Berlin Board of Education Has National Presence

The work and accomplishments of the Berlin Board of Education continue to be recognized nationally, as the Berlin Board was featured at two national conferences this spring.

Superintendent of Schools, David B. Erwin, was a featured presenter at the National Center of Educational Research and Training (“NCERT”) Conference, where he delivered a presentation about the use of Instructional Rounds to improve teaching and learning before superintendents and researchers from around the country. The Berlin Public Schools is a leader in the use of Instructional Rounds to improve instruction. Erwin is one of only 85 superintendents who belong to NCERT, whose membership is by invitation only.

In addition to Erwin’s presentation at the NCERT Conference, Board of Education President, Gary Brochu, was part of a panel of experts at the National School Boards Association (“NSBA”) Conference. Nancy Walser, editor of the Harvard Education Letter and author of the book The Essential School Board Book, which featured outstanding school boards from around the country, including the Berlin Board of Education, conducted the session.

In addition to serving on Nancy Walser’s panel of experts, Brochu also delivered a presentation on conducting meaningful board meetings, and was assisted by Superintendent Erwin in the presentation. Over 100 school board members from around the country attended the presentation. In the weeks that followed, the school district received dozens of requests from school board members from around the country for presentation materials. 

“We received emails from Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Utah, and other states,” said Brochu. “But my favorite was an email from a board member from Kodiak Island, Alaska, who wanted our presentation and Board Member Handbook for use in training school boards in Alaska.”

The Berlin Board of Education’s national profile, however, isn’t changing the Board’s focus. 

“While it’s gratifying that board members from around the country look to Berlin as a model,” said Brochu, “We never forget for a moment that our charge is to ensure exceptional educational opportunities for the children of Berlin.”