On Dec. 4, 2023, Dr. David Christopher stepped into his new role – Superintendent of the West Chester Area School District. A role that, while the settings have changed – suburban Pittsburgh, suburban Harrisburg, suburban Philadelphia – he is familiar with.
“I’m a career educator,” he told me at the start of our call. “I’ve been doing this every year since I graduated college.” That is 28 years to be exact.
Of course, that is not to say the challenges are the same. While Cumberland Valley, from where he came, is also a large suburban school district, it is a district that has seen rapid, recent growth. As such, it is a district struggling with who it is. One of the accomplishments touted by Dr. Christopher during his four years at the CV helm is the introduction of a 9th-grade academy – a solution to an overcrowded high school. Growth, at least of that nature, is not a current struggle for WCASD. Here he sees different challenges.
“At West Chester specifically, I think there is a belief that we have not yet met our potential as a district,” he said. “Our staff is exceptional and so is our community, and our students are the best of the best. However, when I talk to our staff, I feel that it has been a tough couple of years for them without a strong sense of direction.”
Struggling like many to overcome COVID-created learning gaps, WCASD has also faced leadership instability (Dr. Christopher represents the district’s fourth leader in as many years), and an increasingly dissatisfied teaching staff. A semi-annual survey distributed by the district shows teachers have serious concerns with the district’s leadership and its communication. Just 43 percent of teachers agree with the statement “I feel that there is a clear direction from the central office with regards to goals, initiatives, and procedures.” And a 43, as any teacher can tell you, is failing.
“It is critically important that I help our staff re-envision West Chester as the premier educational system that it is. I think our parents really want that as well,” said Dr. Christopher. To do this he believes we need to set a clear path forward. Conceive a new future. A future where every student graduating from the West Chester Area School District can succeed.
“I’m a competitive person. I want kids who graduate from West Chester to outperform everyone,” he said but to get there – we first need to know where we are going. Cue the buzzword.
“I think one of the things we are going to do is establish a ‘portrait of a graduate.’”
“At West Chester specifically, I think there is a belief that we have not yet met our potential as a district.”
Dr. David Christopher, WCASD Superintendent
Portrait of a Graduate
Rather than a checklist of achievements, a portrait of a graduate is a collective initiative designed to map the attributes needed by every student in a district to find success – or more squishily, fulfillment. “A collective vision that articulates our community’s aspirations for all students,” is the grandiose definition used by the Norfolk Public Schools. According to Education Week, the exercise has been growing in popularity over the last decade as states and districts look to close learning gaps and better meet employer needs. Instead of math and reading scores, a portrait includes things like critical thinker, effective communicator, and engaged citizen.
“It’s the skills and disposition that every graduate needs to have to succeed,” said Dr. Christopher.
However, to work, the initiative requires input from many stakeholders. Views and experiences are needed from the community, business leaders, parents, teachers, and students – both those who are naturally high-achievers and those who may be currently disengaged. It is Dr. Christopher’s belief such an exercise, if done right, will set West Chester back on a path to potential realized.
“It is really hard for folks to argue with co-created visions,” he said. He’s hoping not only will this co-created vision help realign a community fractured by COVID and national politics but that it will re-energize teachers, many of whom he sees as disillusioned by too many initiatives regardless of how well-intentioned.
“We need a clear vision for staff. Nothing is more frustrating than wanting to do a great job, and not knowing what a great job is,” he said.
Just sixty days in and it seems he has a pretty clear vision for himself. He has views on technology in the classroom. “I think if technology is just a substitute for what we did 10 years ago with pens and pencils we are not doing our jobs.” Cell phones at school: “We have to model good behavior.” And bullying: “I have zero tolerance for bullying, but just saying that is worthless.”
They are all challenges to which he sees solutions through a well-worn template. Agreed vision. Clear expectations. Follow through. “We have to have clear rules and consequences,” he said more than once.
It’s a quick assessment but in a district with more than half a decade of turmoil. Perhaps, quick, decisive action and an eye to the future is what is called for.
“When you look at these jobs, we’re a steward. You have to look at how you set it up for who’s next. We all have to leave eventually,” he said. “I do feel good [about] where I left Cumberland Valley. I feel like [they] are in a better place than when I came. I hope to do the same in West Chester.”
The line is silent as I try to catch up with my notes, then after a pause, as if to read my thoughts, he adds, “After a few more than four years.”
Dr. Christopher is a father to two teenagers – Caroline, 16, and Samuel, 13. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, hiking, camping, skiing, and mountain biking. He’s also a foodie. “Obviously, the foodie hobby will be easier for me to expand here than the outdoors hobbies, but I am pretty confident I will be able to continue to do both here at West Chester.”
So are we. Welcome to West Chester, Dr. Christopher.
Originally published on Feb. 2, 2024
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