As we end the month of November, 2010, we find ourselves toward the end of the first semester of the 2010-2011 school year.  In October, the state of Louisiana released the school performance scores (SPS) for each school in the state, and the district performance score (DPS) for each district.  I am pleased to note that eight of our ten schools improved for the 2009-10 school year, as did our District Performance Score.  In the last five years our district performance score has been as follows:

2005-06 – 81.1

2006-07 – 81.1

2007-08 – 87.5

2008-09 – 91.6

2009-10 – 92.8

While we are not where we want to be yet, we have the highest DPS to date since accountability began in Louisiana in 1999.  There are lots of reasons why we are making progress.  All of them involve the quality of our teachers, their fidelity to the implementation of research-based strategies, the time that they spend working, their willingness to work collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities, the opportunity that they each have to utilize technology in engaging students in their own learning, the technology training that they are provided, and the support and leadership that our Administrators and support workers at all levels provide in “getting the job done.”  I am very proud of all of the employees in our district.  This is a prime example of a team effort.

I also want to recognize our students, parents and guardians in placing schooling as THE priority for students.  Education is everybody’s business and without focus by everyone involved, we will not reach our collective potential.  As long as one student is unsuccessful, we will not have collectively reached our full potential.

The future is ahead of us, and we can all improve by leaps and bounds.  It will take a continued and renewed focus, and expectations that exceed our present expectations.  Shouldn’t each of our students expect to succeed at the highest level?  Shouldn’t we as adults, parents and school people alike, expect the absolute best from our students?  Shouldn’t we all expect a positive attitude from ourselves each and every day in an effort to “get there?”  The answer is an overwhelming yes, if and only if, we really want to “get there.”  The choice is ours; students, parents and educators alike.