Max Riley - educators - Brief Article

School Administrator, April, 2000 by Jay P. Goldman

His Dogged Pursuit Yields a Passionate Response

When Max Riley looks inside a classroom, which he does often, he's inclined to ask the lone adult figure: "What is it you need from us?"

In doing so, he signals a fundamental reversal of roles in the Plainville, Conn., Community Schools, where school- and classroom-level perspectives have begun to drive district-level decisions, budget priorities and the work of central-office staff. This is Riley's systems-thinking approach to instructional improvement and workforce quality.

As superintendent since 1997 of a blue-collar school district nestled between the small cities of New Britain and Bristol, Riley is stirring up the passions of parents and educators with his clearly articulated vision for how a public school system can best serve every student, especially those he says are "on the margins." With the build of a bearded backwoodsman at 6-foot-2,300 lbs., he is described by one colleague as a "huggable bear type," known for dogged pursuit of his goals.

"He does tend to set his sights on something and then goes after it," says Ed Dickman, president of the local teachers union, which generally has had favorable dealings with him. "By shaking the system up, we've become more communications oriented."

But that hasn't necessarily put Riley in position to win a popularity contest. After he removed a principal of 16 years and tried promoting him to a new post in the central office, the superintendent became a dartboard for harassment and hate mail from angry parents. In a subsequent board election, several of his closest supporters chose to leave office or were defeated in their re-election bids, leaving what amounts to five neophytes on the nine-member board and his long-term status in a somewhat perilous state.

"I have a very strong belief we are responsible to protect the public's interest," he says. "That means you take on problems in any way they come, and you stand up for your convictions."

Well versed in the ideas of Peter Senge on learning organizations and W. Edwards Deming on continuous improvement, Riley has largely reconstituted Plainville's administrative structure by turning over to the five building principals the lead role on policy matters for the district and complete authority for curriculum and instruction. Central-office personnel are viewed as internal consultants whose duty it is to provide expert technical support to the schools upon demand.

In three-hour weekly meetings with the principals, Riley says, "We don't talk about innovation as an administrative enterprise. It's the teachers and principals."

Riley has granted the leadership role of the district's service learning curriculum to a middle school teacher and has two high school teachers leading the expansion of an arts in education initiative to the secondary level.

From his earliest days as a professional educator, Riley has attempted to find better ways to serve children at risk of dropping out of school. As the 25-year-old founding principal of an alternative high school in Crescent City, Calif., he says he struggled "to support the rights of children on the margin to be in public schools." In one memorable exchange in front of 300 parents upset about the district being too accommodating to troubled youngsters, Riley argued that today's expenditures to help such students was much more cost effective than adult rehabilitation.

Previously, Riley served as an assistant superintendent in Corvallis, Ore., and the head of human resources in Springfield, Ore., both more than three times the size of Plainville. But smallness has its unique attractions, too. Chief among these, communication is much simpler, with less chance of misunderstanding and assignments that get lost in the shuffle. He notes, "I've worked in places where I couldn't remember everyone's name."

He also attempts to spend the first hour of nearly every day in one of the schools, chatting with educators, parents and students and sometimes dropping in to watch a lesson unfold. Asked what he looks for during such visits, Riley says, "My brain and my heart have to be engaged in a classroom."

Those are heartening words to Carrie Burns, a parent of two and former school board member, who believes the superintendent's out-of-the-box thinking will serve Plainville students well into the first years of the 21st century. She just hopes he'll slow down the pace to ensure he's around to see the changes through.

Jay Goldman is the editor of The School Administrator.

BIO STATS: MAX RILEY

Currently: superintendent, Plainville, Conn.

Earlier: assistant superintendent for operations and evaluation, Corvallis, Ore.

Age: 49

Greatest Influence on Career: The four years I spent as principal of a continuation high school in California, working with young people who faced appalling conditions and handicaps and yet persevered. I came to understand that children are capable of so much more than many adults imagine.

Best Professional Day: Any day that I get to spend in a classroom.