Partnership Principal
Kent Bergum

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     Kent Bergum, principal, Wisconsin’s Superior High School, believes that accountability is a good thing.

     “We should be able to guarantee each parent what our curriculum is for his or her student,” said Bergum who has held the reins of the 9-12 comprehensive high school for the past five years. “We take accountability very seriously here.”

     During Bergum’s five years at Superior changes have taken place and continue to take place as the administrative team and staff strive to develop a stronger academic program based on valid assessment.

     The first step at Superior High, which has 1,640 students and a certificated staff of 107, was to improve a graduation rate that had been in the low 80 percents. More than 90 percent of the students now graduate with a state program being one key to increasing that figure.

     “We had been concerned for quite a while about kids falling through the cracks,” remembers Bergum, who worked as an assistant principal at Superior before becoming principal. “The state offered a program that allowed students to take the GED while in school. They must pass five levels on the test and have a work component in their schedule. This has provided a great deal of flexibility for our students in reaching their goals.”

     A second improvement at the school has come through implementation of smaller learning communities. Having completed the third year of an implementation grant, the program includes a course for freshman called Keystone, in which they focus on transition issues. Freshmen spend one semester on study skills, another learning computer techniques and a third studying work and career options. The latter leads to a four-year learning plan. Since small learning communities were implemented, discipline referrals have been reduced by 40 percent.

     “This approach has brought relevancy to education for a number of our youngsters,” Bergum reports. “They are seeing the connection between what they study in the classroom and how that translates to success in their adult lives.”

     Teaming is another approach that is making a difference at Superior, according to Bergum.

     “We now have teams in the ninth and 10th grades for the core academic subjects of English, math, science and social studies. Each team has 90-120 students.”

    As improvements continue at Superior, 100 seniors last year were required to complete a senior project for graduation as a pilot project. Initially, many of them saw it solely as more work they would have to do, but that attitude quickly changed

     “These projects were seen as something really worthwhile by the seniors,” says Bergum. “Again, it brought relevance to their education. They made connections with mentors from the community. Students saw this was worthwhile and were more motivated to learn, and all seniors will complete a project this year.”

     Many of these improvements, especially those where students have made better connections with teachers, have resulted in Superior youngsters feeling better about being in school.

     “Past surveys showed us that 50 percent of our students felt a disconnect with the school and that they didn’t feel valued,” Bergum indicates. “Now more than 90 percent say they had a good relationship with at least one teacher.”

     Next of the list for Superior will be curriculum alignment to state standards, development of common assessments by subject and grade level, and a reporting system that supports continuous improvement and public accountability.

     “We are looking to improve in the area of academic rigor,” Bergum reports. “The idea of continuous improvement and accountability is going to increase in education, and we should be accountable.”

     Bergum believes the biggest challenge he faces is keeping the focus on the vision for Superior High School while addressing the day to day issues of school leadership.

     “There are a lot of questions that come to a principal—questions from students, teachers, and parents. Parents are concerned that their students aren’t being successful. Teachers are faced with the enormous task of pushing and supporting all students to meet high expectations for learning. It takes careful listening to identify the real issues and be responsive.”

    Bergum calls The Principals’ Partnership “a wonderful opportunity to network.”

     “Plus, the Partnership is a first class professional development program. It’s a privilege to be a part of this. The information on brain research, literacy, and closing the achievement gap is pertinent to me on a daily basis. The Partnership is doing a wonderful job of helping principals throughout the country.”

Bergum can be reached at [email protected], and the school’s web site is www.superior.k12.wi.us.

Past Focus Principals:

Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel