Entering his second school year as Superintendent of Arlington ISD, Matt Smith is looking closely at what they’re teaching in the district, and how well it’s working.
“We are actually auditing all of our curriculum, and for a good reason, we want our curriculum to represent our community, and we want to make thoughtful decisions for the community that we serve. So when people bring up Bluebonnet and stuff, and I get the question of, ‘Are you adopting Bluebonnet?’ We absolutely will take a look at Bluebonnet. But it doesn’t mean that we’re just going to adopt it. We’re going to find what’s right for our community,” Smith said.
Bluebonnet is the new state-approved curriculum available to schools.
Smith says while academics are under a hard review, it doesn’t mean they’re broken. In fact, he says, one of the biggest things that needs fixing in the district is making sure people know the wins their teachers and students are bringing home each day.
“I think some of our other opportunities, charter schools, etc, they do a really good job of saying, here’s why we’re better. I think it’s time for Arlington ISD to start saying that, too. And here’s what we can provide. Here’s what we can actually do for your kids, and here is the experience we want for kids in Arlington,” he said.
His big focus is career and technical education, partnerships with the business community, and he says it’s not just, here’s what we can train you to do by graduation.
“Students, you can go in and try things and see if you like that, and then if you need to move on, we can move on as well, because that’s the student connection that we need to have. . We offer all of these things, but students, we don’t want to necessarily just box you into one pathway,” said Smith.
Arlington ISD struggled last year with accountability scoring. 16 schools scoring C’s in previous years are now marked as F’s under the TEA’s new scoring metric. Smith says there’s far more to schools than A-F ratings and STAAR, and he doesn’t believe they reflect what’s happening in Arlington.
“Are we really wired so tight that we’ve got third graders worried about passing that test, or is it really about growth?” he questioned. “For a student, by the time they walk out their doors, what they know and can do? I think that’s a more powerful story, and I think that’s what public education should be about.”
The district will work this year to bring more parent involvement to campuses. Having parents feel better connected to teachers, even offering some training classes like we’ve seen in other districts, like Dallas ISD, where parents learn how to do new math so they can help their kids with homework.
Smith is proud of the pay they’re offering teachers, some of the highest in North Texas, but he doesn’t want it to be hazard pay. He says they have to work to get behavior under control.
“Number one thing that I would like to do, let’s teach students how to behave well so we don’t get to the consequences piece, because ultimately that keeps the student in the classroom and keeps the teacher in a positive mindset working with that student,” said Smith.
Smith says it’s a strong but focused strategy he feels good about going into this school year.
“I do ask for time. We’re going to keep plugging away. If we can really create those partnerships with our parents, really hone in on that culture that we talked about, with staff and with students in the school. I believe we can do it, and I believe we can do it really well.”