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My Philosophy of Education

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My Philosophy of Education William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Middletown Township Public Schools My Philosophy of Education It is our obligation to inspire and motivate all students to maximize their potential through the pursuit of life-long learning. In fulfilling this responsibility, educators assist students in their pursuit of the American dream. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” Henry David Thoreau William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Middletown Township Public Schools Vision 1. Sustain an interactive learning community, encompassing all stake-holders, students, parents, taxpayers and staff. 2. Utilize multiple measures of student data to create and implement individualized learning plans for all students to succeed. 3. Provide learning opportunities for staff, ensuring the highest quality of professional service for children. 4. Build community trust in the fiscal responsibility of the school district. 5. Implement best practice research-based instruction focused on student learning as defined by the Common Core Standards and measurable outcomes, using multiple indicators of student performance data. Educational Values Schools should: 1. Inspire and motivate children to maximize their potential. 2. Provide opportunities that reinforce life-long learning, emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity for all stake-holders in our school community. 3. Prepare our students for the diverse workforce opportunities of the future. 4. Honor the individuality and uniqueness of each child. 5. Start with the truth that all children can learn. 6. Foster a respect for personal and cultural diversity and the dignity of each member of the school community. 7. Protect each student's right to equal access to educational opportunity. 8. Create professional development opportunities for staff that are personalized and model lifelong learning. 9. Inspire innovation as an expected outcome of student learning. 10.Implement initiatives as achieved through collaboration and clearly defined best practices. 11.Differentiate instruction through planning, preparation and regular assessment of all student performance as a guide to the delivery of instruction. William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Middletown Township Public Schools 2012-2013 Superintendent’s Objectives INSTRUCTION and LEARNING 1. Exceed state assessment benchmarks in all disciplines and subgroups. 2. Ensure the District remains current with federal and state educational mandates and initiatives. 3. Review assessment data with the building level and Central Office administration, identify areas of concern and work cooperatively with staff to maximize teaching and learning opportunities. 4. Plan Professional Development Academy workshops to meet the instructional needs of the District as identified by educational goals that are supported by multiple measures of student data. 5. Foster partnerships with higher education to support professional development by providing sustained training for all teachers and administrators. 6. Coordinate parent workshops to align with District’s learning objectives. 7. Place future curricular emphasis on writing instruction across the curriculum. 8. Ensure textbook adoptions and curricular revisions remain current with adopted Common Core Standards for Language Arts and Mathematics, and the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for all other curricular areas. 9. Ensure that current technology is integrated throughout the curriculum, at all grade levels, providing students the requisite tools to be competitive and successful in our global society. 10.Enhance our elementary language arts program to include a balanced literacy approach, with implementation of Readers' Workshop while continuing to implement the Writers' Workshop instructional methodology. William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Middletown Township Public Schools STUDENT SERVICES 1. Implement the Individual Educational Plan objectives for all students with disabilities and communicate with parents to facilitate student growth. 2. Promote inclusive programs for students with disabilities. 3. Expand in-district inclusion programs, returning out-of-district students to the least restrictive environment. 4. Promote student achievement, ensuring that students with disabilities are educated with typical age peers, to the maximum extent appropriate, and held to rigorous standards. 5. Provide in-house research-based trainings, including educational strategies and positive behavioral supports for staff via our professional development opportunities to best serve the needs of our students with disabilities in the District. COMMUNITY 1. Prepare for the 2013 - 2014 School Budget by meeting with the Board of Education and the School Business Administrator, Central Office Administrators, and then with all building Principals, Directors and Supervisors to develop the budget. 2. Promote a transparent budget process for the 2013 – 2014 school year by creating open dialogue and sharing information with the community. 3. Conduct meetings between the District, the Middletown Township Police Department, Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management to review the guidelines from Homeland Security and the New Jersey Department of Education to update and review the District Security Plan. When appropriate, conduct debriefing meetings Review and revise Emergency Procedural Manual on a semi-annual basis. 4. Explore additional shared-service opportunities to reduce District budgetary costs and to continue to foster the cooperative relationship that has been established with the Township. William O. George III, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Middletown Township Public Schools BUILDING and GROUNDS 1. Conduct regular meetings to review present status of all buildings, review all ongoing projects and plan a budget to meet future facilities’ needs. Emphasis is placed on safety and security of all facilities. Conduct regular Building and Grounds’ meetings with the Board of Education’s Facilities Committee. 2. Monitor energy costs and explore additional energy efficient solutions for the future, including solar power. 3. Continuously evaluate the wide-area network infrastructure to ascertain the capabilities of technology hardware and software to meet the District’s technology expansion needs. 4. Maintain our facilities and explore alternative funding to offset the expense of building improvements. COMMUNICATIONS 1. Attend the regular Monmouth-Ocean Educational Services Commission and Bayshore Jointure Commission meetings to provide additional shared-services educational programs, transportation services, cooperative purchasing, and professional development opportunities. 2. Attend monthly Superintendent Roundtable meetings with the Executive County Superintendent and County Superintendents. Serving as President of the Monmouth County Superintendents’ Roundtable for 2012-2013. 3. Promote student and staff recognition at public board meetings, including academic, and extracurricular successes of students and teachers and acknowledgements and recognition of retirees. 4. Update the District website to provide all appropriate information in an accessible, user-friendly format, promoting interaction with all school community stake-holders. 5. Implement and update the adopted District Technology Plan for 2010-2013 by regularly facilitating Technology Committee meetings to review progress. 6. Review and update Board of Education policies and regulations regularly..
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