By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Superintendent Dr. Reginald Eggleston has a vision for a high success culture in Geary USD 475.

During a recent visit with JC Post, Eggleston referred to a recent reference to the academic focus that was conveyed to the staff during the district general session. He noted that three goals were set. ” They include social-emotional learning, engagement and the graduation rate. “Embedded in all three is a focus on creating a culture and climate where high success is the norm. where student success is the norm, where teachers challenge students with a very rigorous curriculum.” He wants that to become the norm as USD 475 works to become a premier school district.

The superintendent said often when he is speaking to business and industry representatives they’re talking about wanting people with critical thinking skills, how to work as a member of a team, and how to think and solve problems. “So I think all of this works in that vein in order to produce a student who can walk out of high school and go into any walk of life that he or she desires.”

District officials are working with the most recent assessment data from the Kansas Department of Education, said Eggleston. “And we’re definitely making that a priority for our schools. We’ve also looked at our Kansas Policy Institute data which talks about how well students are doing. Every school receives a letter grade. And we also have been using data from the web site Great Schools.com. We know a lot of military families look at it when determining when or where they want to enroll their student.”

The superintendent said the district is working to ensure assessment data points are included in school improvement plans. The focus is on academics. He noted that they are focusing all of their efforts toward helping students improve in Mathematics, Science and English.

More than 6,900 students are enrolled in Geary USD 475 schools.