The state of ND is changing. We have over a thousand new students in our schools. Some have been in several schools in a short period of time and others that have been in one school and plan to be in their new school for many years to come. The question is, "How do we plan for these students? How do we meet their needs, keep class sizes small, and ensure that children younger than school age be given opportunites to be prepared for Kindergarten."
There are programs such as BECEP and Right Track, but people don't always enroll and there are not always enough resources in place.
Not every community has preschool opportunities and some of the opportunities are limited to numbers, income level, disability. Many families utilize home childcare where there are generally less Pre-K skill based activities, but lots of love and socialization which are very important too.
Schools can hire staff to meet rising numbers, but do not always have space or available resources. Student needs ( stregths and growth areas) are not always known when they enroll in school. Qualified staff are not always available and individuals interested in taking new positions may not be able to fund their training.
North Dakota has a lot of top notch kids, we want the new kids to be able to join in our success and future too, but how do we deal with and plan for the unknown.... We are a state with lots of possibility, excitement and desire to make things GREAT!
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction works to maintain integrity in education and provide insight and information into keeping our education strong in the state.
Yet, there is only so much that a government office can control and dictate. We need to be able to work locally to improve and maintain the systems and opportunities that we have. Here is a link to ND's Educational Progress through 2008....
How do we continue this tradition of excellence within our educational system? Please share you ideas so we all can benefit.
No comments:
Post a Comment