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February 8, 2023
  • Montgomery County Public Schools
  • Quicknotes
  • Staff Bulletin
  • MCPS TV
  • Press Releases
  • español (Spanish)
Author

Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools





All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Steady Growth and Advancement Over Four Years
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On July 15, 2020


“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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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog
All In: Class of 2020 Shares Reflections on Challenging School Year
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On June 10, 2020


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog
All In: The Pandemic, The Budget and The Future
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On May 16, 2020


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.


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: The Importance of Camaraderie and Teamwork
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On May 6, 2020


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog
All In: With Kindness, Compassion and a Gentle Approach
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On April 22, 2020


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.


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog
All In: This Together
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On April 5, 2020


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog
All In: Doing the best we can for our students and for each other
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On March 29, 2020


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: KID Museum Partnership Help Prepare Our Students for Their Futures
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On February 26, 2020


“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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: We Must Speak Out Against Hate, Bias and Discrimination
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On January 22, 2020


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: An Investment to Prepare Our Students for Their Futures
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On December 19, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Where We Spend Our Money Matters
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On December 4, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Appreciating the Teachers Who Help Us Find Our Way
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On November 21, 2019


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. […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Generosity of Volunteers Benefits Students and Teachers
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On November 6, 2019


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.


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: The Kirwan Commission’s Invaluable Impact on Education
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On October 9, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Celebrating September with Good News
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On September 25, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Guest Blogger Offers Thoughts on the New School Year
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On September 4, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On June 5, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Diversity Enriches Us
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On May 15, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Our Growing Achievement Gap Must Be Addressed
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On May 8, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Celebrating Staff and Students
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On April 25, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Respect—Earned or Chosen?
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On March 13, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: What I Love About MCPS, Part 2
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On February 27, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: What I Love About MCPS
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On February 13, 2019


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. […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Your Voice Matters
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On January 30, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: The Power of Working Together
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On January 16, 2019


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: What the Future Holds
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On November 7, 2018


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Education, Part 2
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On October 24, 2018


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, […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Education
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On October 3, 2018


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 […]


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Meeting Student Needs During Summer
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On June 13, 2018


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.


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All In: The Superintendent’s Blog  / In the News  / Staff Bulletin
All In: Combating the False Dilemma
Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools Posted On June 6, 2018


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.


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