Dr. Anthony Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools, was on Thursday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the success of the school consolidation process and his recent State of the Schools address.
Jackson began the show by thanking the community for the support the school system received throughout the entire consolidation process for Vance County Middle School and Vance County High School.
“From the day the school board made the decision to consolidate the schools to the opening of school, we had approximately 120 days,” said Jackson. “I’m so proud of this community, our students, our parents and our staff for the work that they did during that period of time to get us to what we like to call ‘the launch.'”
According to Jackson, the launch of the newly consolidated schools in August went smoothly and was a great start to the 2018-19 school year.
“What we have seen since is what we hoped would come to fruition – a community coming together. I was at the football game a few nights ago and it was a joy to see the number of kids on our sidelines participating and the number of parents in the stands,” Jackson said.
State of the Schools Address
In Jackson’s recent address to the public, he announced that the majority of the system’s 15 schools showed marked improvement during the previous school year. “When I arrived in Vance County, nine schools were designated as low-performing. This year, I’m pleased to announce that 11 of our 15 schools met or exceeded growth and received a school performance grade of a C or better.”
Jackson credits this success to a number of factors including a shift towards focusing on the best way to reach and teach each individual student. “We focus on high student achievement by figuring out how best to teach every child – not just the low or high performers. Every single child deserves the best education,” said Jackson.
Other factors, according to Jackson, include making the environment as safe as possible so teaching and learning can take place, hiring and retaining high-quality educators and being efficient with resources.
“We change mindsets about what we can do in this community and if we work together, we can accomplish our goals.”
To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here.