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District Vision

The vision for the Guilford Public Schools, simply stated, is the creation of a “professional learning community where instruction invites effort and supports academic rigor for all students and educators.” This statement is an outgrowth of a multitude of conversations with teachers, administrators, parents, community members and students. It comes on the heels of a strategic planning process that provided the school district a well-defined set of actions that will assist the schools in the realization of its mission. A mission explains the purpose of our schools - in other words, why we exist. A vision, while keeping the mission clearly in mind, projects what we can become as a school system.

A clearly defined and articulated vision is essential if the Guilford Public Schools are to truly realize high level academic achievement for all students. The major aspects of our vision include a professional learning community and a common belief system.

Professional Learning Community:
Every professional in a school should engage in regular conversations with regard to the following three critical questions:

What do we want each student to learn?

How will we know when each student has learned it?

How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?

These questions seem, on the surface, to be a common sense approach to what we should be doing. In reality, the environment in most public schools does not allow for in-depth conversations among teachers regarding instruction, assessment and interventions for high achieving or struggling learners. The Guilford Public Schools are committed to creating such an environment in our schools.

Common Belief System:
Significant time has been spent in all of our schools exploring the belief that “effort creates ability.” It is crucial that all educators working in our classrooms share the belief that with instruction that invites effort from students and supports academic rigor, all students can achieve at high levels.

High-level student achievement will not happen with student effort alone. It is the responsibility of the system (Superintendent, Board of Education, Community) to provide the structure that invites sustained effort on the part of our students and educators. For example, if students are experiencing difficulty in learning a concept, supports need to be in place so that students are not allowed to fall behind. Also, teachers need to be provided regular opportunities to dialogue about instruction and then to devise immediate plans that will provide the rigor and opportunity to learn for all students.

Finally, the Guilford Board of Education and the entire school system believes that with an emphasis on expert instruction that takes place in a professional and collaborative environment, the students in our schools will achieve at the highest levels.

The teaching staff has been internalizing the nine Principles of Learning as prescribed by the Institute for Learning from the University of Pittsburgh. The Principles are based on years of research into what constitutes quality teaching. Even though they are not new to the profession, the Principles of Learning give us a common language and a clear picture of what quality teaching should look like in our classrooms.