Superintendent

May 4, 2026

Hello families:

As we move through the school year, I’ve been reflecting on the intentional work underway to build greater coherence across our district. Over the past several years, this has been a central focus for aligning practices, strengthening shared expectations, and ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience for students in every classroom. This year, it’s been especially rewarding to see that work continue to grow deeper roots.

Across our schools, I see teachers consistently applying our common instructional model, along with strategies like Total Participation Techniques that engage every student in learning and ensure they are the ones doing so. Classrooms are increasingly places where students lead discussions, ask questions, and take ownership of their learning, while teachers and staff provide the structure and support to pursue mastery. That shift reflects real growth and confidence across the board, which is proven to pay dividends in student achievement.

As we approach end-of-year assessments, these experiences matter. Tests provide important feedback for students and families and help guide our planning, while also giving us critical insight into our curriculum and instruction so we can continue to refine and improve our professional practice over summer. These assessments are equally important in building the stamina and readiness students need for future academic challenges at the secondary level and beyond to develop executive functions like resilience, perseverance, and logic that are essential as adults.

At the same time, we continue to hear important questions from families about technology and social media. Many of these conversations have been influenced by The Anxious Generation, which has helped raise awareness about how digital environments are designed to capture children's attention. While we approach literature like this thoughtfully, recognizing both its value and its limitations, there are important ideas worth considering. One that has stayed with me is the “hooked model,” a four-step process used in many forms of persuasive technology. It begins with a trigger, a notification or even a moment of boredom that prompts engagement. That leads to an action, such as opening an app. Users then receive a variable reward such as "Likes," messages, or new content that arrives unpredictably, reinforcing the behavior. Finally, there is an investment, where the user contributes something, increasing the likelihood they’ll return. Over time, this creates a powerful, self-reinforcing cycle. Sound familiar? It should as it mirrors the same dynamics used in other habit-forming systems we recognize as adults.

As both a superintendent and a parent, this has given me pause. It’s influenced decisions at home and continues to shape how I think about our work as a district. We’re hearing more from families, particularly at the elementary level, who are asking important questions about screen time at school. Those perspectives matter and are helping guide our thinking as we look ahead to the next phase of our district’s Strategic Plan.

On a high note, I want to highlight just a few recent accomplishments happening across our district. These are small snapshots, but together they reflect the overall strength and Peak Performance of our students and staff:

• The Best Buddies Walk team raised $4,000
• IHS was named a Top 100 Business School nationally (14th consecutive year)
• District: Best Communities for Music Education (19th consecutive year)
• Four Odyssey of the Mind teams qualified for its national event in late May
• DECA sent 7 students to its World International Conference
• Iroquois student Adriana Cassano won the Monroe County Young Citizen Award

Today also kicks off Staff Appreciation Week. From our classrooms to our offices, buses, cafeterias, and every space in between, our staff are the heart of this district. They are, without question, the greatest influence on student success. As a community, I personally know how much you value these relationships, and how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated, talented, and caring team.

Looking forward to closing out the year with many more memories and milestones. Please click here for more district-wide updates, including a brief survey on Transportation and the May 19 District Vote and Board of Education election.

In partnership,

Aaron R. Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

P.S. You can find all of my updates on our website under Superintendent Update.