Agenda - 11-10-1998 - Attachment #10

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The process of establishing high and coordinated standards and expectations begins with the Board and administration. Board members, the superintendent, and each principal should articulate the system's commitment to ensuring that all students achieve at a high level of proficiency. Teachers, students and parents should work together to ensure that each student reaches the highest possible level of achievement. Each student needs to understand what, indeed, is expected of him/her. This is communicated to each student in the form of a well defined, highly challenging curriculum with expectations and outcomes of achievement clearly identified and by the teacher's active belief in and support of that student. Parents need to ensure that their students fulfill their obligations to achieve. Principals need to ensure that each teacher receives support in maintaining the high standards that have been set. A high level of support for students must accompany high expectations if students are expected to be successful in meeting these standards. Students achieving below their potential must be motivated by teachers who are perceived by the students as caring about them and their personal success. Counseling and advising services must be provided to students who need more direction in their studies. Teachers and support staff must reach out to students and not simply wait for them to ask for help. Students "in the middle" are particularly vulnerable to being overlooked and allowed to move through the system without being adequately challenged. Classrooms must be stocked with the necessary instructional materials and equipment. Class sizes should allow for meeting a diversity of needs in the same classroom. Teachers need to be provided with an effective staff development program, adequate compensation, and administrative support. Summary • High standards and high expectations should be established for each grade level, course, and student. • There should be a system -wide effort to coordinate curricula, expectations and standards across all schools at each grade level and sequentially from kindergarten through high school • High standards and high expectations require commitment from administrators, parents, staff, teachers and students. • Standards are best communicated through curricula that clearly specify expected outcomes. • A high level of support must accompany high expectations if students are to meet with success. 2. Meet the diversity of individual student needs The wide diversity of students in the district is both a strength and a challenge to the schools' programs. There is a general concern that the schools are not fully meeting the needs of s wide range of students with special academic, social, developmental, linguistic, behavioral or health problems that complicate their education. There also is a specific concern that the schools are not providing an optimal setting for educating African- American students. Among the weaknesses identified by committee members was the perception of lower academic and behavior expectations for African- American students and students from lower socio- economic status (SES) households. While some parents from low socio- economic families make great efforts in support of their children and their schools, the participation by many of these families is very limited or non - existent. In some cases, parents perceive that teachers are intolerant of personal and cultural differences. However, the diversity of the community and student body and the commitment to provide educational services that meet the needs of a diverse student body, were considered by all to be important. Perceived threats included, low expectations for some students and increasing disparity in resources between high and low SES families and homes. High on the list of beliefs for the education system were tailoring learning opportunities to the individual's developmental needs and recognizing that children learn best when students', teachers' and parents' beliefs, feelings and differences are valued and respected. Both equity of opportunity and diversity of the student body were considered important values for the system to maintain. Highly ranked among the strategies to be pursued were programs that enhance the