Eight pages summarize nearly a year’s worth of conversations Superintendent Angélica Ramsey had with Fort Worth ISD educators, parents and other community members.
The document outlines the challenges and opportunities ahead for the district. Officials expect it to be a step toward a more community-focused school system and be used to form the foundation of the Fort Worth ISD’s strategic plan, a guiding document that outlines a path toward an improved district.
Ramsey’s analysis looked at four areas: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
The analysis describes a school district that has departments working independently rather than together, mired in intra-district politics and poor customer service.
The report pointed to how students on the east and west sides of Fort Worth ISD do not have the same opportunities and those divisions are clear when conflicts occur.
All of that is compounded by enrollment declines, too many staffing vacancies and a much needed improvement to special education, according to the analysis.
However, the analysis highlights Fort Worth ISD’s existing advantages. The district has a robust selection of programs and choices for families and dedicated staff, according to the document.
The document noted that the district has opportunities to double down on those strengths, such as offering even more school choices, such as the Young Women’s Leadership Academy or early college high schools, to better compete with charter schools and other school systems.
Ramsey presented the analysis to the school board in May. One of the actions she plans to take is to assemble three documents called profiles. The profiles will each focus on learners, educators and leaders. They will outline the knowledge, skills and attributes each group should have.
Ramsey focused on the profile of a learner, which will include qualities Fort Worth ISD wants all of its students to have by the time they graduate.
“For example, if the community says one of the most important things is that every child knows how to think critically for themselves and differentiate between fact and fiction, then we would map backwards,” Ramsey said.
Administrators plan to contract out the work assembling the profiles. Trustee CJ Evans asked how much the work will cost. Ramsey did not have an estimated price.
The superintendent expects the school board will consider the contract in the fall.
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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