From the Superintendent's Desk

At the recent Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform, Superintendent Barresi heard a very sobering report from the Council on Foreign Relations task force. This independent, nonpartisan group reports that our failure to educate students in the United States leaves them unprepared to compete with global peers and threatens our country’s ability to thrive in the global marketplace and maintain our role as a world leader -- a threat to our national security.

I come to the end of the year with such mixed emotions.

The school shooting in Connecticut is still fresh on everyone’s minds. As we watch the news and see the funerals for these precious students and their teachers and principal, we grieve anew for the enormous loss for these families.

Ever asked a kindergartener what they want to be when they grow up?

I love that game. I hear responses such as firefighters, doctors, mommies, teachers; you name it. One little girl told me she wanted to be a doctor, the president and a jeweler; she just wasn’t sure she’d have time to be all three.

The goal of education is to produce young people who are fully prepared for the workforce that awaits them outside of high school or college and to help them become fully engaged, productive citizens.

I remember what it was like as a child preparing to ask my parents for a raise in my allowance. I was asking them to part with their hard-earned money, and I just knew I would get that lecture on spending wisely and the importance of saving. I spent a lot of time rehearsing the reasons why such a raise was necessary; then I screwed up my courage and hoped for the best.