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Ask Pete |
CMS Superintendent
Peter Gorman
answers Charlotte Weekly readers |
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Editor’s Note: Beginning this issue, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Peter Gorman joins Charlotte Weekly the first week of every month for a new, exclusive column titled “Ask Pete.” Readers are encouraged to send their questions to Gorman.
Q. I’m new to Charlotte and everyone tells me that CMS is a mess. My neighbors and acquaintances are encouraging me to give private schools a try next year. Why should I even consider CMS with all this lack of public confidence?
A. School choice is an important issue for every family and I urge every parent to investigate all school options thoroughly. In my view, it’s inaccurate to dismiss CMS as “a mess.” But whether CMS is right for your child is something you have to decide. To make an informed decision, though, you’ll need to do some research.
As the father of a third-grader and as an educator, I believe a community is best served by a wide range of educational choices. Whatever conclusions you may reach about CMS, it’s part of your responsibility as a parent to be well informed about those choices.
So what should you do first? Start by finding out which schools – public and private – are in your neighborhood. Ask your neighbors, but don’t stop there. Go visit the schools for direct observation. Is the school orderly? Do you hear the sounds of structured learning and enthusiastic teaching spilling out of classroom doorways? Make an appointment with the principal to learn more. Watch a lunch shift or play period. Observe a class.
This will allow you to gather some firsthand information. Every child is different, and you are best to decide which school might fit your child’s needs. Let me tell you a little bit about our school district to help inform your choice.
At CMS, we put academic achievement first and we strive to meet a variety of needs.
Is your child interested in the arts? Our elementary schools have art in the curriculum every week. We also have two elementary magnet schools. Your middle-schooler can participate in an exploratory rotation of arts education, and in-depth study is also possible in middle school. CMS high school students can choose from a wide range of advanced arts courses, including ones in the honors, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate programs.
Maybe your child is interested in science. CMS elementary students get textbook and hands-on lessons. Our K-8 program studies life, physical and earth sciences. In high school, students can choose science courses in honors, advanced placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
In all, our students can choose from 132 courses that offer college-level work. More than half of our 2006 graduates had taken at least one advanced course. This advanced course work prepared them for college. The class of 2006 also earned more than $56 million in scholarship money to institutions across the country, nearly all of it awarded for academic achievement. They test well, too: Our 2006 graduates in the top 10 percent averaged a score of 1207 on the SAT, compared with 1179 for the state’s top 10 percent and 1184 for the nation’s.
We also have 14 magnet programs in 49 schools. Our students are diverse, with 92 languages spoken by CMS students who come from more than 150 countries. This means our students will be comfortable in a diverse workplace – an important asset in the global market where they will look for jobs.
CMS is a district rich in diversity and achievement that offers a wide range of opportunity to our students. Whether one of our schools is best for your child is up to you. The most important thing is that you research your options fully so you make the best decision for your child.
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