Three and a half years ago, Superintendent Brendan Walker asked the Croton-Harmon community a question that became a mission: What can school be? The answer is now visible in every building in the district. Eighth graders who would have been tracked out of algebra are taking it. High schoolers are earning college credit in courses that replaced traditional AP classes — and their scores went up. Science teachers are building lessons around real-world phenomena instead of vocabulary lists. Walker calls it the Vision Map. "The idea that when we say it impacts all students we genuinely mean that," he told the board at an October 2024 work session. "Through the amazing work of faculty, we get a chance to impact every school-age child in this community." {{quote:yt-yBgf-6v0tCE:10}} ## Algebra for All The most concrete change is in math. At Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School, the district eliminated tracking that decided students' mathematical futures in 7th grade. Now every 8th grader takes algebra. At a November 2024 work session, presenters explained: "Math education is fundamentally sequential — it's like building a house; you can't build a second floor without a strong foundation." The redesigned pathways give students what the district calls "horizontal mobility." {{quote:yt-HAT-jdNYwlY:17}} "You're going to take an Algebra 2 course that's not going to limit you to get to pre-calculus. It gives everyone an opportunity to reach calculus regardless of what courses they choose along the way." {{quote:yt-HAT-jdNYwlY:17}} By February 2026, Walker credited the team with "innovative math pathways that I'm not aware any other district is engaged in." {{quote:yt-RRwsK3F-BEQ:11074}} ## Rethinking Science The science curriculum is shifting from memorization to inquiry: "Which class would you rather be in — one where you're encouraged to ask questions, experiment, build your own models, or one where you're asked to remember many dozens of terms? That's what we're redesigning." {{quote:yt-HAT-jdNYwlY:17}} The new sequence aligns with Next Generation Science Standards, with all 9th graders starting from a common biology course. ## The Interdisciplinary Bet At Croton-Harmon High School, the first interdisciplinary core courses launched in 2024-25. Social studies and English are combined into humanities courses at the middle school level. A dual enrollment history course replaced AP U.S. History — and AP scores improved. "This year, some really important work occurred in curriculum," Walker summarized at the May 2025 budget hearing, "including the development of interdisciplinary learning experiences and overhaul of our science and math curriculum to allow for algebra for all students in 8th grade." {{quote:yt-MqDUuLOvLbQ:6696}} ## The Results By January 2026, the data was in. English Regents scores: second in the region. AP scores up across multiple subjects. 719 AP enrollments with essentially open enrollment. "We are seeing the impact in measurable ways," a board member said. "This has always been a 'yes and' conversation. Yes, we can do these great things, and we can also look at this information." {{quote:yt-TzciddgWZcE:14651}} ## What's Next Walker frames this year as "the culmination of that staffing plan" — the final piece of a multi-year buildout. "We started talking about the concept of high-level interdisciplinary learning, robust instructional coaching, and significant systemwide supports for social and emotional wellness," he told the board in April 2025. "We view this budget as really the culmination of that staffing plan." {{quote:yt-cBTo3vCudiQ:5950}} "The work of our Vision Map has allowed us to truly redefine the idea of excellence in learning," Walker said. {{quote:yt-MqDUuLOvLbQ:6709}} For Croton-Harmon, what school can be is no longer a question. It's a plan.