Accreditation recommended for Chatham County Schools
PITTSBORO — A team from AdvancED, an organization that accredits school districts, has recommended continued accreditation for Chatham County Schools (CCS).
The team’s recommendation will go to AdvancED’s board members for final approval.
CCS is performing well above the world average of 32,000 institutions serving 20 million students globally, said Dr. Edlow Barker, the lead external reviewer assigned to CCS by AdvancED.
Barker announced the recommendation while delivering the exit report for AdvancED’s external review Wednesday afternoon at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center.
The AdvancED team visited CCS during the week of April 24 to perform an audit of instructional and organizational practices within the district. The AdvancED representatives — all expert educators and administrators from both inside and outside of North Carolina — spent the week conducting a comprehensive review that included school visits and interviews with parents and employees. The team also studied business practices across all departments, school levels and regions of the district.
The review team looked to see whether learning environments within CCS are well-managed and creating high expectations for students, among other criteria. CCS scored above the international average in every category.
In addition to praising CCS superintendent Dr. Derrick D. Jordan for running a balanced school district where each student is afforded the opportunity to receive quality education, Barker noted the fiscal discipline district leaders have exhibited by repurposing buildings instead of paying more money for new ones.
At the end of the day, it's about producing effective outcomes for children, said Jordan, giving a nod to the district’s principals, who gathered for the exit report.
"Job well done. I believe that we are absolutely moving in a forward direction,” Jordan said.
"We can't say enough how much we appreciate our schools and everybody in them," Chatham County Board of Education chairman Gary Leonard said.
“The external review process is kind of like inviting complete strangers into your house and inviting them to open up your closets and drawers to see what you have to offer,” said Dr. Amanda Hartness, the school system’s assistant superintendent for academic services and instructional support. “It can be a little bit intimidating but very rewarding, because you end up with unbiased feedback that can help you grow.”
AdvancED is the largest community of education professionals in the world. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conducts rigorous, on-site external reviews of Pre-K-12 schools and school systems to ensure that all learners realize their full potential. AdvancED’s expertise is grounded in more than 100 years of work in school accreditation.
District accreditation is not mandatory, but an impartial peer review from an organization like AdvancED fosters accountability and transparency within the school system, Jordan said.
Published 2017