LAWTON – U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Frank Brogan recently visited the Flower Mound School District.
Flower Mound was one of about a dozen Oklahoma schools selected for last week’s tour. Brogan also visited schools in Blanchard and Pauls Valley on Jan. 21.
The rural district is the recipient of two federal grants from the education department: the Indian Education Grant and the Small Rural Schools Reap Grant.
According to Brogan, Flower Mound is one of about 100,000 schools in the U.S. With cultural differences across the country, Brogan said the Department of Education likes seeing the diverse teaching strategies.
“It’s always nice to see what people are doing with [federal funding], and hopefully it’s making a positive contribution to what you’re doing,” he said.
Three hundred twenty-eight students are enrolled for the 2019-2020 school year. While touring the facilities, the assistant secretary took time to interact with several students and faculty members of the National Blue Ribbon Award-winning district. He assisted with a few lessons, particularly English and social studies.
Flower Mound was recognized in 2015 for excellence in education from the U.S. Department of Education.
Superintendent Dax Trent said that while educational standards have risen since the school earned the award, students continue to surpass averages at the state level. Trent agrees that students need to be aware that there are innumerable options for them after graduation.
Students’ success comes from “fundamental techniques learned through practicality and repetition in the classroom and then spiraled in their education throughout the year.”
Assistant Secretary Brogan compared his own role as a fifth-grade teacher in Florida during the late 1970s and early 1980s to how educators practice today. No longer the “sage on the stage” with all the answers, today’s educators work more closely with students and are more able to identify the students’ challenges, strengths, and possibilities, he said.
He complimented the Flower Mound’s ideals and approaches in keeping students actively involved in their education.
Nominated to the U.S. Department of Education by President Donald Trump in Dec. 2017, Brogan was confirmed by the Senate in June 2018. Prior to this appointment, Brogan served as the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Chancellor for Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and Chancellor for the State University System of Florida.
Superintendent Trent mentioned that the district has finalized a FEMA grant and is currently awaiting funding to build an early childhood center that is able to withstand an EF-5 tornado. The school is also looking to create a padded turf courtyard between the buildings complete with three flagpoles, benches, and sidewalks. The courtyard would double as an outdoor classroom as well.