FieldGoals

Without lessening its strengths in other areas, ensure that Ensworth has a **"best in class"** math and science program across all divisions to enable its students to compete in a quickly changing world.
 * Ensworth Strategic Plan**

I recommend first that the language change from "best in class" .... to a math and science program that **fulfills the school's mission** across all divisions to enable its students to compete in a quickly changing world.

1. We promote academic excellence. 2. We inspire students to be intellectually curious. 3. We inspire students to use their talents to the fullest. 4. We inspire students to be people of integrity. 5. We inspire students to be contributors to society.
 * Ensworth Mission Statement**

The language "best in class" assumes a competition, Yet our philosophy as a school is to "celebrate achievement in its own right rather than in relation to others" (p. 39 EHS Handbook). Our task in math and science is to achieve the Ensworth Mission. Among schools that have this mission (our class?), we hope to achieve this mission. We hope they achieve this mission too...But what matters to Ensworth math and science is that we achieve our mission in a "quickly changing world" (regardless of how other schools achieve this mission, if they even have this mission). It is not OK to be better (best) compared to another school if we are still not achieving the mission.

All that matters is that we achieve this mission. If we can, then we enable our students to compete in a quickly changing world. If we graduate students and future "competitors' that strive for excellence, are intellectually curious, use their talents to their fullest, are people of integrity, and contribute to society, then we have succeeded in fulfilling our mission and enabling students to compete in a changing world.

However, I think fulfilling this mission is more challenging for math and science because of the "quickly changing world". (This world is changing due to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.) And due to this change....
 * the bar for academic excellence changes in math and science
 * the topics for intellectual curiosity expands in math and science
 * the talents students need changes in math and science
 * the challenge to be people of integrity grows
 * with the ethical dilemmas math and science present
 * and with the collaborative nature of math and science and the issue of plagiarism.
 * the challenge to inspire students to use math and science to be contributors to society grows as the world changes, and we need solutions

So how do we ensure that math and science achieve the mission? Well, that is a hard question to answer. And because the world is changing, an answer I give today, may not be relevant in a few years. So in this report, while we will present information regarding how to achieve the mission in math and science, we have just scratched the surface in terms of information. We will argue that math and science teachers need continued time and support to achieve this mission. This may come from within the departments but also from the other departments. It may be that a reduced course load for a history teacher that could help math and science teachers incorporate more reading and writing could help us fulfill the mission. How does Ensworth use the resources it has to establish a system of support and growth in the math and science departments in the face of a quickly changing world?

Google "best in class" High quality teaching to achieve mission to promote and insipire. The World is Flat. Look at mscomm on delicious.