Pauline B Gough, editor of Phi Delta Kappan, discusses in the December, 1990 issue, how making substantial progress toward achieving our national goals for education will require a national commitment from business and industry, social agencies, all levels of government , parents, the general public, educators --everybody. "Unless and until this nation makes children and their well-being a real priority, our national goals for education will remain only rhetoric" (Gough, 1990, p. 259).
To help students achieve these national goals, it is obvious that change must occur. It is with this thought in mind that the following goals have been set for John I. Smith Elementary School:
 | Create a warm, caring climate built on trust and communication; |
| Maintain a safe haven for students and staff that is drug and violence free and fosters a sense of pride and security; |
| Support school-based management and shared decision-making; |
| Infuse character education by example; |
| Set and maintain high expectations for all students; |
| Promote an inclusive educational system responsive to the needs of each individual child; |
| Engage students in risk-taking activities where they are free to make decisions and experience consequences as caring citizens of the school community; |
| Involve students in thinking skills that examine, relate, and evaluate all aspects of a situation or problem; |
| Design integrated literature-based thematic units for all grade levels to use in conjunction with the Competency-Based Curriculum; |
| Instruct all areas of the curriculum through a hands-on, minds-on approach, emphasizing cooperative learning and the use of manipulatives; |
| Ensure that all student assessments are ongoing, authentic, and outcome-based; |
| Utilize the media center as the main source of information and as a support system from which all learning branches; |
| Fuse the integrated curriculum with technology and apply the acquired skills to real life situations; |
| Promote the appreciation of the fine arts through interdisciplinary activities; |
| Involve students as active participants in community-based projects throughout the school year; |
| Empower students with the knowledge of the world of work through partnerships with businesses and community leaders; and |
| Enrich children's learning through the establishment of a parent resource center. |
