Transparency

I was at a meeting recently when one of the members, Audrey Kleinsasser of the Wyoming School University Partnership, mentioned the work that the Partnership is doing in the area of Pre-school through college collaboration. Educators are working on helping students in the transition from high school to post-secondary institutions by looking at student work and having discussions about that work as it relates to success after high school.

One of the things that Dr. Kleinsasser mentioned about the work was something along the lines of the transparency that exists among the expectations of both groups due to the meetings. For some reason, that phrase struck me as an important part of developing the vision of Guernsey-Sunrise schools. The communication among all stakeholders in the educational process - students, parents, teachers, administrators, the board, and the community - needs to be transparent and open in order for the vision to move forward.

The district continues to try to create a system of open communication by posting questions and thoughts on the website as well as in this blog. There is a "wiki" where staff members are working on a student-centered vision and an ongoing discussion of holding a community meeting to gather input. As we continue to develop a vision, a definition of what that vision looks like in action, and the indicators that will help us measure our progress toward that vision, I hope everyone will provide some input that will move us closer to a vision of excellence.