The new state commissioner of education encourages local school officials to keep their eye on the goal—educating students.
Commissioner Chris NiCastro’s first speech is to about 700 administrators representing Missouri’s 500-plus school districts. She has quoted Harry Truman’s teacher, Margaret Phelps, who said education "should cultivate every faculty of the mind."
"It’s a tall order," said NiCastro, and it gets taller every year. She encouraged school administrators to work to instill a passion for learning and problem-solving in their students.
She said Missouri has a track record of putting practical ideas, such as the nation’s first Kindergarten program and the first Parents and Teachers program, to work. She encouraged administrators to set and establish bold goals.