incentive plans have dramatically improved both student and teacher attendance, and the school board that was once plagued by racial tension now votes unanimously on most issues.

Beyond the Book recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Thomas to learn more about how he helped BISD become one of Texas's highest-performing school districts.

BTB: You had to overcome several challenges when you took the reigns of BISD. What was the most pervasive problem?

CT: Low expectations. Most of the children in our district are minority, and they come from a low socioeconomic background. We had to adopt a district wide expectation that our kids were going to learn, and we had to devise and implement strategies to propel them forward. I am a firm believer that students don't fail. We, as administrators and teachers, can sometimes fail at doing what needs to be done to catapult students to the next level, but failure never rests on kids' shoulders.

BTB: How did you deal with the school board divide? You probably had to address it right away to get your student initiatives off the ground.

CT: We had a very split board when I arrived in 1996. Board members voted along racial lines, and it always wound up being a 4–3 standstill. They were extremely unhappy and frustrated with each other and themselves.

Chaos in a community is caused by a lack of understanding and transparency. When you're accessible, and you make your decisions in an open environment, everyone can get behind them. I launched an annual board summit to give board members the opportunity to have their voices heard. During the summit, I deliver a state of the district address, and meet with all board members personally and collectively as a group. Through this process, they begin to truly understand each other's perspectives so they can build consensus.

When they started working together, they started generating some success. Success motivates everybody. The school board pulled together as one, and the racial divide dissipated. Today, they tend to vote unanimously.

BTB: Do you involve others in your open decision-making strategy?

CT: Absolutely. I meet with student leaders from each high school immediately following my school board summit each year. I sit down with approximately twenty kids per school, and they tell me whatever they want to tell me. You can just imagine all of the issues that come up! About a week later, I meet with elementary school teachers and high school teachers. They're all brutally honest with me because I am open with them. I know firsthand what students and teachers think because I make it a point to know.

After getting their honest feedback, I convene with administrators and schedule a follow-up meeting with the board. At that point, we're ready to develop our budget, objectives, and goals for the upcoming year. The voices of our students, teachers, and administrators are implemented into the overall program so they have shared ownership of our success. When you get a lot of minds working together, it's much better than one. We all create a common vision that we can defend, support, and move forward with. 

BTB: What did you do to boost student achievement?

CT: We reduced class sizes and adopted student- and teacher-centric curricula from publishers such as McDougal Littell to provide a better foundation for learning. Most importantly, we put an immediate re-teach policy in place.

BISD students are required to stay afterschool for a re-teach session if they fall behind in class on any given day. If a student is in band or football, he has to miss practice or even miss the big game to meet his re-teach obligation first. What effect does that have our band directors and coaches? It makes them invest in students' education—they care about how the students are progressing in school every day.

If kids aren't doing well during the school week, they must attend classes on Saturdays. We see to it that students put in the time they need to be successful. You put your money where your mouth is, and I truly believe that. If we say learning is important then it has to be the priority. You can't say you want things to happen and just assume they're going to happen without direct action. Do some of the initiatives we've implemented create problems and issues? Sure. But you have to work them out. For example, we pay our teachers overtime for re-teach sessions and Saturday classes, and provide transportation for students who must attend those classes to keep pace in school.

BTB: How did you address the absenteeism issue?

CT: We have an incentive plan in place to encourage regular teacher and student attendance. If 97 percent of students attend classes every day, teachers receive a 1 percent bonus. If 97 percent of teachers attend school every day, they get another 1 percent bonus. We will exempt those who have prolonged absences due to medical conditions so it does not sway the overall percentages. Our goal is to provide a stable environment for students and teachers to thrive in. The spirit of our school district is to reward success.

We also launched a campus-based incentive plan that rewards everyone if students do well. For example, if 90 percent of students pass their state tests, everyone on the campus—from the custodian, to the administrative assistant, to the teacher, to the principal—gets a 3 percent bonus. If 80 percent of students pass, they receive a 2 percent bonus. Now everyone's committed to making things happen. 

BTB: We hear you're running for president of the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). Why do you want to lead that organization?

CT: NABSE's mission is to improve the educational experiences and accomplishments of African American students through the development and use of instructional and motivational methods that increase levels of inspiration, attendance, and overall achievement. NABSE is the premier organization to bring the unique needs of the African American learner to the forefront so we can work towards closing the achievement gap. 

We must bite the bullet. If two people are in a race, and one is in front of the other, the one behind will never catch up to the one in front unless he's willing to run faster. That's just the reality. We need to put in the time and resources needed for African American students to catch up, but we can't do it at the expense of the students who are already keeping pace. Leading NABSE is a vitally important job, and it would be my honor to do it.