BY JASON GARDNER
As superintendent of the Mooresville Graded School District, I am often asked what drives our decision-making and shapes our vision for the future. While our goals focus on multiple areas of our district, they are all anchored by one non-negotiable core value: equity.
In our district, equity is not a buzzword or an afterthought; it is the fundamental recognition of the inherent worth of every individual who walks through our doors. We believe that every student –regardless of their background, neighborhood, or circumstances — deserves the opportunity and access necessary to achieve a successful outcome.
True equity means recognizing that our students do not all begin their journey at the same starting point. Ensuring they all grow, thrive, and succeed requires us to be intentional about removing barriers and tailoring support so that every child can reach their full potential. This is the blueprint for creating a better, thriving community.
I am incredibly proud to witness that our commitment to these values is producing tangible results. Each year when we receive our student achievement data, we also receive information on how well we are academically growing our students. This data is broken down into specific student groups based on exceptional children status, socio-economic status, race and ethnicity. Most recently, our data shows that we have made significant progress in ensuring all of our different student groups are not just meeting but exceeding growth expectations. This achievement is a testament to the brilliance of our students and the dedication of our educators who refuse to accept the status quo. When we intentionally invest in access and believe in the limitless potential of every child, the achievement gap begins to close, and a growth opportunity takes its place.
We view this milestone not as the finish line, but as clear evidence that our commitment to equity works. It reinforces our belief that when we lead with equity, everyone wins. We will continue to advocate for the resources that allow all students to see themselves as the leaders, innovators, and thinkers of tomorrow.
Jason Gardner, Ed.D., is the superintendent of the Mooresville Graded School District.
We have ALL started our life and education from different backgrounds. Each student should be respected, helped, and supported to achieve his/her full potential. The expectations or outcomes of educational subjects, not cultural, should be required of ALL students without exception. EQUALITY! All students should be given the same opportunities. Outcomes designed with the goal of, “equity”, is often at other students expense who don’t fall into specified categories. Such as gifted and talented programs. I have observed the,“ lower standard policies” so certain groups do better without successfully meeting the outcome or challenging higher achieving students. I have also observed the practice of grouping high achieving students with others who either don’t want to do the work, or need special help. Often, the high achieving students do most of the work, especially when assignments are a group grade. There should be clear high achievable goals for ALL students across the board while providing every available support each student needs to achieve that specified goal.
Although we have students who enter our educational system not understanding the English language, there should be an emphasis on learning the material in English through immersion. Yes, it will take longer, but I believe these students can succeed! If a school system teaches half English and half Spanish in one class period, for instance, is a waste of teaching time for all. The community members of these students must be involved to interpret the educational content while focusing on the English language at the same time. The language barrier isn’t indicative of actual student knowledge. In this country, students must know English to succeed at any basic level. Students from other cultures are a valuable resource for others to learn from them!
Equity also implies we shouldn’t expect as much from students who come from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds. They ARE as intelligent and gifted as other students! The job of educators should be to identify these individual gifts and build on them while supporting areas of specific individual needs. There are many famous people who came from abysmal backgrounds and are very successful. I refuse to insult anyone with this line of belief. If we don’t teach all students to think critically and evaluate every side of problem solving, knowledge will never improve.
This guy is a keeper!