After Nationwide Search, Local High School Picks One of Its Own

The Cambridge Public Schools ended a nearly 10-month long, nationwide search for the next head of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS), naming acting chief Christopher Saheed to hold the post of principal permanently.

CRLS, the district's only high school, lost its leader earlier this year when then-principal Sybil N. Knight announced in January that she had accepted a position as assistant superintendent of the school district in Harrisburg, Pa. Cambridge's initial attempt to find a replacement for Knight—a closed search process that lasted nearly four months—failed to generate a candidate with whom the district was satisfied. Early this summer, the district's superintendent, Thomas Fowler-Finn, said Saheed would serve as acting principal.

Saheed has worked at the school for 30 years, most recently serving a six-year stint as a dean for one of the school's "learning communities," or subdivisions. But Saheed had never been a principal before this year.

In October, Fowler-Finn said that the district would resume its nationwide hunt for a high school head and that Saheed—who was an original candidate in the search—would remain a possibility.

Fowler-Finn said that Saheed's work over the last few months was a large factor leading to his permanent appointment.

"He's been in the position now for a number of months and he's just doing a great job," Fowler-Finn said. "There's no better test than actually opening up the school and then demonstrating that the school is really continuing to move forward."

District spokesman Justin Martin also said that Saheed's performance as acting principal demonstrated his ability to lead the school over the long term.

"Dr. Saheed has proven in a very short amount of time that he is capable as principal," Martin said. "That all became really evident early on as well, as there was an overwhelming amount of support from parents as well as staff."

In a statement, Saheed said that he was "elated" to be taking over at the helm of the school.

"It is such a joy to be able to take action on the vision you hold for a school, particularly one as vibrant and wonderful as CRLS," Saheed said.

Despite being named on a federal watch list as "needing improvement" this year, CRLS has made academic gains, specifically on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System examinations.

In September, the Cambridge Public Schools were recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Education as one of three districts that saw the most improvement in the number of students scoring either "proficient" or "advanced" on the exam.

On the English Language Arts test, 67 percent of CRLS students scored proficient or advanced—a 20 percentage-point improvement from the previous year. Similarly, 61 percent received high marks on the mathematics exam, a 19 percentage-point increase.

Richard Freirman, a parent of a CRLS junior and an original member of the principal search committee, said he was a "big fan" of Saheed. "He is firm without dominating the whole conversation, but he clearly knows the ropes as far as running the high school," said Freirman. "I think that what he has to deal with that is challenging is continuing the good work that's already started at the high school. I think it's going to be challenging to continue improvement across all levels."

Although Fowler-Finn noted that Saheed's "honeymoon is over," the superintendent said he was confident that Saheed's support among students and faculty will allow the new principal to push progress forward.

"He has a good set of values. He talks about both the mind and the heart of the school," Fowler-Finn said. "I think he has struck a chord with that kind of approach."

Saheed has been issued a contract that will keep him as principal of CRLS through July 31, 2009.

—Staff writer Laura A. Moore can be reached at lamoore@fas.harvard.edu.