Seven Areas to Focus on to Improve District Performance
- We will establish high expectations for all our students and staff
Every child matters. Many of our kids, especially those from troubled homes are thrown away by our district. It has been proven in many underachieving schools that with hard work, a total commitment, and by holding our students to a high expectation of success, they will learn and succeed. This commitment must be held by all, from the bottom to the top. I will bring this total commitment and belief to the Fresno School Board.
- We will teach our children to read.
With the new state standards and graduation testing that is in place, we can no longer accept the excuses why our children can't read. If we don't act now we will be faced with thousands of Fresno children without the basic tools they need to be productive members of our community. Reading is the basis for all educational success. I will lead the charge to do whatever it takes to insure our children can read. I will call upon the City of Fresno, business and community leaders to mobilize and get involved in this critical effort. This is a community crisis and failure is not an option.
- We will have clear and measurable goals that will be communicated to the public.
These goals will be clear, easy to understand, and measurable. They will also be communicated to the public...There will also no longer be public business discussed behind closed doors.
- We will empower our teachers and principals.
More major decisions about what is happening at the school are made by those working there. Only by empowering teachers to be decision makers is it fair to hold them accountable for results. There will be less top down management. We have some wonderful, talented, hardworking teachers and principals working in our district. They must be full partiscipants in what is occuring in their schools.
- We will have more parent participation.
There will be active involvement by parents. Parent, teacher, student contracts, On-site school councils, Parent Education and assistance, so that they can help their children at home. In these forums, all parents must be treated as partners in their children's success.
- We will have a commitment to teacher training.
The new focus of measurable results is requiring new skills and expectations for many teachers. Professional training is a commitment that will be made. I beleive this is an area where our Teacher's union can step in and begin to raise the professionalism of teaching. If public education is to be the success it once was, we will all have new roles to play.
- We will improve the safety for our children in our public schools.
There will be much better cooperation between the School Board and our Fresno Police Department. Our children deserve nothing less.
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