New MCPS superintendent Joshua Starr established a county-wide book club this fall. He hopes to give the community an opportunity to learn about his educational philosophy and participate in discussions about literature. Starr will hold three book club meetings this year, the first of which is tomorrow at the Carver Educational Services Center from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Starr thought a book club would be a good way to engage people in a less formal conversation about education while giving him a chance to get to know the MCPS community,” Board of Education member Shirley Brandman said.
The first book Starr chose was “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” in which author Carol Dweck discusses the impact of mindset on life success.
“I’m really intrigued by it,” Starr said in a press conference Oct. 12. “I just think it’s a really fascinating idea, and I want to get other people thinking about it.”
Whitman parent Amy Golen plans to participate in the book club by either watching the meetings online or attending them in person.
“This particular book has a very intriguing subject matter,” Golen said. “It will be a great way to get some insight into what Dr. Starr’s ideas are about education and some changes he might want to make in the school system.”
Golen believes that these book clubs will be helpful for the community to understand Starr’s educational philosophy.
“It’s terrific that Dr. Starr is having these,” Golen said. “It’s a very clever and organic way of him getting to know the community, and the community getting to know him.”
The book club is a great chance for Starr to get acclimated to the community, Brandman said.
“Any chance Dr. Starr has to interact with the community will help him learn about Montgomery County and our community values,” Brandman said. “The more the community gets to interact with Dr. Starr, the more they will understand his educational and leadership philosophies, and the quicker they will get to know him.”
As part of his effort to meet the community, Starr also held ten “Listen and Learn” events this fall to hear the views of students, parents and staff. At these meetings, Starr answered concerns voiced by community members.
“The more people who can engage in conversations about ideas, the better off we are as an entire community,” Starr said.
Cameron Frank • Dec 9, 2011 at 1:03 pm
A book club? Really? Wow, I did not believe they actually existed anyone, yet Whittman proves me wrong! It is good that they are attempting to advertise reading (even though I rarely read) to keep up with the HIGH academic standards this school maintains. Good job!
Jan Bennett • Dec 4, 2011 at 5:53 pm
This is so interesting because I work in an Independent School in Maryland and we also just read the Mindset Book. It is great that MCPS is looking at it and talking about it!