LPS News

Quick District Information:
School Administration Offices are located at 146 Maple Street .
Vehicle Access via 328 Lowell Street

School Committee
Click here to view and apply for open LPS positions

NEW! Back to School Schedule - 2010
Transportation Information
Financial Assistance Program: The School Committee provides financial assistance to families who meet income requirements. Annual applications are available as of May 1.
NEW! School Lunch Program - Purchase Lunch Tickets
NEW! Online Fee Payments

LPS Health and Safety Alerts (Update completed 5:40pm September 1, 2010)

      NEW! Estabrook PCB Health and Safety Updates

            Parent/Community Meeting @ Cary Hall, 7:30 pm (Please note change of location and time)

            Estabrook School will be closed Thursday, September 2, 2010

      NEW! Student Risky Behaviors: Updates on Anti-bullying and Stress Management



Recent Reports:
NEW! Superintendent's Report on 2009-2010 System Goals
NEW! Best Practices for School, Family, and Community Engagement Subcommittee (presented June 8, 2010)
NEW! Final Report and Presentation of the Mathematics Curriculum Review Committee (presented June 8, 2010)
NEW! Science Curriculum Review - Year 3 Update and Presentation (presented June 8, 2010
NEW! 2011_2012 School Calendar (August Start) (Approved June 8, 2010)
NEW! Equity and Excellence Committee - Progress Report (presented May 11, 2010)
NEW! Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS)Program Report (presented May 11, 2010)
NEW! Third Quarterly Financial Report (presented May 11, 2010)
Lexington High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey - 2009 Results (presented April 27, 2010)
FY 2011 School Committee Budget - Presentation to TMMA (March 11, 2010)
FY 11 Budget Documents - Level Service and Recommended Budget (updated February 16, 2010)
Superintendent's FY 11 Budget Presentation (presented January 5, 2010)
FY 11 Budget Guidelines (presented September 22, 2009)
Four- and Ten- Year Enrollment Forecasts Report (presented January 5, 2010)
Addressing the Achievement Gap (presented November 17, 2009)
LPS 2009 MCAS Analysis
LPS 2009 MCAS Presentation
Report of the Ad Hoc Facillites Committee (presented October 20, 2009)
Design Partnership, LPS Pre K-12 Master Plan (March 2009, Updated June 2009)
Update on Year One of the Professional Development Committee - Executive Summary and Presentation (presented October 6, 2009)
Teacher Induction and Mentoring Program (presented September 22, 2009)
Action Plan for Equity and Excellence - May 2009

Other School Information:
School Cancellations
Superintendent's Bulletin - June 7, 2010

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From the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, Paul B. Ash. Ph. D.
Reforming Our Schools - July 1, 2010

By Natalie Cohen,
Principal of Lexington High School

It's a given that the momentum of constant improvement must be sustained, not only in the world of education but in other realms as well. But when we talk about school reform, when we write annual plans to address our needs, we are now faced with the sometimes competing responsibilities of, on the one hand, preparing students to excel on high-stakes tests and meet college admissions standards and, on the other, preparing students in areas of development that are difficult, even sometimes impossible, to quantify. Interestingly, parents and society at large increasingly look to schools to develop students'skills in those non-quantifiable areas.

Mike Rose, professor of social methodology at UCLA, has written several books that tackle the conundrum of school reform, among them, "Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of Us and Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America."

In a recent article entitled "Reform: To What End?" published in the April 2010 issue of Educational Leadership, Rose poses some essential questions that merit pondering: "What is the purpose of education in a democracy? What kind of people do we want to see emerge from U.S. schools? What is the experience of education when we do it well?"

His discussion focuses on two areas: the need to grow good teachers, and the mandate to create learning-friendly environments.

Growing good teachers

Recently, the Lexington Public Schools implemented an aggressive professional development initiative intended to allow teachers, new and veteran alike, to delve deeply into courses intended to support effective practices, employ differentiated instruction, and provide tiered interventions to our students who bring to us their wide range of learning styles.

Despite the high level of expertise displayed daily by our teachers, they have hungrily responded to these course offerings, eager to learn and improve their practices and, by extension, their students' learning.

Most importantly, LHS teachers have energetically embraced the professional learning community (PLC) model (another road to professional development) in efforts to enhance their repertoire of best classroom practices. Teachers meet weekly in course-alike groups to refine curriculum, target course objectives, and create common, authentic assessments.

The professional development courses in synch with the PLC efforts exemplify what Rose describes as "serious, extended engagement" in necessary school improvement.

Learning-friendly environments

In his article, Rose posits six indicators of learning-friendly environments, all of which happen to be underpinnings of the current LHS School Improvement Plan:

Safety — both physical and intellectual

Respect - as Rose writes, "fair treatment, decency, an absence of intimidation, and beyond the realm of individual civility, a respect for the history, language, and culture of the people represented in the classroom"

Student responsibility for learning - students contributing to the flow of classroom events

Ongoing support - a range of guides, structures and assistance/interventions provided for students

Concern for students' welfare - confidence fostering, recognition of growth, and a feeling of opportunity

Rose's conclusion offers clear and valuable direction for well-grounded school reform: "The formation of intellectually safe and respectful spaces, the distribution of authority and responsibility, the maintenance of high expectations and the means to attain them - all this is fundamentally democratic and prepares one for civic life. Teachers should regard students as capable and participatory beings, rich in both individual and social potential. The realization of that vision of the student is what finally should drive school reform in the United States."

Words to live by ...

Click here to download the full text of this article.

Click here to read past issues of the "Our Schools" series and other messages from the Office of the Superintendent.

Last Updated: Wed Sep 1 17:39:31 2010