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Drop-out rates of ten or more percent are unacceptable. CMS drop-out rates over 30% are unknown in the rest of the world.
Every student deserves and has a right to an education that is sufficiently adequate and relevant to make it meaningful for him or her to stay in school and learn.
Students deserve an environment based on Motivation, not focused on administration and/or on testing. They deserve and need to know WHY they should learn what we want them to learn.
The Achievement Gap needs to be closed. EVERY child can learn. - It is a myth that minority or poor children learn better or are more successful in an administratively arranged diverse environment.
Money is important, but is NOT the key factor for student achievement!
To achieve our objectives to become globally competitive, we should promote, not cut foreign language programs.
Magnets and IB /AP - We need to do much more for our hardworking and gifted students, regardless of socio-economic standard. This includes:
Magnets - We need to bring EVERY school
to the level of what we call today
Magnet schools, and preferably higher.
IB /AP - To be globally competitive, we need to
promote and integrate IB and AP
classes to offer our students programs
that are known and appreciated
nation-wide and world-wide.
Personalized Education Plan - EVERY student deserves a Personalized Education Plan outlining specific classes needed to achieve his or her goals.
We need to get away from the current one-shoe-fits-all curriculums and scheduling, including the core subjects;
Not every student requires, wants, or needs to attend college (High Schools needs to be more relevant for future careers by offering Professional Career tracks with a choice of majors).
SAFE SCHOOLS - EVERY student needs to feel safe at school as a prerequisite for learning (80% as an objective in the CMS Strategic Plan is unacceptable).
NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL CHOICE - Parents, Neighbors, and the whole community around the school belong together. They need to 'own' their school and should be involved in the decision making.
Beyond the base concept of 'Schools of Excellence' in EVERY neighborhood, any and each parent - regardless of socio-economic status - should have the choice of enrolling their child in any other CMS school as long as the capacity assigned to non-neighbors permits.
We need true Learning Communities, not the current administrative units without a true mission. This is the best way to ensure the importance of parent involvement, school spirit, and discipline! This has made neighborhood schools successful over many centuries over all the world.
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