Teamwork Is Vital at JMHS
A school’s principal may be the single most important component in its success in educating students. Even the best leader has to have a team behind her or him, however.
John Marshall High School got a new principal, Cassandra Porter, on Tuesday. Marshall County Board of Education members selected her despite hearing some JMHS faculty and students would have preferred another candidate, Assistant Principal Jason Marling.
Board members are accountable directly to the public, which wants the best schools possible for Marshall County young people. After reviewing the top two candidates for the position, board members agreed Porter offers the most potential for increasing student achievement at JMHS.
Her record at Sherrard Middle School, where she had served as principal, appears to be a good one. On one state gauge of student proficiency, Sherrard scored 55.59 points. The state average for middle schools is 43.25.
JMHS did not fare so well. On the same proficiency report, the school scored 34.39 points, compared to the state average of 36.5.
So there is work to be done at JMHS. Porter, especially because she takes the helm just a few weeks before the start of a new school year, will have her hands full.
No doubt the school’s professional educators will work well with her, regardless of whether she was their preference. Such teamwork will be imperative if JHMS and its students are to move forward.
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