The Kent County Public School system is the smallest school system in the State of Maryland with a student population prekindergarten through grade 12 of 2, 236. Even though our staff and student populations are small, there are lessons that we can learn from larger school systems. Many of the larger counties such as Montgomery County, Baltimore County, and other systems in Maryland are able to offer instructional opportunities for their children that we cannot offer because of our size and resources. As superintendent of schools, I do not accept this as OK. Our students will live and work with people from all over the State of Maryland and across this world, perhaps in person or virtually. To the fullest extent possible, we have a responsibility to provide programs that will allow our students to be competitive, not just on the Eastern Shore but everywhere. Large counties often have the resources to pilot programs and strategies that we can replicate after the “bugs” have been worked out. Networking with professionals from other counties, large and small, provides a different perspective as well as different resolutions to issues.
Maryland, along with 23 other states, have decided to replace their mathematics and English/Language Arts standards with a common set of national standards. Ultimately, curricula and tests will be crafted that embody the new standards. The State of Maryland has had a state curriculum for a number of years, but the new common set of standards will require that what we teach is aligned to the national common standards.
How our children achieve on these standards will measure the effectiveness of the instruction that students receive in Kent County as compared to every other system in the nation. The educational stakes are high. We must prepare our children to compete so that they have the same choices for employment opportunities or college acceptance as students who are in larger and, perhaps, more affluent counties.
Yes, we are small in size but not in brainpower. Our job is to provide the tools that will empower our children to be great! YES WE CAN!