GCS Named District of Distinction for Narrowing Achievement Gap in High-Poverty Schools

Greenville County Schools has been named a “District of Distinction” by District Administrator magazine for taking a targeted approach to school improvement through its Focused School Support initiative.

Launched in 2017, the professional development and coaching initiative targets mostly Title 1 schools who are not performing as expected.  

“We’re not just saying we need to improve eighth-grade math or third-grade ELA. We’re targeting within the subject, within the grade level, down to the teacher’s classroom. We might have five teachers in a subject at a certain grade level, and some  are doing a stellar job while some are not,” superintendent Dr. W. Burke Royster told District Administrator.

The program is designed to help teachers improve their craft by pairing them with instructional coaches and academic specialists.

Assistant Superintendent of Academics Jeff McCoy oversees the program.

“Our whole goal is not to get rid of teachers. Our whole goal is to get teachers to be the best they can be,” McCoy said.

Royster told the magazine he wants students to graduate with college credits, industry certification, or both, which is better than any test score to show that students are college or career ready.