Beth Gage, Chief Human Resources Manager

Send Beth Gage an Email 

Phone:  (413) 534-2000, Extension 1500
Holyoke Public Schools
57 Suffolk Street
Holyoke, MA 01040

• We intentionally build a community that is anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive.

• We ensure that students, families, and staff get the support they need to be successful.

• We seek out and incorporate the voices of those impacted, with a commitment to include those who have been excluded in the past. 

• We promote access and inclusion for all students, staff, and families.

• We respect, embrace and honor the diversity of our students, families, staff, and community.

• We reflect on our own behavior to minimize harm to others.

• We create a culture of acceptance and empathy so that everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to our community’s success.

One way we are building and retaining a workforce that reflects the student population is by creating a pathway for employees to pursue master’s degrees through the Mount Holyoke College’s Urban Teachers Pathways Program while continuing to work in the district. Rebecca Chaverri participated in the program and earned her Master’s Degree in Education, while she transitioned from her role as the HPS homeless coordinator to a science teacher at McMahon School. She shared, “Through the UTP Program I was able to access an education that fit my schedule and the current professional market needs.  The program set me on a new path that is both challenging and rewarding.  I am very lucky to teach students in Holyoke and I am making a difference while fulfilling my professional goals and aspirations.”  

Our efforts to diversify our workforce have begun to bear fruit.  Thirty-four percent (34%) of staff employed by the Holyoke Public Schools are people of color (2018-19) versus 10 percent statewide.  Yet, we recognize there is still more work to do. We have a variety of internal programs and external partnerships that recruit, develop and retain a workforce that reflects our student population.  The partnerships with local organizations are listed below.

• Teach Western Mass: TWM’s Residency, is a one-year, state-accredited, teacher-preparation program that gives aspiring teachers the chance to lead a classroom while getting significant support and earning their teaching certification in HPS’ most high-need licensure areas. TWM is also committed to supporting HPS as it builds stronger connections for local students to enter the teaching workforce through its Pathway programs. Convening with local colleges/universities, TWM is able to offer financial incentives, mentoring, and personalized job-search support to high-potential undergraduate and graduate students who are engaged in participating programs. TWM helps ensure that future teachers are gaining experience, connections, and support as they explore a rewarding career in HPS.

• Generation Teach offers fellowships during the summer to undergraduate and high school students featuring 2 weeks of training and 4 – 5 weeks of teaching middle-school students while receiving daily coaching from professional teachers.  This program also develops Holyoke’s professional teachers as coaches and leaders to support teaching fellows during their fellowships.

• The Center for Equity in Urban Education at Elms College provides paraprofessionals with the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degrees so they can pursue a teaching license.  The Center for Equity in Urban Education (CEUE) seeks to increase the number and diversity of qualified teachers in Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield. Additionally, the CEUE offers accompanying professional learning opportunities for experienced educators and current school leaders.

• Paradigm Shift is a partnership-led collaborative effort to support black and Latinx classroom paraprofessionals to become teachers. Paradigm Shift seeks to transform the teacher pipeline and create an educated workforce more representative of and responsive to students in the communities served by their schools.  Last summer, HPS leaders joined local school districts in a Day of Practice with Paradigm Shift, also known as the Diverse Teacher Workforce Coalition to share practices and create plans for cultural proficient and responsive environments for all schools and is working with TNTP, Inc. to better align human resources’ practices with the coalition’s goals and district priorities.

• Influence 100 is an initiative aimed at increasing the racial and ethnic diversity of superintendents and creating more culturally responsive districts and leaders in order to improve student outcomes. The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) program includes two components: a fellowship program for qualified educators who desire to move into the superintendent role in the next five years and support for school districts to become more culturally responsive and to diversify their educator workforce. Fellows participate in a two-year leadership development program about the nuances of being a superintendent in Massachusetts, with a focus on what it takes to lead a district to be more culturally responsive and intentional in diversifying the educator workforce to better serve all students.

• Future Educators Signing Day: Holyoke High School seniors sign letters of intent committing to attend the college or university of their choice to pursue a degree in the field of education. The ceremony serves as a means to celebrate and recognize the hard work and commitment of seniors who are on the path to become future educators, and encourage and inspire others in the community who may be interested in this career pathway.  These students are guaranteed a practicum at HPS with a commitment to advanced placement in the district’s compensation system.