Greetings,
There is a “Rip Van Winkle” type story used quite a bit in education that tells the tale of a man who goes to sleep in 1910, wakes up in 2010 and finds the only thing that hasn’t changed is a classroom. Although this story is exaggerated, it is true that, despite all the advancements made during the last 100 years, schools in general have been slow to change. It’s a story that makes one think about the future of education and, more specifically, how will schools and classrooms look in the next twenty years, ten years, or five years?
Planning for the 21st century school is an important task. Will schools be filled with students grouped, not by age but, according to their ability to learn? Should high school only be three years instead of four allowing all seniors to attend college their last year? Can we use technology such as I-pods, cell phones, and Playstations as tools for learning? These are just some of the many questions, ideas, and thoughts that parents, students, educators, district staff, and community members are considering as they look to the future of education. However, they only begin to scratch the surface of our discussion on the 21st century school in Dearborn.
The Dearborn Public Schools, in conjunction with the Dearborn Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA), the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, and the Dearborn Federation of School Employees, invite you to take part in a discussion that will explore how 21st century learning must look, operate, and educate. If you are interested in taking part in this process please plan on attending our 21st Century School meeting on Monday, March 29. Registration is at 6:00 pm and the meeting will start promptly at 6:30 pm in the Board Room at the Administration Building, 18700 Audette. There will be two follow up meetings in April and May. Please RSVP to the Communication Office, 827-3006 or donoval@dearborn.k12.mi.us.
Changes that are driven by the educational needs of students will take the cooperation and input from all stakeholders in the community. To begin the discussion on the 21st century school, many ideas from parents, students, educators, and community members must be considered. The 21st Century School meeting will be the start of an in-depth discussion to determine what students must know in order to graduate, how our schools will look to meet those goals, and the future of schools in Dearborn.
Thank you,
Brian J. Whiston
Superintendent