On his first day at GISD, Superintendent Dr. Fred Brent turned the District’s attention to becoming a learning organization. “Our focus was a District-wide curriculum and evaluation that, regardless of which school a child attends, he or she is seen through the lens of the Learner Profile, for which we provide meaningful assessments of growth. I’m pleased that we are really starting to see the fruits of those efforts.”
As an example, he explains, the student needs at one school vary from the needs of the population of another. He ensures each principal is empowered to focus appropriate resources to meet those needs, while meeting the high expectations of the District, and ensure every student is making academic progress on state standards.
OUTSIDE THE BOX
While learning assessments progress, GISD continues to build upon cutting-edge programs like cosmetology, CNA, automotive technology, veterinary tech, and others that certify graduates for immediate career advancement. Others, like Sea Perch, Rocketry, Tango Flight, and an engineering program based on Project Lead the Way (PLTW), prepare them for higher learning and advancement.
Introduced in middle school—the time when students begin to be curious about how their passions might determine their futures—PLTW presents students with problems to solve, and the tools to discover creative solutions. Dr. Brent says, “This program teaches them how to think, and not necessarily what to think.”
His current goal is, by 2025, every student will graduate GISD college-, career-, or military-ready.
“One of the greatest gifts the board gave me was their encouragement to build the Learner Profile. When we embark on a plan that focuses on creativity, self-awareness, problem solving, and obtaining knowledge through inquiry, we are meeting our obligation to prepare kids to navigate life. We hold academic team meetings on a regular basis to assess student learning and focus on building instructional programs that ensure that growth for every student. What I love about our work around learning profiles is that every child needs to leave GISD able to purse hopes and dreams. For some students, that means four-year college, but to others, it’s a career or technical college, or the military.”
Dr. Brent cited the 2018 bond election that funded the design of a new CTE facility that will offer even more career and technical education. “Our board of Trustees has very strong goals for social emotional learning, numeracy, and literacy, and combined college/career/military readiness. I love the fact that they see the big picture; that kids will truly be able to pursue passions, that lead not just to graduation, but to navigating life successfully.”