools continues to look in the same direction. He says if it doesn’t help students, we must move on; if it does, then we should embrace it.