When I interviewed Susan Enfield after her first week as the Seattle School District's interim superintendent, I pointed out that an important test for her would be to do something that shows how she's different from former superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, who was fired for her lack of oversight over $1.8 million in questionable expenses in a district program.

Today, four weeks into her new job, Enfield announced her priorities for the remainder of the school year, the bulk of which consist of continuing with programs and strategies that already exist. Given that it's already April, and school ends in June, it sort of makes sense not to suddenly disrupt ongoing programs, but, as Enfield mentions, report back to her staff in early May about what she's "learned and heard" and how that might be incorporated into the district's future plans.

At that time it will be important to see what, if any, new ideas surface.

Enfield plans to continue with Goodloe-Johnson's five-year strategic plan, "with an eye to making adjustments in light of budget constraints." Enfield also says she wants to keep the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) tests which many people, including the teachers union, wants to see replaced with something better.

She says she wants teachers to use the MAP as a tool to tailor their instruction to meet the needs of individual students. She also plans to reorganize departments across finance, operation, and teaching and build partnerships between the central office and school staff to "better meet the needs of students."

Enfied has made communication one of her top priorities (one of the biggest complaints against Goodloe-Johnson was her lack of communication skills), holding "office hours" from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Thursday. She's already booked until June. There's also the first "coffee with the superintendent" next Tuesday, March 29, from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue. More opportunities to meet with the superintendent—including a chance for teachers to have soup with her—can be found in the announcement.