Results Warrant Investing in Our Schools

The following guest column by Gulf Coast President|CEO Mark Pritchett appeared in the February 17 edition of SRQ Daily:

Who hates leaving middle school? 

That’s the somewhat mischievous title of a newly released report on two initiatives that completely transformed Sarasota County’s middle schools over the past eight years. Middle-schoolers—an age group frequently perceived as disengaged and difficult—now love their Sarasota County classrooms and teachers so much, they don’t want to leave after eighth grade! 

The report tells a larger story of how investment by the entire community can make a world of difference for our schools and our students, and why we should insist on it. Our teachers now teach better and cover more material, and our students care more and learn better. Those gains are the envy of other communities; Sarasota has welcomed educational leaders from California, Illinois, Maryland, and elsewhere who want to see firsthand what we’ve done here. “Our students are experiencing what is unimaginable in like public school systems,” says Karen Rose, executive director middle schools at the district.

What happened?

Read the rest of Mark’s column in SRQ Daily…