“Our children are 20 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future.” —Former Secretary of Education Richard Riley When I started my first day as superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools four years ago, I knew I had […]
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Dear Class of 2020, Congratulations! During this week of virtual graduations, I want to wish each of you the very best now and in the future. I graduated from high school 45 years ago this week in a little town […]
When I publicly presented my Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Recommended Operating Budget on December 18, 2019, I had no way of knowing that on March 16, 2020, just three months later, school buildings across Maryland would close to students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 6, State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon announced that school buildings will be closed for the remainder of the school year. How drastically things have changed in just five months.
Dr. Smith’s latest blog post (from May 1) is posted below: These last few weeks have been intentionally isolating given Governor Hogan’s stay-at-home order to combat the spread of COVID-19. This isolation has been particularly hard for our students and […]
The superintendent dives into his email and finds some thoughtful words that are sticking with him as we all adjust to life during a pandemic.
This is a picture of my grandson, who lives in Albany, N.Y., in his kindergarten class on April 2. He, along with my five other grandchildren, are learning from home in New York, Indiana and Maine. They are experiencing the […]
This is an extraordinary event in our history. In the 40 years I’ve worked in schools, nothing even comes close to this set of circumstances. Tomorrow, we will start doing school in a totally different way. We are a face-to-face […]
“Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.” — Stephen Covey, author, businessman and educator I often cite the core purpose of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS): Prepare all students to thrive […]
No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes […]
I often speak about the moral imperative to ensure that every student has an education that prepares him or her for college or career. It is indeed the sole purpose of Montgomery County Public Schools. In order to fulfill this […]
Late fall is budget season for our school system. While on the surface, budgets sound dry and mundane, they provide us the opportunity to evaluate our priorities and put our money where our mouth is, so to speak. Where we […]
We remember our school days based on two groups of people—the adults and classmates who made us feel small and those who helped us find our way. I often speak of a handful of high school English teachers—Mrs. Clark, Mrs. […]
In this week’s blog, Dr. Smith expresses his thanks to the American Association for the Advancement of Science for bringing inspiring real-world perspectives into MCPS classrooms.
I am passionate in my belief that public education is one of the pillars of democracy. It is essential that ALL children have access to rigorous learning opportunities beginning at a young age. In addition, we must ensure that we […]
Recently, I was in a meeting where someone made the amazing statement: Good news is meant to be shared. Such a simple, straightforward statement and I had never thought about it before. What do we want to do when we […]
This week, Superintendent Jack Smith welcomes a guest blogger to All In. Madeline Hanington, the 2019–2020 Teacher of the Year, is staff development teacher at Hallie Wells. She spoke to staff during the New Educator Orientation in August. Her speech […]
What an exciting time of year! Between May 24 and June 13, thousands of Montgomery County students are graduating from high school. Many will go on to Montgomery College or colleges and universities across the state, nation and world. Others […]
As you’ve heard me say many times before, All Means All. Montgomery County is a richly diverse community. Our 164,000 students come from more than 160 countries and speak 150 languages. I believe that diversity is an asset to be […]
Be sure to read this Op-Ed by Superintendent Jack Smith on MCPS’ efforts to address disparities in academic outcomes. The Op-Ed was featured in The Washington Post on Friday, May 3. For 50 years, the achievement gap in Montgomery County has grown […]
Last night, I had the privilege of attending our annual Champions for Children event, which celebrates excellence in education. I am always impressed with the exceptional staff who are nominated for the top awards in this county. They are tireless […]
Nobody goes there anymore; it’s too crowded. ―Yogi Berra I have long been fascinated with the idea of the paradox. Most of us have some idea about paradoxes because they exist all around us in one form or another and […]
On February 13, Dr. Smith published the post, I love my job in MCPS, which discussed what he loves about this school system. This week, we are sharing voices from our community about the programs, experiences and culture they love and […]
We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe The art of love is largely the art of persistence. —Albert Ellis Few words are spoken as often or with as little care as the word love. […]
On January 16, 2019, I posted a blog about the value of partnerships and in particular, our Parent Teacher Associations. Read it here. The partnership between MCPS and the PTA is one of the most essential to student well-being and […]
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ~ Helen Keller None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something […]
He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery. ~ Harold Wilson, UK Prime Minister, 1964-70, 1974-1976 Recently, I had the pleasure of gathering with Montgomery County Public Schools’ colleagues […]
A few weeks ago, I wrote about diversity, inclusion and equity. After posting that blog, a television commercial caught my attention and made me think. In the commercial, the speaker says, “The world in which we live equally distributes talent, […]
The concepts of diversity, inclusion and equity are often discussed in education, but less frequently understood. They are rarely opposed in abstract and general terms, but can face resistance when implementation is sought. If we, as educators, hope to achieve […]
Dr. Smith’s final blog of the school year takes a look at how the end of the school year brings exciting adventures for some students, and challenging days for others.
In this week’s blog, Dr. Smith discusses why it’s important to support students’ social, psychological and cognitive development: it’s critical to learning.
