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Message from the superintendent

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Staff

By Neil Pedersen

The first goal in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ strategic plan is for “all students to graduate prepared for the 21st Century as high-achieving learners, possessing world language skills, global awareness, technology competence, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to work effectively as a member of a diverse team.” The school board approved a set of priorities in July that are consistent with this goal and that will guide the administration’s time and resources for the 2010-11 school year.

The highest-prioritized strategies are intended to support the district in ensuring that all students are academically proficient and graduate from high school prepared to pursue higher education or a career. Each school has a prevention/intervention plan that is to be followed when students begin to run into academic or behavioral problems in school. The intent is to catch students early and get them back on track quickly. Each student who is academically at-risk is to have a Personal Education Plan that outlines in detail the supports that will be put in place.

Another board priority is to strengthen our literacy program. Reading, writing and oral communication skills are essential for success in most subject areas. In recent years, our focus, rightly so, has been on the elementary grades. However, literacy skills need to continue to be honed in middle school and students need to develop literacy skills in each discipline. The district will be implementing a new middle school literacy framework this year to better educate all students. The board also has asked the administration to evaluate intervention strategies in grades K-12 for students who are experiencing difficulty with literacy and to ensure that we have a wide array of alternative strategies for students who are not acquiring necessary literacy skills.

Educational research supports the common sense notion that the more time students spend on a skill or subject, the more they will improve. Consequently, the board has directed the administration to consider expanding the time that students spend in school. This could be in the form of a longer school year for some students, extended day programs or weekend learning opportunities.

The other high-priority strategy that the board supported was for the administration to begin immediately to determine how it can save up to $7 million in operating costs. This is the amount of federal and state funding that we could lose in 2011-12. Having made reductions in our budget for the last four years, it will be especially difficult and painful to consider further cuts that, necessarily, would have to impact the quality and scope of the education that our students receive.

Although, according to the state constitution, our first priority is to provide a “sound, basic education” to all students, we have an obligation to the young people and families in this community to do much more than that. One of our priorities is to ensure that teachers design schoolwork that truly engages our learners. This means that students need to be active rather than passive learners and they must see the purpose and value of their assignments and activities. Teachers must employ a wide range of strategies that reflect the different learning styles and cultural backgrounds of our students.

This year, we are adding high school honors-level courses in the science and social studies departments. A major priority is to provide engaging and challenging work for students in both standard and honors-level classes. We also must strive to ensure that students who take honors or Advanced Placement courses are well supported, including students with educational disabilities.

Also at the high school level, we want to better publicize and support alternative pathways leading to high school graduation. We have career and thematic academies at our high schools in the arts, international studies, social justice, health fields, finance and information technology. Students also can attend the Middle College program at Durham Tech during their junior and senior years and earn one year or more of college credit. Phoenix Academy is now designated as an alternative high school serving students who are not meeting with much success in comprehensive high schools. We also encourage as many students as possible to take at least one college-level course through the Advanced Placement program, the state’s Learn and Earn Online system or Middle College. These alternatives have been established in recognition that “one size does not fit all” students.

The 2010-11 school year is shaping up as another year filled with exciting challenges for our students and staff. As always, we greatly appreciate the value that this community places on our school system and the financial support that we receive from the Orange County Board of Commissioners.

Neil Pedersen is superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

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