A report says that the state's specialized science-and-math high school may be growing stale and needs to make changes to keep its cutting-edge reputation.
One potential problem the 19-page report highlighted was the school's executive director, John Friedrick.
''The commission's six-month study suggests that the executive director lacks important communication and leadership skills needed for an innovative, academically intensive, student-centered school like NCSSM,'' the report says.
The commission heard complaints that Friedrick doesn't listen well and sometimes argues with those who don't share his opinion. It found no clear definition of his responsibilities or evidence of regular evaluations.
Friedrick intimidates some staff and faculty members who disagree with him, student applications are declining, and minority teachers are turning down job offers, the report also says.
''The perceptions that exist in that report are ones that I suspect exist to a greater or lesser degree for any administrator,'' Friedrick said. ''But I'm a change agent. I'm making changes that may cause some people to disagree with either my style or approach.''
The 530-student school was created to improve teaching and student performance in science and mathematics. It opened in 1980 to fanfare and optimism. It takes juniors and seniors with an exceptional aptitude for both subjects.
''If there are things that are preventing us from being fair and diverse, we want to know about them, and we want to address them in a very honest and frank manner,'' said William Massey, the school's board chairman.
''That doesn't mean we have to change executive directors, and it doesn't mean we have to throw out everything. It just means we have to come together as a community and rethink some of these issues.''
The school has served as a model for other states and a number of foreign countries. But the commission heard concerns that the school may be losing its appeal.
''There is an expression by many that perhaps the school is no longer viewed as 'the place' where innovation and the highest level of excellence in teaching and learning in mathematics and science occur in our state,'' the report says.
The six-member Independent Commission for Fairness and Diversity studied the school for six months. The board of trustees received the results March 6.
Commission members, a group of education and business leaders, interviewed administrators, teachers, staff members, parents, graduates and students.
The report also says that division exists in the school because perceptions based on half-truths are left unaddressed. That leads to accusations of favoritism among departments and a perceived bias toward hiring white workers.
Published: March 20, 1998