Why Oshkosh’s new assistant superintendent of instruction believes the district can be a leader in reading proficiency

OSHKOSH ― At least one man has high hopes for Oshkosh being a nationwide leader in education.

Dr. Samuel Coleman, Oshkosh Area School District assistant superintendent of instruction, wants to see the city reset the national standard for literacy by having most of its students proficient in reading.

Coleman explained his goal in a wide-ranging interview after the school district “met expectations” once again in the state’s annual student performance report cards.

“I believe that Oshkosh can lead the state and be a national model for what it looks like to have the vast majority of its students proficient and capable in their reading skills,” Coleman said.

“Most school districts in Wisconsin have around 30% or 40% of its students proficient in reading and if school districts are breaking that 45% into the 50% that’s pretty good, but I think that Oshkosh can strategically be positioned to break that 50% barrier, 60% barrier.”

“But this can’t be just what we do during the school day in a reading class or an English language arts class, so my goal for this district is to help all of our educators, parents, community members and partners to see themselves as literacy teachers,” Coleman added.

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Oshkosh Area School District is currently behind the state average in proficient reading at the 4th and 11th grades.

The aspirations are quite lofty considering Oshkosh is significantly behind the state average standard in reading at two key grade levels.

Currently, the school district is at 33% in fourth grade and 34% in 11th grade as compared to 44% and 39%, respectively, for the state.

And the district board’s official target is to have 45% of its students proficient in reading through grades three to eight by the 2024-2025 school year.

“As a district, we have set rigorous reading goals in policy to establish high expectations of student achievement in reading, and create a direct connection from the boardroom to the classroom,” said Dr. Bryan Davis, Oshkosh Area School District superintendent.

“Literacy is our No. 1 academic priority," Davis added. "We are grateful for Dr. Coleman's leadership and the dedication and expertise of all of our educators as we work together to strategically sustain and accelerate student proficiency.”

Oshkosh is currently ahead of the state average for 8th grade.

As it stands, Oshkosh schools, on average, are at 39% in eighth grade while the state average is 36.

And the 2022-2023 report card showed the district recorded 71.7% in year-to-year student knowledge growth for English language arts.

But Coleman acknowledged there was still a lot of work to be done, as Oshkosh’s student achievement score was just 55.5% in English language arts on that same annual state accountability report.

“Literacy and reading are so important because they provide access to opportunity, so I think this is the agenda we need to push as a society and, certainly, as a school system,” Coleman said.

“And just imagine a community that has the vast majority of its students proficient in reading what that means for what that city can do from a workforce development perspective.”

“Students seeing themselves as changemakers in the world will change the landscape of Oshkosh, so I’m excited to be able to talk about what’s possible with students, teachers, educators, community members, business leaders and journalists about what we can do as a city when we build the literacy and reading skill sets of our students,” Coleman added.

Appointed to the position in July, Coleman oversees the district’s pre-K-12 academic programs, alternative programming, student achievement data and improvement efforts.

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Dr. Coleman has been named as one of Wisconsin's most influential Black leaders for 2023.

Coleman was recently named one of Madison 365’s "51 Most Influential Black Leaders in Wisconsin for 2023" after serving in public education at both the state and municipal government level for the last 16 years.

“This recognition that I am celebrating right now is about influence and so I will achieve these goals by influencing the spaces that I exist in and influencing people that this is possible,” Coleman said.

“Unfortunately, Wisconsin has some of the widest Black-white achievement gaps in America, and to me that is a truth that is sobering but it also has to be a truth that wakes us up in the morning and says we can do something about that because this is a very solvable problem," Coleman said.

“Every single one of our Black students has irrevocable birthright to a high-quality education, and I believe that my role is to lead a system that is good for all of our students.”

Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh schools can lead in reading proficiency, district leader says