Great communities have great public schools. It is the commitment of the Springdale School District staff to create world-class schools that prepare our students for successful careers and for lifelong learning.

The focus of our instructional team's daily effort is to prepare our students to be career-ready and college-ready.

Over the years, in an effort to continuously "stretch" to meet those goals, Springdale teachers have brought forward new models for instruction that have led to:

• Initiation and expansion of the prekindergarten program.

• Reconfiguration of grade levels and establishment of the middle school educational model.

• Creation of instructional academies in medicine, safety and law, architecture and engineering, information technology, food science and culinary arts.

• Establishment of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

• Implementation of Environmental and Spatial Technology initiatives at elementary and secondary schools.

• Formation of Family Literacy initiatives at the elementary school level and at middle schools.

Each of those progressive reform initiatives has achieved state and national acclaim. They have been adopted by hundreds of schools across the nation.

The WatchDogs program to involve dads and granddads in schools, a program that's one of the most successful school safety efforts in the nation (more than 3,793 active programs in 46 states) originated in Springdale due to the efforts of a dedicated Springdale dad working with the staff at George Elementary School.

Stretching, trying to get better ... that's the spirit that makes this community and this school system so special. It is this district's history of commitment to achieve and get better that was recognized recently by the U.S. Department of Education as it conveyed one of the largest grants ever to the Springdale School District (a $25.8 million Race to the Top grant).

That money will assure the extension and expansion of previously-proven successful educational models, the establishment of one-to-one technology for every Springdale student, the formation of parent education programs, and the continued development of the instructional capacity of the entire educational team.

Perhaps the most progressive part of the Race to the Top grant is the Springdale School District's planned new "I–School" or "School of Innovation." The I-School, which will open in the fall, will become Springdale's fourth high school campus, joining Springdale High School, Har-Ber High School and the Archer Learning Center alternative high school.

The I–School will serve up to 200 students in the 2014-2015 term, and that number will grow to 800 to 1,000 students over the next several years. The educational program of the I–School will be self-paced and technology-driven, with a focus on economics, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Its graduates will be able to earn simultaneously a high school diploma and an associate degree from a community college.

Clearly this is a very progressive step, one that will provide a personalized educational experience equivalent to that offered in any American school. I encourage interested students and their parents to contact any Springdale middle school or secondary school for more information on that exceptional opportunity.

Great communities have great public schools. The staff of the Springdale school system is committed to making that a reality.

Thank you, Springdale, for your partnership as we continue to stretch to serve Springdale students.

Commentary on 03/27/2014