Administration
Principal's Message
Greetings,
As a teacher leader, my first decade in education provided me with an opportunity to successfully promote a culture of learning for the students in my classroom and the colleagues with whom I collaborated. I developed a deep sense of responsibility to promote a love of life-long learning and maintain high expectations for the members of the school community.
As attendance officer at Cliffside Park High School, I worked to revise policy, maintain databases, and interact with at-risk students and their families while working closely with the principal and vice-principal. Serving as president of the local teachers’ association allowed me numerous opportunities to work collaboratively with the community of Cliffside Park, the Superintendent of Schools and Board of Education in a time of great stress on school districts. The experience granted me a thorough understanding of the internal and external workings of the school, the decision making process of administrators, and budget constraints and allowances.
As a Supervisor of Instruction in Cliffside Park School District, I familiarized myself with current legislation regarding teacher evaluation, K-12 curriculum alignment and the infusion of National and State Standards, and the interpretation and analysis of assessment data to improve student performance. My many roles in the district included serving as the liaison to the Regional Achievement Center (RAC), ensuring curriculum is aligned K-12 and QSAC compliant, PARCC Testing Coordinator, and Informational Technology Trainer. I was designated the lead as our district transitioned to the Edconnect Information Student System (ISS), a two year NJDOE grant, awarded to the district to better align classroom instruction, assessments, and equip the district with analytic tools.
Over the last six and a half years I have tirelessly worked to increase rigor, offer new programs, and enrich the school community as the principal of Cliffside Park High School. Since becoming the building leader in January of 2015, the school has moved sixty points in the rankings of New Jersey High Schools. Working with educators and administrators, I encouraged the adoption of an assessment model which allows us to identify standards that students need to improve upon and refocus instruction throughout the school year. After four years of implementation, graduation rates are the highest in two decades and our junior class proficiency rates exceed the state mean on the NJSLA ELA and Algebra with greater than double digit percentage gains in the population of students meeting and/or exceeding standards.
To address the needs of our bilingual learners and English Language Learners, resources have been allocated to train and support the staff. An at-risk intervention program was developed to identify and support the students who face the largest hurdles and chronic absenteeism has declined by 29%. Dual-enrollment courses, college experiences, and senior internships have been created to challenge students and meet the various needs of exceptional learners. Additionally, we have implemented an associate degree program for our students and offer industry recognized certifications and opportunities to for for non-college bound students, some with promises of employment, union wages and health benefits immediately after graduation and completion of the program. These developments are just some of which I am most proud of.
As a life-long learner, I am currently pursuing my doctorate in Educational Leadership at Saint Peter’s University and plan on completing the program in May of 2023. I continually seek to grow as an instructional and community leader. After registering the most voters in a Bergen County High School, I was asked to discuss school safety and civic responsibility with County Clerk John Hogan and Senator Loretta Weinberg as part of “Your Vote is Your Voice.” I am an active participant in seeking and turn-keying relevant professional development topics which benefit my peers in the county and members of my school community, most recently speaking at the Bergen County Principals’ Conference on Wellness and Social Emotional Learning. My career has provided me with opportunities to work in a collaborative manner, with various administrators, central office personnel, and members of the Board of Education.
I look forward to growing as a professional in a district that values academics and enriches students’ educational experiences.
Lawrence C. Pinto
201-313-2371
