School

I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practiced in most schools today and wonder that we could have tolerated anything so primitive.

~John W. Gardner

A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.

~George Santayana

• • Schools should encourage positive relationships with students, parents, community, government and staff.

  • Safety, both physical and emotional, is job one in school buildings. Learning, academically, socially and athletically, can not occur if the environment is not safe.

  • Schools should encourage parent involvement. If parents are involved either at school or at home, students' grades, attendance, test scores, attitudes, behavior and self-esteem are greatly improved.

  • In times of "schools of choice", it is very important to build a good and welcoming school climate. First impressions and meeting the needs of parents can now make or break the enrollment of each school.

  • The future of schools may or may not reside within the physical walls of a building. It is imperative that schools explore alternative or technological ways to educate their students. Learning does not just happen within a six-hour time frame it is ongoing. The success of tomorrows citizens will depend on how resourceful they become and how willing they are to continuously learn.

A school can create a coherent environment, a climate more potent than any single influence - teachers, class, family, neighborhood - so potent that for at least six hours a day can override almost everything else in the lives of children.

~Ron Edmonds