The new Jackson County superintendent of schools has mixed feelings about some of the current issues in public education.

Claud Earl “Mack” McCary, who holds a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, says vouchers are a welcome part of the debate on how to improve schools, but he fears we may be overemphasizing standardized testing.

McCary officially began work in Jackson County on Feb. 1., but he didn’t wait until then to get a feel for the community. He sat in on a school board meeting and a Jackson County commissioners meeting before formally assuming his duties.

McCary said he was impressed with the level of cooperation among the various agencies (public and private) throughout the county and applauded the recognition and support schools receive from local businesses.

McCary was assistant superintendent for instructional services at Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools in Elizabeth City, N.C., before coming to Sylva. During McCary’s tenure with Elizabeth City-Pasquotank, the district was noted for many innovative educational projects.

Two of the projects McCary was especially committed to included a $1.1 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to transform K-8 math instruction in five districts, and the development of the “Senior Project” program.

McCary believes U.S. schools depend too much on memorization in math education. He would like to see reforms that enable children to learn about the concept of mathematics.

The Senior Project, which is in place at Smoky Mountain High School, provides an alternative to testing as a way of demonstrating competencies. Students identify a project and have to create a presentation that is delivered in a public forum before a panel of judges.

McCary sees the national debate about vouchers, charter schools and testing as a welcome and exciting challenge. He doesn’t believe any one program provides all the answers.

“We have a (public) school system designed at the turn of the century. The job, at that time was to educate some students to a high standard. The mission has shifted since then to something we’ve never done before - educating all children to a high standard. It’s like retooling an old factory,” McCary said.

Rethinking how to do this is healthy, and vouchers and charter schools may be a way to test some new ideas. It would be a mistake, however, to think that either program is “the solution,” McCary said. Instead, they might be strategies for specific circumstances, he said.

“We are the most multi-cultural society in the world,” McCary said. He believes this is one of the strengths of our nation and that public schools play a large role in this diversity. “Half of today’s kindergarten students will earn their living overseas,” McCary said.

As for testing, McCary believes the “country has become obsessed with paper and pencil and multiple choice testing.”

“Some systems teach test taking strategies, and the result is good test scores that may be misleading. I’m not opposed to all forms of paper and pen testing, but I think that sometimes we become too limited in thinking about how we make these assessments,” McCary said.

“I’m impressed with kids - children want to be included. Sometimes we accidentally close them out,” he said.

Parents and educators must find ways to get the people (students) who are actually going to be doing the work to be interested and committed.

 

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