Superintendent's Presentation

This morning I was invited to attend Superintendent Newbold's opening remarks at the Administrative Leadership Conference. He spoke about the District motto of Lead, Educate, Inspire and how what is happening in the District falls into those three areas. He also discussed the objectives of President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and how Utah's Promises to Keep are in line with the Federal objectives.

The Federal objectives include:

• College and career ready students
• Great teachers and leaders
• Equity and opportunity
• Raise the bar and reward excellence
• Promote innovation and continuous improvement

Utah State Promises to Keep are:

• Ensure literacy and numeracy
• High-quality instruction
• Curriculum with high standards and relevance
• Effective assessment
  

He stated that the District is expecting approximately 1300 new students this school year. He said the Board of Education's goal is "Improved communication to build trust and confidence."

I found the 5 Common Characteristics of High Performing Schools interesting.

1. Mission driven
2. High expectations for students and staff
3. Professional culture through PLC's
4. Focus on relationships
5. Student opportunities through extracurricular activities

It was a good presentation overall. I was glad to be invited.