Seeing yourself in student achievement

A challenging concept in public education has long been getting everyone to clearly see and understand the role they can play in improving student achievement. The nature of teaching and learning makes it all too easy for people outside of the classroom to believe there is little they can do help a C or D student become an A and B student. The truth is, those kinds of outcomes occur as the result of many structures, roles, strategies and conditions. Yes, there are some variables beyond our control, (i.e. the socio-economic condition of students, state and federal mandates, district policies and political and economic trends) but there are many factors that we can positively impact every day. We have spent the last two years addressing absenteeism, student learning, achievement gaps, the graduation rate, community partnerships and other important factors that impact student achievement. As we continue to advance the SPS 2009 – 2012 Strategic Plan, signs of hope are all around us and we are working hard to debunk the myth that educational excellence is the work of only teachers and students. To the contrary, we know that it takes an entire community.