Letter from the Superintendent
What students need
GRE E NS BU R G SA LE M S C HOO L N E WS
reensburg Salem
S
orting out what students need to know and deciding how to
best deliver that has been an age long challenge for school
and community leaders. Traditional schooling focused on the
intellect and left all other aspects up to the employer once students
entered the workforce. Key questions for schools were: Do young
people know enough? Do they know too much about one topic
and not enough about
another? Can they follow
directions? However, the
shift from an economy
based on manufacturing to
a service economy driven
by information, innovation
and creativity has made that
model practically obsolete.
The new questions that arise
are: What can happen when
young people use what they
know? Are they prepared to
do so? How will their work
affect others?
New structures and ways
of doing business have
Dr. Eileen Amato –
greatly impacted companies
Superintendent
and workplaces. The rise of
Photo by Jeremy Lenzi
task teams, information
sharing, cross organizational networking, flattened management
structures, and flexible work arrangements are prevalent. Rather
than punctuality, precision and compliance, the new critical skills
employers are seeking out are ability to gather and analyze
information; capability to collaborate with others to solve problems;
and capacity to create, present and test new ideas.
As a response to the call for prepared workers and community
members, the leaders and educators within our school district have
had to respond and make many fundamental changes to the
educational process. We are proud of the shift that our district and
its staff have made to this new way of thinking and the effect it has
had on our district’s students. We are particularly proud of their
work when it makes a difference in their classrooms, our
community, and even the world beyond.
In this month’s publication, we are very happy to feature
examples that highlight some of our changes. You will be able to
read about and learn of many exciting examples which inc ܜܘ]B