Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin

My Throughlines

• Learn the culture and acknowledge the culture before you change the culture
• Listen thoughtfully
• Establish trust, stay confidential and avoid rumors
• Be visible in school and community during the entry process and throughout the year
• Be positive, upbeat and optimistic
• Communicate, communicate, and communicate
• Articulate the purposes of education and the place of public schools in the United States of America.
• Articulate vision and mission
• Review, evaluate, and revise instructional programs on the basis of sound information and relevant data.
• Know and encourage appropriate uses of instructional technologies
• Promote activities that honor academic excellence
• Involve staff in preparing and implementing professional development plans that are related to improved

student learning.
• Help staff align their curriculum with the state’s curriculum frameworks.
• Understand principles of mentoring and provides new teachers with mentors.
• Encourage experimentation and rigorous evaluation of new pedagogical approaches
• Plan effectively for the implementation of policy decisions, taking into account unanticipated consequences

and costs.

My Guiding Leadership Principles
• Be clear about values, goals, and priorities and a vision for the future
• Create an organizational culture and structure in which the talents of all the members of the school community

may flourish
• Encourage innovations and programs that improve students’ learning, growth and achievement
• Welcome new ideas but reward the people who offer them
• Treat all the members of the school community with as much respect as I do members of the school

committee

My Guiding Personnel Principles

• Develop a thoughtful plan for recruitment, hiring and retention of new teachers
• Plan of action to recruit new teachers and administrators as opening occur
• Develop a clear understanding about hiring procedures for senior staff, principals, assistant principals, and

department heads, and teachers
• Plan meaningful orientation, induction and mentoring programs for new staff; set a positive tone from the

outset
• Operate programs and activities that recognize and celebrate good teaching and leadership; retain good staff
• Work with appropriate staff to develop clear focus plan for professional development
• Ensure professional development enhances teacher understanding of curriculum and instruction and is clearly

linked to student achievement

My Guiding Professional Development Principles

• Work with appropriate staff to develop clear professional development plans for the school system
• Actively support ongoing professional development which:
1. provides opportunities for all staff to engage in professional development that enhances curriculum

renewal, staff performance tied to student achievement
2. Encourage collegial approaches to professional development including: mentoring, peer coaching, study

groups; group planning such as 9th and 10th grade Common Core Planning Time, and problem solving.
3. Seek grants and budgets sufficient dollars for professional development

My Guiding Principles of Performance Evaluation

Evaluation of Administrators:
• Develop a plan and timeline to supervise and evaluate senior staff and principals who report directly to me
• Senior staff members and individual principals mutually developing 4 or 5 goals for each year
• Consider at least one goal that relates to academic achievement & one goal that relates to evaluation of

staff
• Meeting with each staff, at least three or four times a year to discuss progress
• Writing final evaluations, and discussing them with individual staff members

Evaluation of Teachers:
• Develop, understand and communicate performance standards for teachers
• Insure that the school system employs current supervision and evaluation models and research practices to assess the performance of teachers and encourage growth.
• Insure that evaluators are given adequate preparation and training in evaluation principles and practices.
• Encourage that performance evaluation focuses on good classroom organization and instruction and is

directly tied to student academic achievement.
• Supporting individuality of teacher approaches to classroom organization, management, and teaching styles.

News and Events:

A fresh look, A Strategic Plan: Westbrook Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin kicking off a process that will determine the direction of the School District in the foreseeable future through an implementation of a Strategic Planning process. Read more...

City school districts hope cooperation goes a long way: Westbrook Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin looking to collaborate on programs and cost-saving with Portland and South Portland. Read more...

The new Westbrook Middle School features new "green" designs: When middle school students in Westbrook enter their new building, they'll see a 2 1/2-story atrium with a large staircase that leads to a performing arts center and other public spaces. The glass library walls will provide views onto the sports fields. An array of technological and environmental features await. Read more...

Dr. Reza Namin elected by the Massachusetts Board of Education

Honorable Empress Farah Pahlavi's Best Wishes to Dr. Reza Namin

Dr. Reza Namin being recognized as one of the World's Top Iranian American scholar Athlete

Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester to name Dr. Reza Namin of Northborough as

co-chair of the Massachusetts Mathematics and Science Advisory Council for a three-year term. Read more...

Superintendent's Recent Award

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick with Superintendent Dr. Reza Namin

Dr. Reza Namin unanimously elected by the Department of Education to a three-year term on the

Mathematics and Science Advisory Council

Dr. Reza Namin unanimously elected as the Co-Chair of the Mathematics and Science Advisory Council by

the Department of Education. Read more...