From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Education Is a Civil Right published in The St. Louis American, March 20, 2008
Surprisingly, the election season, which promises to ignite the most important issues of our time, has circumvented the discussion of public education. While it may not be the candidates’ top priority, education is certainly on the minds of the people. According to a recent national poll conducted by Lake Research Partners, 94% of American voters believe that public education is important. In a recent national poll, St. Louis citizens ranked education as the number one concern – ahead of the economy and national security.
Public education is a fundamental pillar of our democracy. For this reason, public education represents the perfect venue to continually spark interest in the electoral process and foster good citizenship.
Last month, our country celebrated Black History Month. In St. Louis and across the United States, we taught students about visionaries such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and about his quest for equal opportunity for all. Now, exactly forty years after his death, we still are not there. We’ll come closer to realizing the dream when we, as a nation, recognize education as a basic civil right for all.
Nationally, according to Education Week, just over 50% of Hispanic, Native American, and black students graduate from high school. In Missouri, 56% of African-Americans and 57% of Hispanics receive a diploma.
For St. Louis Public Schools, we insist on providing opportunities for all students to excel. Reforming education is not about black and white, rich and poor. It is, as former Secretary of Education Richard Riley used to say, an issue for a country where “students may be only 20% of our population, but they are 100% of our future.”
As St. Louis schools undergo transition, we have an exceptional opportunity to implement innovative programs that will foster lifelong learning and have lasting, positive impact on our students. In St. Louis, let’s be spearheaders – innovators who forge solutions. Let’s set a national precedence to establish education as a civil right.
Collaborations with like-minded stakeholders and partners can make that happen. Recently, the St. Louis Public Schools and the National Urban Alliance (NUA) began the important work of closing the achievement gap. In this case, we’re not just targeting the disparity between black and white students. We are also addressing the gap between students’ current performance and their potential for excellence.
Currently, we are in our instructional assessment phase. In this process, NUA experts will study test scores and current teaching techniques, as well as interview students. This will allow us to develop a tailored approach to meeting the needs of our students. Beginning next year, NUA experts will mentor our teachers in specialized techniques, in order to reach students with behavioral disorders and maximize every child’s potential.
Providing a physical environment that is conducive to learning is equally important. Our new facilities recommendations will be implemented in the 2008-2009 school year. Changes in the use of our school buildings resulted, in part, from important feedback we received from parents, teachers, and students. Our long-term goal is to “grow” our district by increasing enrollment.
The most important obligations we have to our students are to enable them and to prepare them for success. We are committed to maintaining learning environments full of hope and encouragement. Every child deserves to be motivated.
St. Louis students are capable of learning. Intelligence doesn’t just “happen.” We must teach it. When we as educators, parents, and community leaders provide this basic civil right, then we will truly experience a free and vibrant democracy.
Proposed Calendar Changes for End of School Year
After reviewing the law and our policy statement, and consulting with DESE and the unions, the following calendar changes will go before the Special Administrative Board on April 3.
• April 18 - regular school day
• May 9 - regular school day
• June 2 - regular school day
• June 3 - student minimum day/half staff work day
• June 4 - Professional Development
• June 5 - Professional Development
Customer Service Committee Tips: Email Etiquette
Professional attention to email provides a company with a competitive edge. Yet, it is surprising to learn that some companies still have not recognized the importance of these communications. Many employees send late replies, no replies, or replies that do not actually address the customer’s specific questions or concerns. By educating employees as to what can and cannot be communicated in an email, a company can gain customer satisfaction and protect itself from awkward liability issues.
During the coming weeks, the Customer Service Committee will share email etiquette tips and rules.
1. Be concise and to the point.
Do not make emails longer than needed. You do not want to discourage your customer from reading the entire message. Remember, reading emails is more difficult than reading printed communications.
2. Answer all questions and pre-empt further questions.
Unanswered questions from the original email will trigger subsequent emails, wasting your time and your customer’s time. Also, if you can answer relevant questions in advance, your customers will be appreciative and impressed with your efficient customer service.
3. Always use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Using improper spelling, grammar and punctuation will leave a bad impression of your company. Proper grammar is also important for conveying your message. For example, emails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes alter the meaning of the text.
4. Make it personal.
Emails should be personally addressed and include personal and customized content. Auto replies are usually not very effective.
5. Use templates for frequently used responses.
Create a template to respond to questions that you receive over and over again, such as directions to your office or how to subscribe to your newsletter. You can save these texts as response templates and paste them into your message. Templates can be saved as word documents or pre-formatted emails.
6. Answer swiftly.
Customers send an email because they want a quick response. You should reply to an email within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the correspondence is complicated, send an email saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them.
“No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise.”
-Marian Anderson
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