Preamble | Purpose | Mission | Commitments | Students | Staff | Parents | Quality | Support | Governance | Curriculum

Preamble
Whereas, the people of the Anderson Community School Corporation believe that all students have the ability to learn at continuously higher levels; and

Whereas, the best way to ensure that all students learn more is to improve continuously the quality of intellectual experiences (knowledge work) in which students are engaged; and

Whereas, the people of the Anderson Community School Corporation believe that the interests of students are enhanced when the actions of all are guided by a common set of understandings regarding the purpose and mission of the schools; and

Whereas, it is the responsibility of the Anderson Board of School Trustees to ensure that all district policies are made in the best interests of students;

Now, therefore, the Anderson Board of School Trustees and the Anderson Federation of Teachers, Local 519, acting on behalf of the citizens of the community, the students of the system, and all school employees, endorse the following statements of beliefs and principles as a source of guidance and direction for all decisions and actions taken in the name of the school corporation.

The Purpose of Education
The purpose of education in the Anderson Community School Corporation is to create an environment which develops, nurtures, and reinforces the success of all people served by the corporation. Further, through the shared involvement of home, community, and school, our purpose is to prepare each student to think, reason, and participate in a diverse, global society as a lifelong self-directed learner.

Mission
The mission of the Anderson Community School Corporation is to develop and provide knowledge work that engages all students, resulting in maximum opportunities after graduation.

Commitments and Principles

• All school employees continually seek ways to collaborate with families, other child and youth serving agencies, and the community to provide the programs, services, support, and environment necessary for all students to be successful.
• The school corporation welcomes and seeks the participation and opinions of employees, parents, and community members and will continually seek better ways to listen and inform.
• The school corporation works with the community in determining and addressing its needs for lifelong learning opportunities.
• The school corporation provides a work environment in which open communication, risk-taking, and innovation are encouraged, and concerns and problems are addressed quickly.
• The school corporation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, national origin, or limited English proficiency.
• Decisions are made in a participatory manner and as close as possible to the point of implementation.
• Decisions are made consistent with the purpose, mission, and beliefs that guide the school corporation, and are based on an evaluation of results produced, utilizing a predetermined basis of method and involvement.
• The purpose, mission, and beliefs that officially guide the corporation constitute the standards against which all decisions will be evaluated, and all decision-making groups in the corporation are expected to apply these standards in judging the merit and worth of the decisions they make.

Beliefs about Students

• All students have the ability to learn at continuously higher levels.
• The interests and needs of students are the focus of all school activities.
• All students have the right to learn in a challenging, safe, caring, and nurturing climate where a spirit of cooperation and respect for others exists.
• All students are provided opportunities to make positive choices, to set goals and priorities, and to assess their own progress. They should be supported in developing the skills needed to avail themselves of these opportunities.
• All students have the right to the finest instruction and the most enriching educational experiences in and out of the classroom.

Beliefs about Staff

• All Anderson Community Schools employees treat students and each other with dignity and respect.
• All Anderson Community School Corporation employees are leaders with the responsibility of guiding and influencing students positively.
• All Anderson Community School Corporation employees provide all students with experiences to ensure they learn continuously at higher levels.
• All Anderson Community School Corporation employees demonstrate understanding and support for the purpose, mission, beliefs, and principles of the school corporation.
• All Anderson Community School Corporation employees take the lead in working with child and youth serving agencies in the community to ensure that each child has the support needed to succeed in school.
• All Anderson Community School Corporation employees are committed to continuous improvement and professional growth.
• The primary roles of the superintendent are to promote the articulation and pursuit of a compelling vision of education in the community; to encourage and support creative leadership capacity at all levels of the system; to ensure that all personnel focus on providing high quality experiences for students; and to educate the community about education.
• Employees with corporation-wide responsibilities encourage, support, and assist employees in the development of programs and services to meet the needs of students. They should provide technical assistance to ensure that quality decisions are made.
• Building principals are empowered and expected to lead and to develop participatory leadership among school employees to meet student needs.
• Teachers design work that actively engages and challenges students and results in students developing skills, attitudes, and habits of mind that are of lasting value to themselves and to society.

Beliefs about Parents and Community

• The first and most important teachers of children are parents, guardians, and other caregivers. In this role, parents, guardians, and other care-givers are partners with teachers and other school officials to ensure that each student has the support to be successful in school.
• The obligation of the family, other care-givers, and the community at large is to foster attitudes which encourage students to behave in a responsible and respectful manner toward adults and each other.
• The obligation of the family, other caregivers, and the community at large is to ensure that students recognize success in school as one of their highest priorities.
• The school corporation, families, and all community groups and agencies that serve children and youth in the school corporation form collaborative, networking relationships that are child-centered and focused on providing the necessary support for all children and youth to succeed in school.
• Accountability for the success of all students is shared by parents, school employees, and students.
  *The continuous involvement and support of parents in their childrens learning and work is encouraged and expected by school employees and all adult members of the community.

Beliefs about Quality

• All policies, programs, practices, and procedures of the corporation are assessed in terms of results and the purpose, mission, and beliefs that guide the school corporation.
• The quality of the knowledge work provided to students will significantly determine the quality of student performance.
• Providing high-quality knowledge work for students is the most important single activity undertaken by Anderson Community Schools, and all decisions are made with this priority in mind.
• Quality schoolwork is goal-oriented knowledge work that engages students in using knowledge to produce significant intellectual performance, encourages students to persist until accomplishment is realized, and results in students developing desired skills, understandings, attitudes, and habits of mind.

Beliefs about Support and Innovation

• The school corporation ensures training and development opportunities for all employees.
• Risk taking and innovative thinking are encouraged, valued, and supported.
• The Board of School Trustees and the superintendent have the primary responsibility for obtaining the necessary resources to support programs with-in the corporation and for ensuring that programs are assessed by all stakeholders in terms of the results and the consistency of those results with the purpose, mission, and beliefs that guide the school corporation.

Beliefs about Governance

• All School Board members treat each other with dignity and respect.
• The Board of School Trustees are responsible for the adoption of policies that ensure that the corporation is accountable to the community and responsive to the needs of students and staff.
• The Board of School Trustees top priority is to initiate and sustain a clear sense of purpose, mission, and beliefs regarding the operation of the school corporation.
• The Board of School Trustees charge the superintendent with taking the lead in creating systems in the community that ensure students the support needed to be successful in school.
• Processes are established to ensure participation in corporation-level decisions by all stakeholders.

Beliefs about Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning

• Learning is an active, life-long endeavor.
• Students are expected to produce products and solve problems that demonstrate they have command of the in-formation, skills, and understandings they are expected to acquire and develop.
• Students are provided with learning experiences that promote responsible citizenship in a democratic society.
• Students have the opportunity to learn about their own heritage and the heritage of others.
• Students are given a clear understanding of how their chosen academic program links to post-secondary opportunities (college, jobs in the economy, and vocational school).

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