Starr Listens and Learns at Wootton High

County schools met face-to-face with parents who shared their concerns, thoughts and perspectives about the school community on Wednesday at .

It was Starr's seventh stop of 10 "Listen and Learn" public meetings at schools around the county in his first months at the helm of Maryland’s largest school district.

The public meetings, are opportunities to learn “what makes us tick here in Montgomery County,” Starr said.

“I’m trying really hard to not judge yet until I really capture a lot of information from folks throughout our community,” Starr told an audience of nearly 150 parents in the school cafeteria.

Still, several themes have emerged from previous Listen and Learn events, including variability in performance and practice among schools, accountability, community engagement and collective learning, Starr said.

When pressed to explain his definition of accountability, Starr said he wants to create a culture where others feel accountable and where there are high standards, while avoiding a “gotcha” mentality of accountability.

“I’m much more interested in being accountable,” he said.

Parents asked Starr more than a dozen questions on subjects ranging from evaluating teacher performance to cuts in arts and foreign language in elementary schools to possible changes in special needs programs.

Addressing the question of special needs programs, Starr said his goal is to improve teaching and learning for every child. Declining resources force him to ask what is sustainable, he said.

“It’s a really important question for me and the [school] board. I don’t think about [sustainability] in terms of programs,” he said. “I have no desire to take things away from people or kids, although if need be, I will, if necessary. I have no intention of eliminating programs to eliminate programs. I’m much more interested in the strategy that underpins us.”

Susan and Jonathan Lusk, parents of a sixth-grader at and a ninth-grader at Wootton High, said Wednesday’s Listen and Learn allowed them to get a sense of who Starr is and to hear his approach to learning and testing.

“I think he’s young, but that’s not a bad thing. He seems in touch with technology and students,” Susan Lusk said.

Listen and Learn events are scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on:

• Nov. 1 at Damascus High School.
• Nov. 7 at .
• Nov. 21 at Sherwood High School.

A rescheduled event will be held 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 16 at .

Click here for more information, including video from past Listen and Learn meetings.