Knox County Schools superintendent: Plan to close achievement gaps off to a sound start

It has been said that education is the great equalizer. As a teacher and administrator for more than 20 years, I know that is true only when we set high academic expectations for all students. Over the course of my career, I have seen time and time again that students want to be challenged, and that they deserve high expectations from adults. I also know that, as a district, Knox County Schools has not always communicated a clear vision for success. As a former principal of Fulton High School, I know how difficult that lack of clarity and consistency can be on students and schools.

When I became superintendent 19 months ago, one of the first decisions I made was to create a five-year plan to intentionally and strategically close persistent achievement gaps in our Region 5 schools, which include Fulton High School, Austin-East Magnet High School and their feeder schools. This process began with months of strategic planning that engaged more than 250 students, families, educators and community partners across multiple languages. Our team at KCS relies on the perspectives of the communities we serve, and I’m grateful to the countless Region 5 stakeholders who took time to participate in one-on-one interviews and focus groups last year.

Goals of the Region 5 Way roadmap

Our comprehensive strategic planning process in Region 5 ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Region 5 Way, a five-year, action-oriented roadmap to increase:

∎ Three times the number of third-graders reading on or above grade level.

∎ Six times the number of eighth-graders performing on or above grade level in math.

∎ Four times the number of students graduating ready for college or career.

First-semester accomplishments

We are now a semester into Year 1 implementation of the Region 5 Way, and I’m struck by how much our students and staff have already accomplished. In just five short months, we have already:

∎ Extended contract hours for every educator in Region 5 to provide additional time for student-focused planning and high-quality professional development.

∎ Revised instructional schedules for all Region 5 elementary schools to create capacity to provide tutoring and RTI2 instruction for more students (a 16% increase) for longer (15 additional minutes, for 45 minutes total).

∎ Organized scouting trips to communities like Fairfax, Virginia, to begin developing the district’s first K-12 International Baccalaureate pathway for students at Sarah Moore Greene Magnet Academy, Vine Magnet Academy and Austin-East Magnet High School.

Family and community partnerships

One of the guiding principles within the Region 5 Way is that partnerships with families and community members are essential. I am pleased to share that in the fall semester:

∎ Schools in Region 5 began sending home weekly newsletters to update families on progress being made toward Region 5 Way milestones.

∎ Regional leadership provided regular progress reports to the Region 5 community in the form of a quarterly newsletter.

∎ The city of Knoxville donated a fire truck to the fire safety education pathway at Fulton High School, illustrating the profound impact community partners can have on creating meaningful and engaging hands-on opportunities for students to lean and grow.

∎ All 78 Austin-East Magnet High School teachers and staff members participated in industry externships over the summer to the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, the downtown Hilton, Tombras Group, Stowers Construction and AMS Nuclear Engineering, providing hands-on professional learning opportunities for educators to better contextualize how the skills and competencies being taught in the classroom will ultimately prepare students for the future workforce.

It’s easy to talk about change, but implementing ideas that serve students well is difficult to accomplish. I’m proud of the work our students and schools are doing. I’m witnessing tangible results during my weekly school visits and hearing promising reports from our families and educators in Region 5. I’m excited to double down on the progress we’re making to help every student in Knox County reach their full potential in — and beyond — the classroom.

Jon Rysewyk is superintendent of Knox County Schools.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Superintendent: Plan to close school achievement gaps off to a sound start