Baltimore City Schools CEO Dr. Gregory Thornton

Our guest this morning is Dr. Gregory Thornton, who was appointed CEO of the Baltimore City Public Schools a year and a half ago.  The city’s 85,000 students and more than 5,000 teachers face huge challenges.  Recent test scores indicate that many city students, particularly those who live in our poorest neighborhoods, must make extraordinary gains in the future tests if they are to catch up with students in nearby counties, and around the country.  Violence in schools, like the violence that often surrounds students where they live, remains an implacable problem.  Over the last six years, the rate of Baltimore City students who attend college has fallen below 50%, and most of the students who do attend college attend a two-year college instead of a four-year college.  Recently, the school system released a five-year strategic plan, which addresses these and other issues. Dr. Thornton joins Tom Hall in the Maryland Morning studio to discuss the current state of Baltimore's public schools.