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FWISD superintendent
selected as Texas nominee for national superintendent of the
year
"No one individual has done
more to restore public confidence in the public schools of Fort
Worth, Texas, than our superintendent, Dr. Thomas S. Tocco."
Those words, from a letter by Bill Thornton, president and CEO,
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, express the opinions of many
who have witnessed the Fort Worth Independent School District's
progress since Tocco's arrival in 1994.
Tocco has been named this year's Texas nominee for the 2002 National
Superintendent of the Year Program co-sponsored by the American
Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the ServiceMaster
Company. His selection was based on his dynamic leadership that
has launched extraordinary improvements.
Floretta McKenzie, chair of The McKenzie Group, describes the
superintendent's performance as "stellar." An important
aspect of his success, she notes, is a collaborative working
relationship with a school board that has supported his initiatives
and has joined him in communicating the need for higher expectations
to the community.
The board-superintendent team has also been honored by the National
School Boards Association, which describes their collaboration
among 12 examples in the nation of positive partnerships to improve
student achievement.
"Dr. Tocco's solid leadership ... and commitment to having
every child succeed provides a model for school leaders everywhere,"
said Johnny Veselka, executive director, Texas Association of
School Administrators (TASA).
The winner plus national and state finalists will be honored
at the AASA national conference on February 15, 2002, in San
Diego.
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District achievements
a tribute to leadership
Backed by a united, supportive
school board, Supt. Thomas S. Tocco has led a multi-pronged effort
to raise student achievement since the beginning of his tenure.
(See chart, Initiatives to Improve Student Performance.) Major
achievements include:
- 40 FWISD schools named Exemplary
or Recognized by the Texas Education Agency
- 42 more schools on the verge
of Recognized status
- Number of Advanced Placement
courses doubled in the past three years; number of students taking
AP tests for college credit nearly doubled since 1998
- Lower teacher turnovers than
the state average
- No teaching vacancies for 2001-02
- A major $398 million building
program approved overwhelmingly by 88 percent in 1999
- Praises by the Council of Great
City Schools for strategies that support a "relentless focus
on student achievement" and narrowing the "racial achievement
gap at rates that must be among the fastest in the nation."
The school board and superintendent
have responded to the needs of the community by offering:
- Conversational Spanish classes
for prekindergarten through second grade in all schools
- Enhanced art and music programs
for elementary fourth- and fifth-grades
- Programs that certify students
upon graduation for skilled work in the automotive, construction
and aircraft maintenance industries
- Additional advanced academic
offerings at schools across the district.
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