As Fort Worth ISD takes new direction, here is the school board’s top priority | Opinion

We on the Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees recently decided to take a different direction and seek a new superintendent . We have a blank slate for the future of FWISD, and now is the time to set expectations.

Studies are clear: The most important thing for future success is the ability to read. Very little in school or life is possible without a high level of competence in reading. So, that is where we must start.

As we evaluate the achievements, the words, and the promises of the candidates for superintendent, solutions to solving literacy, which will ultimately affect numeracy as well, must be at the forefront.

We are all familiar with professional football coaches' lives and fates. They are expected to win or be replaced. The goal is easy to see in sports. It is not so easy in education. So, we must be very explicit about defining victory in Fort Worth ISD.

Winning at every student reading at grade level must be the goal. It's not only critically important, but it's also our moral obligation to FWISD students.

Everyone wins when every leader, employee, and team member understands how we define winning in Fort Worth.

When educators and administrators in the district understand that the school board will direct both the quality and quantity of resources toward the goal of literacy, progress will occur. When leaders at each level of school understand that their evaluation is dependent on this metric, progress will also occur.

Is winning possible? Yes!

Today, within FWISD, we have schools that, on paper, have everything going against them. They draw students from lower-income neighborhoods. Their campus facilities might be aging. They seem to have fewer resources than one might think they need. And yet, despite the presumed disadvantages, these schools regularly outperform their neighbors. The leaders of these schools must be "franchise players" of the Fort Worth ISD team.

Simply knowing how a student reads can predict their future to an astonishing degree. A Texas study found that a third-grade student who is below grade level in reading has only a 2% chance of going on to get a two- or four-year college degree. Reading is destiny.

One more critical need to accomplish these goals is honesty. In education, that begins with fighting back against the temptation of self-deception through grade inflation . That self-deception is always revealed in standardized tests and life itself. Saving feelings temporarily ends in tears.

A literacy-focused future will be challenging, but we might see rapid gains. Mississippi was long the butt of jokes about the quality of education. However, over six years, between 2013 and 2019, Mississippi was able to move from last to the middle of the national pack.

So, we can work our way to higher levels of literacy, and once we succeed, we each must remain vigilant.

This journey begins today as we begin the process of naming a permanent superintendent by appointing an interim superintendent .

Dr Karen Molinar is competent and battle-tested, resides within and has spent her career in our district. She knows the greater community. Her appointment has already been a breath of fresh air for our experienced principals and teachers.

Everyone in Fort Worth can help. Mayor Mattie Parker has stepped up to the challenge, participating in a recent Star-Telegram town hall to explore the issue of reading as a civil right and ways to improve childhood literacy. I thank Parker for her leadership.

The parents of more than 70,000 students have entrusted their children to us. The board must have a single-minded goal that we will work to bring every student at minimum to grade-level reading. I am confident that many successes will pour out from that goal.

The achievements will produce benefits beyond Fort Worth ISD. Our students, families and community win when, together, we deliver an educated workforce.

Tobi Jackson is first vice president of the Fort Worth ISD Board of Trustees.

Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us!

We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news — and to publish those views in the Opinion section.

• Letters should be no more than 150 words.

• Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days.

• Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions.

You can submit a letter to the editor two ways:

• Email (preferred).

• Fill out this online form.

Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic.