Andrekopoulos said in his speech that from about 1988 through 2000, the leadership of MPS made it a priority to decentralize control of the district, allowing many schools to operate more independently and choose approaches to education. Some schools flourished as a result, but many did not, he said, and the focus was not on student achievement.
Now, he said, the focus must be on student achievement, and the central office must make sure that good teaching is going on in schools.
“We need to move away from a system of schools to a school system,” he said, reversing one of the catch phrases that was used by advocates of decentralization – including Andrekopoulos himself, when he was principal of Fritsche Middle School.