When Clarksville Middle School Principal Harriette C. Greenberg leaves her job in February for a more restful existence in a warmer climate, she won't just be taking her 30 years of experience in education.
She'll also be leaving behind a legacy of continuous improvement for future administrators and students to follow.
Greenberg, 52, is retiring as Clarksville Middle's principal after five years on the job. Since Greenberg's arrival in 1995, the school's scores on the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program exams have improved annually. This year, Clarksville's composite scores on the state test jumped 13.8 points, hurtling it to the top in Howard County and the state among middle schools.
"Our school is focused," Greenberg said. "We use the same goals, the same lessons. We have teachers thinking the same way. The kids are getting consistency all throughout. I think that has truly made a difference."
Greenberg also said she has made a point to have teachers include reading and writing in every subject.
"You could go in a music class and think it's a reading class," Greenberg said. "I'm looking at an art lesson right now - a teacher just put it on my desk - and it has reading and writing in it."
The district's director of middle schools, Alice W. Haskins, said she thought long and hard about Greenberg's successor to be sure Clarksville Middle's academic excellence would continue without interruption. She settled on Beverly A. Koren, assistant principal at Mount View Middle School, who Haskins said will work well picking up where Greenberg leaves off.
"She'll do great," Haskins said. "I think this is a good fit for her."
Koren will begin her new position as Clarksville's leader Feb. 1, Haskins said. Greenberg is scheduled to leave anytime after the middle of February.
"That gives her two weeks to work with Harriette," she said.
Greenberg said she is glad her replacement is arriving so soon.
"I think there's a lot of advantages to a principal coming in now," she said. `They can do schedules; they can do hiring. It gives them four or five months to really learn the school."
And Greenberg agreed with Haskins that Koren is a good choice.
"I don't think she's going to be the kind who makes major changes right away. I think her personality is one to build on strengths," Greenberg said. "I think she's the type to come and thrive off what Clarksville has already. We have a lot of strengths here."
