The head of Montgomery County's public school system laid out his plans for the future Monday.
Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr gave his "State of the Schools" address before a crowd of more than 700 parents, students and teachers at the Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda.
He said while the school system is doing well, more needs to be done to tackle the challenges of the future.
"We are rightly proud of our past accomplishments. We also know that the future offers no guarantees," Starr said. "The world is changing and we have to move fast to catch up."
Starr also called attention to the ever-changing student population.
"We must know who our children are," he said. "Most of our students are either living in a single-parent family or in a two-parent family where both adults work outside of the home. Most of our students are people of color and may be the child of an immigrant or an immigrant themselves."
Starr called on educators to work with the community and businesses to create new models that don't place too much emphasis on standardized tests scores.
"What our children need to know and be able to do is different than it was just 10 years ago," Starr said.
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"We need to teach our children to be innovative thinkers, good communicators and problem-solvers. One learns how to solve problems by solving problems, not by being tested on the theoretical steps of problem solving."
