Newton Public Schools
Approved
by School Committee: September 23, 2002
The Newton Public Schools strives to
meet the learning needs of all
students by ensuring that the K-12 curriculum offers a coherent course of study
yet remains flexible enough to allow for differentiation according to
children’s needs; by recognizing the diversity that exists within the school
population; and by respecting teachers’ judgment in making sound instructional
decisions for the students they meet every day. The school system’s core value of respect for human differences should permeate all of our work (see
attached mission statement). With the
cooperation of all members of the school community, the system seeks to hold
true to its values while it sets out to accomplish the goals specific to
2002/2003 as outlined below.
1. To strengthen the quality of K-12
education by continuing the process of
aligning Newton’s curriculum with the state frameworks and
creating an academically challenging standards-based learning environment—Curriculum
revision is an ongoing process in our school system, with adjustments and
improvements being implemented in content areas every year. Still, with the advent of the Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks, it is important for the system to document its progress
and continued improvement on a coherent, logically sequenced curriculum. We strive to raise the academic achievement
of all students and to focus on narrowing the achievement gap for students of
color and students in lower socio-economic groups. The standards-based curriculum we advocate balances the ideal of
individual, professional decision-making by classroom teachers with agreements
among teachers about the sequencing and coherence of subject matter.
To
achieve this goal we will:
• continue the review/revision
process in health and physical education,
world languages and math;
•
implement a citywide approach to improving student literacy, including a
cost/benefit analysis connected to projected short-
and long-term
results;
• complete review of high school
graduation requirements to allow for
School Committee approval;
• determine steps to improve the
quality of life and ensure equity in two
equal sized high schools;
•
review/revise elementary school student progress reports;
• provide
professional development related to standards-based instruction;
• communicate MCAS results and use the
data to inform curriculum
revision and instructional practice;
• conduct School Committee deliberation
on policies related to
standardized, high-stakes testing programs;
• continue
technology planning, with an emphasis on integrating
technology as
a tool for improved teaching and learning, focusing on
implementation at the high school level;
and
• support the
system’s commitment to full inclusion of special education
students through increased training for
teachers and support staff.
• continue to
identify and put into effect throughout the school system
classroom practices and individual
interventions that are culturally
responsive and promote student achievement.
• provide on-going professional
development for principals and other
administrators and staff on using data for instructional decision-making
and implementing best practices for culturally responsive teaching
and
learning.
2. To develop a
capital plan for meeting the needs of Newton’s school buildings— A safe and comfortable school environment is
a key factor in helping staff and students do their best work. With many of Newton’s school buildings
approaching an age when major rehabilitation work may be required, it is
important to put into place a thoughtful, long-range plan for renovating and
maintaining the physical plant.
Collaboration between school personnel and City agencies will be
essential as we build a culture of shared responsibility and develop procedures
to improve the upkeep of the schools.
To
achieve this goal we will:
• work with City officials to implement
ongoing construction at
Newton South High School;
• develop
plans for phasing construction at Newton North High School;
• assess the physical plant needs for
the school system and develop a
capital improvements plan for FY04-FY08;
•
explore options and create policies for keeping all school buildings safe
and secure; and
• work with
City officials to improve the delivery of building maintenance
services.
3. To develop a
budget for FY04 that sustains the essential programs and services of the School
Department – With the continuing sluggishness of the economy and the
resulting decline in state resources for schools, the school system will be
challenged to develop a forward-looking program within what will surely be
tight fiscal parameters. A number of
factors will go into the decision-making process, including public deliberation
about what is most precious in our school and therefore must be preserved. We will also review current practice to
determine if there are more cost-efficient ways to deliver comparable services
in the coming years.
To
achieve this goal we will:
• prepare information and options
for the School Committee to consider as
we commence collective bargaining with all NPS
unions;
•
conduct a thorough and comprehensive staffing audit of all positions in
the school system, with an eye toward reorganizing
the work force as
necessary and desirable;
•
examine the special education program to determine possible means for
delivering comparable services in a more
cost-efficient manner; and
•
focus on long-range forecasting and financial planning so that the School
Committee can adopt with confidence a budget that
will be sustainable
in the years to come.
4. To initiate
a process of public engagement, so that all segments of the greater community
become better informed of school programs, policies and decisions – The recent
override campaign drove home the importance of improving communication between
the school system and the community at large.
Using an established research base, and sharing responsibility for this
goal, the School Committee and the administration will lead the effort to
facilitate quality two-way communication.
To
achieve this goal we will:
• establish structure to facilitate ongoing communication between the School Committee and the Board of Aldermen;
• create
outreach mechanisms to provide the public with important information about the
Newton Public Schools, including but not limited to newsletters and school
calendars;
• continue
development of the School Department’s web site;
• devise a
strategy and implementation plan for working more effectively with the media;
• find ways to
reach out to senior citizens and engage them in school activities; and
• re-connect
with citizens who, for one reason or another, have begun to feel
disenfranchised with respect to the school system.
Approved by
School Committee: October 9, 2001
The Newton Public Schools will provide
a climate that actively promotes social justice where children perform at the
highest levels. To that end, the Newton
Public Schools will work:
§
to provide—and be self-reflective about—authentic,
effective, challenging and creative instruction that is responsive to different
learning styles and improves student achievement. Respect for human differences places the learner at the center of
the teaching and learning and fashions instruction that builds upon the
learner’s unique strengths and addresses his/her needs;
§
to encourage the broadest understanding and acceptance of
human differences (including differences in socio-economic class, gender, race,
ethnicity, culture, language, learning styles, special needs, physical
appearance, disabilities, sexual orientation, etc.) while affirming fundamental
similarities of the human community;
§
to recognize our role in fostering high expectations and
maximum challenge for all students and our responsibility for
consistently examining our practice and our expectations for students with
differences of race, gender, socio-economic class, language, learning styles;
§
to continue to work through Empowering Multicultural
Initiative (EMI) to make Newton an active anti-racist school system and
community, through system-wide coordination of our commitment to respect for
human differences.