Amherst School District, Mission and Goals
http://www.arps.org/administration/school_committee/policy_manual/section_a__foundations_and_basic_commitments/policy_a_d__mission_statement/
The mission of our schools is to provide all students with a high quality education that enables them to be contributing members of a multiethnic, multicultural, pluralistic society. We seek to create an environment that achieves equity for all students and ensures that each student is a successful learner, is fully respected, and learns to respect others.
Goal #1 – Develop and maintain an up-to-date, innovative, multicultural and academically challenging curriculum that promotes high standards and success for all students.
Goal #2 – Provide creative, multi-faceted instruction that maintains high standards, engages all students, and enables all students to be successful learners.
Goal #3 – Make all students feel fully welcome and a part of our schools, regardless of race, social class, gender, culture, language, religion, sexuality, academic success, or physical abilities.
Goal #4 – Eliminate the achievement gap among students from different racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Goal #5 – Address the demands and opportunities facing our schools as a result of the rapid growth in the use of technology throughout our society.
Goal #6 – Increase communication and collaboration among the district’s stakeholders – students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators and the larger community – and use parents and the community more effectively as educational resources.
Goal #7 – Hire and retain a high-quality teaching and administrative staff.
Goal #8 – Equip and maintain school buildings to provide healthy, accessible, modern learning environments that support the achievement of our mission.
Goal #9 – Sustain a physically and emotionally safe environment in our schools for students and staff.
Maximize Student Achievement: Create an intellectually engaging and supportive education that expands future academic and career opportunities for all children.
• Develop and make significant progress toward creating a vertically/horizontally aligned, challenging K-6 curriculum.
• Conduct a rigorous review of the K-5 mathematics curriculum, which includes consideration of curricula used by our comparison districts. Develop a set of recommendations based on that review.
• Conduct a rigorous review of the high school mathematics and science curricula, which includes course offerings, sequence, programs, requirements, and consideration of curricula used by our comparison districts. Develop a set of recommendations based on that review.
• Assess the effectiveness of the Amherst Regional Middle School. Prepare and begin to implement a set of recommendations based on the assessment.
• Mentor, guide, and evaluate all Principals of the elementary and regional schools.
• Prepare and implement a plan designed to address the academic needs of our struggling students.
• Initiate an evaluation of the Special Education program.
• Continue and deepen multiple strategies for addressing the districts’ commitment to social justice.
Maximize Financial Efficiency:
• Examine and explain enrollment trends and spending/staffing patterns as well as projected revenues in order to develop a multi-year fiscal plan.
• Identify and propose cost saving measures for FY11.
• Seek additional resources (e.g., grants, partnerships).
Improve Communication/Transparency:
• Develop and implement a plan, in accordance with federal, state (Massachusetts General Law), local law and applicable contractual provisions, for open and transparent communication that keeps the public informed, solicits feedback and builds trust.
• Implement a transparent budget-building process that informs the School Committee and community where money is spent in all schools and district offices.
• Maintain open lines of communication with different stakeholder groups (e.g., elected officials, select boards, town administrators, finance committees, selected public- & private-sector partners, higher education, etc.) in accordance with federal, state (Massachusetts General Law), local law, and applicable contractual provisions.
Manage Transitions:
• Implement a successful redistricting of the four elementary schools in Amherst into three elementary schools.
• Lead a smooth transition in closing the Mark's Meadow School.
• Lead a successful leadership transition at Pelham Elementary School.
• Lead a successful leadership transition at the Amherst Regional Middle School.
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