“When individuals are trying to learn about your school system there’s nothing that proactively says, ‘This is who we are,’ and ‘Here’s our approach to education,'” explains Gandhi, North Dakota’s 2023 superintendent of the year. “We are going to be releasing Fargo Public Schools philosophies … to be on the front end of ‘this is how we teach’ and ‘this what we believe in.'” Here’s how Gandhi describes those four major principles (which will be posted to the district’s website this summer):

Honesty in education: A commitment to fostering an inclusive and culturally relevant educational environment that treats everyone with dignity and respect. Staff are encouraged to use instructional materials that are reflective of the student body. Educators will also not shy away from teaching fact-based history “good or bad or otherwise.” “We want proactive measures to celebrate diversity and to celebrate authenticity,” he points out. “We don't believe in censorship—it’s our job as educators to teach students to think critically, to understand we're not perfect, we’ve never been perfect as a system or as a people, and we learn from our mistakes.”
Openly support the LGBTQIA+ community: We have phenomenal students and educators who reflect the LGBTQIA+ community, and we have allies and we have individuals who have opportunities for growth. Schools need to lead by openly saying they want to create a safe for environment for every individual and protect the rights of all students. “We don’t need to allow for gray areas that perpetuate prejudice and bigotry in our systems,” he says. “Students, staff and community members need to see organizations that take a stand.”
Disability justice: Approach special education with the recognition that an impairment is not always a disability. “Sometimes an impairment is considered a disability when in reality the disability is caused by the environment, not by the individual,” says Gandhi, who spent large parts of his career in special education. “We can’t penalize an individual for having an impairment in which we have the capacity to change the environment.”
Student discipline: Emphasize restorative practices over punitive punishments. The goal is to analyze the harm caused by a student’s behavior and repair it so it’s less likely to reoccur.

Fargo Public Schools moving forward

Anchoring those four key philosophies is Gandhi’s drive to make Fargo Public Schools a more dynamic learning organization that is making data-driven decisions on a daily basis to improve student outcomes. The district is in the midst of a “complete transformation” to standards-based instruction and evidence-based reporting, Gandhi says.

Instant Insights /

This superintendent wants everyone to know his district's 4 big philosophies

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