Ft. Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – Teachers from across Fort Worth filled an arena Friday to mark the beginning of the next school year. Superintendent Kent Scribner spoke at the convocation.
Scribner had been named the sole finalist to become superintendent before last year’s convocation, but this was his first year on the job.
“The eyes of Texas are certainly upon us, and I’ve felt them upon me,” Scribner said to laughter among teachers at the beginning of his speech. “We’ve had an opportunity to learn about many of our leaders in Texas.”
Scriber says 108 of Ft. Worth’s 130 schools meet state standards. While he says the majority of schools are meeting students’ needs, he says resources need to be directed to the 22 schools labeled “improvement required.”
“It’s about content, but it’s also about connections,” Scribner says. “We have to connect with kids and others and create cultures in our schools that are healthy.”
Scribner laid out a plan to get every third grader reading at grade level by 2025.
“This will be a different city if we’re able to do that,” he says. “Reading in the third grade is the best predictor of college and career preparedness.”
Scribner says he has been working with Mayor Betsy Price and BNSF CEO Carl Ice to launch the campaign. He says a focus on kids’ ability to read can better prepare middle school students to excel at math, which can lead to success in high school and beyond.
“Each builds on the next,” Scribner says. Right now, he says just 25% of Ft. Worth ISD students who attend college graduate within six years. Thirty nine percent need remedial classes in college. “This is a transformation for our school district that will result in Ft. Worth ISD becoming a premier urban district.”
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