Richmond eyes the stars to bring changes to Charles schools

The Horsehead Nebulae

Children in Charles County Public Schools don’t get nearly enough science in their academic diet, according to Superintendent James Richmond.

The increased focus on standardized tests in math and reading as well as the pressure placed on administrators and teachers to produce better test scores  mean that most of a student’s day is devoted to those subjects.

Elementary school children are particularly hard hit. Although each CCPS elementary school has a science lab and a dedicated science teacher, time with those resources is portioned out at each principal’s discretion.  Subsequently, kindergarten through third grade students don’t typically see the inside of those labs on a frequent basis. Those students receive science lessons from their classroom teachers.

That’s the way it’s always been; and it works well, up to a point. That point, however, is the individual teacher’s level of confidence in their science skills. The result is a variable level of instruction across the system, and children who aren’t able to develop a love for science. 

Richmond told The Bay Net of his desire to change that, to see county children grow up with less fear and more love for science, because of increased opportunity to get their hands into science applications. 

Towards that end, Richmond plans to do for science education what he has his administration team did with technology at North Point High School.  But, this time, he hopes his labors bear fruits for the school system as a whole. Richmond spoke about the new working relationships he’s pursuing with leaders of the scientific community to gather support for a system-wide initiative to improve science instruction and what that will bring to Charles County students.

In the last several months, Richmond has met with officials from NASA, the National Space Foundation, the Department of Defense Energetics Center – Indian Head Division, the University of Maryland at Baltimore, the College of Southern Maryland, and most recently, New York City’s Hayden Planetarium. 

Superintendent Richmond & Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson

During last week’s visit to the Hayden Planetarium, Richmond met with its distinguished director, Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson.  The superintendent took the opportunity to see what the planetarium, under Tyson’s guidance, does for New York public school children.