21+Century+HS+Vision

=21st Century High School Vision Statement= =[|http://ithsnyclibrary.wikispaces.com]=

= = The 21st Century High School is a learning community committed to high academic achievement through inquiry and collaboration. Our faculty and education programs support and inspire the intellectual and social development of students by providing learning strategies and instruction that employ information fluency, technology, and critical thinking skills for all subject areas. Our core belief that all young people are motivated and independent learners when given the proper physical and intellectual access to information guides our practice. We strive to establish a warm and stimulating climate supportive of multiple learning experiences. Teachers, administrators, students, parents, support staff, and community partners collaborate democratically to optimize academic engagement and create a powerful intellectual and social space where technology is the primary tool of learning. Our faculty interact with a wide network of education and other professionals to optimize instruction and curriculum design, and engage in professional development to support the continuous improvement of practice. Our commitment to sound technology-supported instruction encompasses an inquiry approach to curricular goals that utilizes high-quality remote resources in a variety of formats, and is responsive to diverse student needs and interests. Our approach to teaching and learning challenges students to establish critical habits of mind for effective academic achievement in the liberal arts culminating in exemplary preparation for higher education and responsive engagement in civic life. //Inspired by the education goals outlined in the Office of School Library Services' Librarian's Handbook.//

"Continuity and innovation are the themes that guide us in the future. ..Education...as continuity [that] acknowledges where people were, where we are now, and where we are going. ...Education is a complicated abstract word...[meaning] individuals interacting with intellectual pursuits with the necessary supports to engage them...a discovery of the world by curiosity and interest rather than by an abstract curriculum..." Kent Lydecker, Associate Director for Education, Metropolitan Musem of Art, 2007 Keynote address for the opening of the new Ruth and Harold D. Uris Center for Education.