Michael Rodriguez is a big fan of what he calls small wins.
Since taking the helm at William Allen High School last fall, Rodriguez has worked hard to lead his staff, students and their parents from one incremental victory to the next.
Establishing a parent-teacher association at Allen, he says, is one example of a seemingly minor achievement that could contribute to large-scale change at the high school.
“We have top-notch parents ready to roll up their sleeves with us and get involved to make this a great place for kids,” he says.
Earning teachers' trust in his first year at Allen is another small step Rodriguez believes will help students take big strides toward better academic performance.
“You see people start to shift toward supporting you, moving toward change and understanding that change is coming and it's necessary,” he says.
In January, Rodriguez worked with staff to identify areas of concern, prioritize and address them in a three-year plan that emphasizes professional development for teachers and effective classroom management. Classroom management will be especially important in 2011-12, he says. The Allentown School District furloughed 100-plus instructors, including some from the high school. A higher student-teacher ratio is the result.
“You have to be really good at managing the classroom and keeping kids engaged so that they stay on task and focused on learning,” Rodriguez says. It's important that administrators, teachers and other school staffers work as a team with shared goals that revolve around boosting student achievement,” he says.
Problem solving and goal setting are two of Rodriguez's strong suits, says David Snyder, who worked with him at the district's Wilson Early Childhood Center. Now retired from the district, Snyder says, “He has a great deal of self-discipline and motivation to succeed. He had already succeeded in many ways before I met him.”
“He works tirelessly,” adds Snyder, who Rodriguez describes as a mentor. “He wouldn't ask anyone to do anything he wouldn't do himself.” Rodriguez, who was the principal at Allentown's Central Elementary School before
taking over at Allen, says his ability to identify with students has been invaluable at the high school level.
“I'm not talking to those kids from a disconnected point of view,” he says.
His parents are from Puerto Rico and although he was born in New Jersey, Rodriguez didn't learn to speak English until he began school. Because of work or worries about their inability to communicate, his mother and father didn't attend many school events, he recalls.
Rodriguez, 40, knows what it's like to be an English-as-a-Second-Language student and to have a parent willing, but unable to help with homework. He also knows what it's like to move frequently and be responsible for younger siblings because a parent works two jobs. His background helps Rodriguez better relate to students, many of whom contend with the same issues. It also gives him confidence that with guidance and encouragement, these students can find success in school and afterward.
“I was a really late bloomer, but I was able to work hard and turn that around,” Rodriguez says. He credits interested teachers and coaches with helping him mature academically.
“I'm here because I had a lot of support and a lot of mentors that believed in me. That's the environment that I'm striving to create here,” he says of Allen. “We have to believe in our kids and we have to know where they need help. Our job is to find that help”
At Allen, Rodriguez says, 60 percent of students are Hispanic and 22 percent are black. Central had a similar population mix, but the students were too young to recognize that most Lehigh Valley schools aren't led by racial minorities.
It's a different story at Allen, where Rodriguez was surprised to find students, and not just parents, excited by his Hispanic heritage. “I couldn't believe how many Hispanic kids were like, ‘Are you Puerto Rican?'” he says. “The fact that we had a minority leader meant a lot to those kids.”
Snyder says, “He's an excellent role model for the Hispanic community, obviously, but he's also a role model for everyone else.”
Rodriguez, a Hellertown resident, graduated from Freedom High School in Bethlehem Township, and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. After leaving the military, he returned to the Lehigh Valley and studied at Northampton Community College—Rodriguez is part of the school's current billboard campaign.
The divorced father of one eventually earned a degree in criminal justice from Kutztown University. He'd planned to pursue a career in criminal justice.
“I don't think I ever saw myself being a principal,” Rodriguez says. “I was really interested in being a police officer.”
He began working with children in juvenile probation and the experience put him on a different path. “I was able to really connect with those kids,” Rodriguez says.
He returned to school, earned a master's degree in special education from Lehigh University and became an emotional support teacher in the Allentown School District. After an administrative internship at the district's early childhood centers, Rodriguez was appointed principal at Central and then Allen. Rodriguez enjoyed his work at Central, but describes the non-stop pace at Allen as invigorating. He spends his days and most evenings at the school.
“I live here,” he says, only half joking. “There's always an event and it's really important that I be present and support the kids and support the families.”
For Rodriguez, there are a lot of memorable moments from his first year as Allen's principal. One of the best was handing a diploma to his 18-year-old half-brother on graduation night.
“It was really nice experience for my dad,” he says.
Rodriguez hopes to one day serve as superintendent of an urban school district. He says, “What's always driven me is that I want to make more of a difference.”
There are thousands of students at Allen and a lot of work yet to do, but watching a single troubled kid turn the corner is enough to get Rodriguez fired up for the next round.
“Those small wins have been really motivating,” he says. “It reminds me of exactly why I'm here—to advocate for kids.”
