In 2001, the Yakima School District took a hard look at the achievement of our students, the practices of our teachers and our overall policies. Our investigation turned up a few key facts:
- We lacked an instructional focus around which all teaching revolved.
- Achievement data was only minimally analyzed.
- Teachers and principals had limited opportunities for training.
- Classroom decisions and curricula were based more on intuition than research.
- Resources were allocated with little regard to a bigger picture.
The result was a call to action: to do things not just differently, but better, to improve the education we provide our students. To begin with, we refocused our efforts and resources by developing the district Roadmap, which laid out our goals, targets and areas of focus for the next eight years. The eight areas of focus fell loosely into three broad categories:
- A new approach to education
- Evidence-based classroom decisions
- Research-proven curricula and programs
Click below for a five-year retrospective that outlines:
- Our primary activities in each of the three categories listed above
- What we’ve learned
- Our continuing challenges
- Activities for the 2006–07 school year
I encourage you to spend some time reading this report and to call us if you have any questions. As always, your involvement in the education of Yakima’s children is critical to their well-being and that of our community.
Sincerely,
Benjamin A. Soria
|
