State superintendent visits BCS district

Louisiana elementary and high school students must be challenged and teachers and principals should take the rein to become more creative with curriculum development to help young people reach their potential.

That was the core message state Superintendent of Education John White delivered Friday during a brief visit to the Bogalusa City Schools district. White shared lunch with the principals of each of the district’s eight schools, along with the teacher of the year and the student of the year from each school.

Several school board members and elected officials were also in attendance, as well as BCS Superintendent Louise Smith.

Advertisement
White delivered a message of optimism but repeatedly stressed improvements can only come about as the result of hard work and dedication from teachers and principals.

“We have to move our state toward a more ambitious set of tasks for all children, a more ambitious curriculum for all children,” White said. “Our best hope for moving student achievement forward is for teachers and administrators to grasp exactly what those standards are asking our children to do.”

He said educators should then move beyond the comprehensive curriculum and develop more challenging lessons that are a step ahead of the core curriculum. He said one of the great tragedies of education that he sees is students are bored during school.

White, who met with Smith, board members and elected officials after lunch praised the school district for launching the new tech program in place at Northshore Tech Middle School and New Tech High School. New Tech employs a project-based methodology of education and is widely popular among students and parents