Q&A With Taran Gruber, Who Takes the Reins at Andrew Avenue School

Taran Gruber comes to Andrew Avenue Elementary School from Windsor, Conn., where he was vice principal of Oliver Ellsworth Elementary School for two years. Before that, he was an elementary school teacher, curriculum specialist and literacy coach in the Hartford schools. A graduate of Keene State College with an Elementary Education degree, he earned his master's in Bilingual Bicultural Education from the University of Connecticut and his administrator's certificate from Central Connecticut State University. He grew up in Hartford and attended Hartford Public Schools. Now he lives in Plainville with his wife, who teaches second grade in Hartford, and their Siberian Indian Dog, Tundra Gruber the 2nd.

How will your background help you in your new position?

Teaching for almost seven years will be an invaluable asset as an administrator. The first step in being able to effectively coach teachers is being a master teacher yourself. You need to be able to "walk the walk" in order to have credibility. Following my teaching career, I worked as a literacy coach. Teaching reading and the love of reading is the most important job we as elementary school educators do. Having a background as a literacy coach will help me as I work with teachers and students on this monumental task. Working with one of the best principals in Connecticut, Patricia Phelan, as her vice principal gave me a great foundation in terms of the practical aspects of being a school leader.

What is something from your previous school that you will bring to your new position?

The school I worked at as vice principal went from proficiency numbers similar to Andrew Avenue (see Andrew Avenue School's  Strategic School Profile at http://sdeportal.ct.gov/Cedar/WEB/ResearchandReports/PDFs/2008-2009/88-08.pdf) to a school making AYP (annual yearly progress). That experience, and the knowledge that it can be done, motivates me to lead towards excellence and never accept less for our children.

What are the challenges you foresee in your new school?

There are day-to-day challenges at any school. However, Andrew Avenue has a great staff, great families and great students. We are on our way to becoming one of the best schools in the world.

What plans do you have for your new school?

The previous principal had the school on a path towards greater and greater achievement. This year I plan on learning as much as possible about the school, staff and families. I will make changes as I see a need but so far my goal is to refine rather than change.

How about the teachers?

The teachers at Andrew Avenue are already motivated by a desire to make sure every child succeeds. It is my job to make sure they are supported and share leadership as we move towards 90-plus percent (scoring) at grade level in math and reading.

Do you have plans to bring any new instructional methods or educational philosophies to the school?

I would like to gradually move towards a more authentic Readers Workshop model, but for now things will move along on the "right track" without major changes….for now. We are adding more math tutoring to last year's successful reading tutoring program. We will also be working on ways to include families in more of the governance of the school.