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Pittsburgh superintendent says incremental change is the key to long-term success

PITTSBURGH — The superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools told students, staff and parents to expect great things at his State of the District address Tuesday.

"It's not a sprint it's a marathon,” Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said.

It’s a simple message that points to the large ambitions he has for the district: to increase student proficiency in reading, writing and math and ensure every child leaves with the skills they need to succeed.

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"It's going to take time to get us where we need to be,” he said.

Beyond just supporting and developing Pittsburgh students, Hamlet says the school system must eliminate gaps in achievement levels.

“We have low-performing African American students and some of our minority groups,” he said.

But the battle isn't just in the classroom.

“We know they go home, and we want to support them and their families at home with their academic growth as well, so we have a lot of work to do,” Hamlet said.

But he said he knows the district is up for the challenge.

"The Pittsburgh community is passionate about public education and the staff here in PPS are hardworking highly competent people,” he said.

Tuesday's address was part of a five-year plan to increase academic achievement by 2022.