How to create a (very popular) extra school day

Traffic in front of a school is a “great problem to have”—especially on a Saturday, says Superintendent Tahira Dupree Chase of New York’s Westbury Union Free School District.

Chase launched a program called “WINS,” which stands for “What I Need on Saturday.” It’s an extra, STEAM-focused school day that’s open to K8 students in the Long Island school district. After two years, there’s now a waiting list for the Saturday academy that runs almost the full length of the school year.

“Parents are so eager to drop children off and the kids are so happy to be there,” Chase says. “Not only has it increased students’ abilities to problem solve, it has improved communication and collaboration—those skills they need for jobs of the future.”

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Professors and practitioners from nearby Molloy University lead STEAM activities and also train teachers. Westbury’s students and staff are gaining skills they can bring back to the classroom during the school week.

“It’s been amazing,” Chase adds. “We’ve been deliberate about funding it and it has become part of who we are, part of our fabric.”

School safety is shared

Along with enrichment, safety is another big priority, so everyone in the district now has a wearable security device they can activate in emergencies. The device transmits to the school security team the exact location of the student or staff member in distress.

The devices have been used in recent weeks when a student was choking and when another child fell and broke a bone. “We’ve empowered everyone to be part of the safety and security procedures here in our school district,” Chase notes.

‘110 things that go right’

Chase’s first career was in public relations and she much prefers education—Westbury is her second superintendency. She still uses her PR skills to tell her district’s story and on her “Strictly Education” podcast.

“For every one thing that goes wrong there are 110 things that go right in the school district, and so part of my job is to publicize it and to be the public relations spokesperson for the district,” she contends.

She filmed a few episodes of her podcast during a district International Baccalaureate trip to Ghana and has also covered women in K12 leadership, self-care for school leaders and preparing students for 21st-century opportunities. Next month’s topic will be safety and security and she will feature a superintendent who experienced a school shooting.

“Each month, I get to bring issues and trends in public education, and not only talk about those issues and trends but talk about solutions,” she explains. “I get to bring the coolest people to my podcast and to talk about whatever’s happening in education.”