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August 15, 2006 |
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DR.PETER GORMAN Superintendent,
Charlotte- Mecklenburg SchoolsBy Henry Bostic The job of educating the children of Charlotte and Mecklenburg counties is not the sole responsibility of the local school system, the county's new superintendent of schools told Charlotte Rotary Tuesday. Rather, it's a partnership between the school and parents. The job is "too big and too important to be left just to us alone," Dr. Peter Gorman said. Parents can't just "drop kids off and say it's your job," he said. "No, it's a group effort." Gorman, who joined the system in July, says he likes to ask five questions to gauge the "level of engagement" of parents. What's the child's teacher's name? What's the school principal's name? What is there homework assignment in reading, math and social studies? What book is the child reading at home for pleasure? What's the last book you've (the parent) has read for pleasure. The former superintendent of the Tustin, California schools said he's often asked if schools should teach character. "Parents teach character. We teach reading," he responded "We must be partners." For those who say that there are some parents that work two jobs and don't have time to be involved, the Florida native answered with a story. He said his mother used to ask him to help with meals, and he told her he couldn't cook. She responded, he said, by telling him "he could set the table." Gorman also said it is a mistake for citizens with no children in schools to disengage. "There's a direct impact on their pocketbooks" by what schools are doing, he said, describing public education as the key foundation of a strong economic development effort in the community. "We will not compromise on giving all kids quality education," he said. For example, Gorman pointed out that "students must be reading by the end of the third grade. Reading is the king of the curriculum. To do well, we must be able to read." He noted that there are "best practices" for teaching reading that have been proven by research. Saying he "honors" teachers' right to "independence" in their classrooms and doesn't want to see them stymied by "rote teaching," students must learn to read, and there are proven ways to do it. The former COO of the Orange County, Florida, school system with a $1.1 billion budget, 160 schools and 20,000 employees, Gorman is no stranger to a large school system and its challenges. But he was surprised by the diversity in the district. Referring to a Wall Street Journal story from last winter which highlighted CMS as a top performing "urban" school district, Gorman said that was "not correct." This "is not an urban district. It's urban. It's suburban. It's rural. It's countywide. It's all sorts of things." The result, the father of a third-grader said, is a whole lot of different constituents with different needs, desires and expectations. But "they are all passionate about education. They all want excellence in education. They just disagree about how to get to excellence in education," he said. Gorman has three education degrees including a doctorate, but he said the first time he really heard the word "customer" in his education experience was when studying for his MBA. "We cannot assume we have a captive audience," he said about public education. Gorman said he welcomes competition from charter schools, private schools and home schoolers. "I want our quality high enough for everyone to consider public education as an option" and to measure other options by. The new superintendent said he has three simple tests for all school programs. Are they sound educationally? Are they good for kids? Are they fiscally responsible? And he has three simple goals that guide his actions. Will our work increase student achievement? ("We must raise the academic bar . . ." and ". . . close the gaps. . . .") We must be accountable for our actions every day. "We must be responsible to our publics, and I put an 's' on public." To that end, Gorman noted, he is requiring that all CMS employees including himself, principals and teachers to respond to any phone call or e-mail within 24 hours. "I get more than a 100 a day, and if I can respond to all of them," other employees should be able to as well, he said. Other thoughts from the superintendent:
Hunter Widener, Carol Chavis, Luther Moore, John Tabor, Karen Calder, John Snyder: Invocation: Natalie English Visitors & Guests: Tom Hutchins; Health & Happiness: Tom Hutchins; Song: Alan Barnhardt; Piano: Thomas Moore
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Revised: January 24, 2008.