Public education is the cornerstone of democracy, Austin ISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen told educators at the SXSWedu conference March 5, adding that today's learners will be tomorrow's leaders, and decisions made in the public education arena affect whether students get the resources they need to excel.

"Our choices, to me, either unleash the next great geek, like Bill Gates, or nurture a future artistic legend, like Picasso," she said. "No matter what we might think we know about kids, we really don't know them, and we don't know all about their potential and how the slightest thing we do may or may not change their future."

This presents opportunities, she said, but districts also face challenges such as competition, the end of the long-term "career teacher" era, and the ramifications of the last legislative session's budget cuts.

Carstarphen highlighted key AISD initiatives such as its new dual-language program and the single-sex schools the district's board of trustees recently approved, explaining that offering those options is in alignment with the changing face of public education.

"The concept that we are the only choice for families doesn't exist anymore," she said, adding families have more choices than ever in the form of charter schools, home school and online education.

Keeping pace in a global landscape

Carstarphen said from a global perspective, students in other countries take more advanced placement courses than American students, and India has more honor students than all the students in the U.S. combined.

She pointed out that every school in Texas is considered an independent school district, and politically, Austin is "a blue dot in a sea of red."

"We're in our own special category with a global reputation, and people really think of Austin as a place of innovation and creativity," she said. "As a school district, we are expected in Austin to do so much more to do our part to keep that reputation incredibly strong."

AISD serves more than 86,000 students, Carstarphen said, noting two out of three are from economically disadvantaged families, one in 10 is in special education and one in three does not speak English as a first language.

Carstarphen said that school districts should fight to keep the programs that work for their students. In AISD's case, she said, that meant fighting to maintain the district's early college education in the face of state budget cuts.

"I believe that the college-going culture starts in pre-K," she said.

Educators should focus on ensuring that students get off on the right foot from the very beginning, she said.