Fayetteville School Board approves new mission statement

FAYETTEVILLE -- A goal to implement innovative curriculum will require action teams to decide what that means for Fayetteville School District, a leader of a comprehensive planning project said Thursday.

One team might explore the role of project-based learning in providing an innovative curriculum, while another team might consider opportunities for virtual career exploration, said Holly Smith, a district instructional facilitator who is co-leading the Framing Our Future planning process with Shay Hopper, a Fayetteville High School teacher.

New Fayetteville School District mission statement

“The mission of Fayetteville Public Schools, the first public school district in the state of Arkansas - where excellence is the expectation, is to ensure all students are successful in a highly competitive and rapidly changing global society through a system distinguished by:

• A dedication to ensuring high standards and leadership opportunities.

• Attracting, developing and retaining the best personnel.

• The offering of diverse and meaningful educational and real world experiences.

• A culture of innovation and collaboration.

• An encompassing educational community.

Source: Fayetteville School District

Smith and Hopper asked the School Board on Thursday to approve a new mission statement, as well as statements of beliefs, parameters, objectives and strategies as part of a comprehensive five-year plan being developed to guide Fayetteville School District.

"The excitement's starting to build," Superintendent Paul Hewitt said.

Identifying and implementing innovative curriculum is one of 10 strategies included in the plan developed by a 30-member Framing Our Future planning team.

The strategies included in the plan are broad statements that will be narrowed into actionable pieces, Hopper said. With the foundation of the plan approved, the next step is for the team to decide on the actionable pieces that will be assigned to action teams, Hopper said.

The planning team will finalize those decisions in early December, Hopper said.

Once that step is complete, Hopper and Smith will solicit volunteers interested in serving on and leading the action teams. They hope to have representatives from the community, from families and from the school district.

Leaders will be selected and trained in December, Hopper said. The action teams will work from January through March.

The mission statement focuses on setting an expectation for excellence, an aspiration that includes high expectations students, the recruitment and retention of staff, meaningful educational experiences and a culture of innovation, for the Framing Our Future plan states.

Beliefs are the values designed to support the mission, the plan states. Those statements include, "There is strength in diversity," and "Every individual has the right to be heard."

Parameters set boundaries for accomplishing the mission: basing decisions on the best interests of students, being responsible stewards of taxpayer money, ensuring programs fit the mission and beliefs, and employing those who ascribe to the district's beliefs, according to the plan.

NW News on 11/20/2015

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