Fort Worth ISD Superintendent on student achievement: "We recognize we are not where we want to be"
FORT WORTH — Community members and leaders in Fort Worth are ramping up their call for action after a recent report revealed alarmingly low student performance rankings for Fort Worth ISD, both locally and statewide.
On Tuesday night, Mayor Mattie Parker voiced her frustrations directly to the school board.
During the school board meeting, Parker took to the podium, expressing deep concern for the district's performance.
"On behalf of our entire city, I call for a bold, unified approach to turn our schools around," she said.
It comes after new numbers from the Fort Worth Education Partnership, show that only about 25% of students in Fort Worth ISD are meeting grade-level standards across all subjects.
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, Executive Director of the nonprofit Parent Shield in Fort Worth, echoed the mayor's concerns.
"It just lowers the playing field for our children, and it's not fair. Enough is enough. As the adults in the room, we need to put politics aside and take a hard look at the issues. We know what's wrong," she said.
Dorsey-Hollins, a mother of two, has been advocating for change in Fort Worth ISD for the past two years. She says even worse, many parents aren't even aware of how poorly their children are being educated.
"Parents see A's and B's on report cards and think everything is fine," she said.
While Dorsey-Hollins believes that improvement starts in the classroom, she also insists that everyone shares responsibility.
"If leadership changes are necessary, I'm not against that. I support whatever will get our kids moving in the right direction," she said.
Parker's sentiments were clear in a letter she sent to the school board, signed by more than 40 community stakeholders, underscoring the need for immediate change.
"It's been 10 years, but nothing has improved," Parker said. "There's been a lot of internal discussion about why that is. It's fascinating to hear parents and teachers point out specific issues, but leadership is missing."
We asked for comment from FWISD on Parker's statements.
Superintendent Angelica Ramsey responded in part, "We recognize that we are not where we want to be with student achievement, which is why the opportunity to lead FWISD is so important to me. I look forward to sharing results of our school ratings, our instructional focus, and the leading indicators we are tracking at the previously scheduled Board workshop next month. This is the reason I came to FWISD — to realize the potential of every student and the district. I am committed to making FWISD an outstanding school district."
While Roxanne Martinez, the newly elected president of the FWISD Board of Trustees responded in part, "I am confident in the board's ability to adopt the newly developed strategic plan with clear goals, initiatives, action steps, and metrics. This plan will guide our efforts to drive student achievement and hold us accountable as we strive to meet the needs of every student in our district."
Dorsey-Hollins said parents like her are finally being heard.
"This is a plea. As parents in Fort Worth, we're tired. We want the best for our children and will no longer accept the minimal or below-minimal standards we've been receiving," she said.
