Robert Glascock, 56, of Ellicott City, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and technology for Howard County Public Schools, was chosen to lead the State Education Department’s Breakthrough Center.

The center is a state pilot program created in partnership with the Education Alliance at Brown University to ensure services are given to schools not meeting the standards required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In Maryland, students with disabilities or limited English proficiency are in the greatest need. The program’s intention is to move schools away from being labeled “failing.”Glascock has been working with Howard public schools since 1976. His experience includes being the supervisor of the Gifted and Talented Program and director of kindergarten through grade 12 curriculum.

Why is it a mistake to label schools as “failing”?

When you’re trying to make improvements, you have to create an atmosphere of trust and you need to build on that capacity. When you label a school as “failing,” it creates a message that you’re not able to perform.

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How are you going to support the schools?

We’re going to look at different, individualized support. Instead of telling you what to do, it’ll be about how we can help you get to where you need to be. Some schools have greater challenges than others, like more poverty. It’s not a one size fits all. It’s how we differentiate.

How do you identify these schools early and before they need more intense interventions?

We can do it through extensive data-process analysis and looking at trends and patterns in data. You sometimes have to get right down to individual students. It’s a lot of intensive, detailed work. Are they bilingual? What about special education? We don’t want to create dependency; we want to create self-sufficiency. We want to build their knowledge and strength, so they keep growing.