Education depends on teacher quality

Not demographics but the quality of teachers is the key to the success of Sheridan County School District 2.

That was the message from the district to Sheridan County’s legislators in a meeting of legislators with trustees and administrators of the school district this week.

County School District 2 consistently scores high in the tests administered to students statewide every year, and Mitch Craft, one of the district’s assistant superintendents, said some in the state attribute that to Sheridan being a wealthy district.

But that isn’t true, he said.

Craft said the reason for School District 2’s success is that the district knows the one simple recipe for combating the impacts of poverty on student learning – and that is teacher quality.

He said having great teachers in the classroom offsets the effects of poverty and allows the district to continue posting great student results year after year.

Beyond the achievements of the district’s students, Craft said high quality education is crucial for the future. He said it’s critical that we develop students with strong skill sets and that achieve high academically not only for their futures but so a strong economy can be developed for Wyoming.