IN South Fayette Summer 2019 | Page 50

Dr. Ken Lockette I would like to begin by congratulating the Class of 2019, which held its commencement on June 7. This class accomplished much individually and as a class as a whole, and we wish each student the best of luck with transitioning to the next chapter of their lives. Superintendent of Schools As we transition from the end of the school year to the summer, there is much to look forward to for the future of the South Fayette Township School District. Throughout last year, the District took on a multifaceted, inclusive process in creating the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. The foundation of the plan was derived from focusing on research related to the “Future of Work” and the “Portrait of a Graduate” that will be needed to meet the needs of workforce in the future. The world is growing smaller by the day, and for our students to thrive, we need to prepare them with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be engaged global citizens. We know that our students’ potential for creativity and innovation depends on the foundation of literacy and numeracy that has long been the promise of American public education. We also know that a modern education must go further and do more than ever before, for our students will work in a world characterized by the reliance on smart technologies, the decline of full-time employment, and much ambiguity and uncertainty. On top of core academics, our students will need to master social-emotional skills, metacognitive practices or “learning how to learn,” cross-cultural understanding, and human- computer interaction. The new strategic plan addresses these areas through five overarching strategic goals and curriculum goals. CURRICULUM GOALS The strategic goals include: • Increase cultural and global competencies to provide diverse perspectives • Identify and address social and emotional needs to educate the whole child • Address future growth in enrollment to anticipate needs and plans for possible expansion • Create a comprehensive communications plan to keep our community engaged • Enhance safety and security to prevent and ensure readiness for emergencies The curriculum goals include: • Align teaching practices to vision to support teachers in continuous improvement • Redesign district assessment practices to measure what is most meaningful • Integrate the arts throughout the curriculum to provide a well-rounded education • Refine the curriculum process to ensure education is consistently high-quality • Develop flexible career pathways to prepare students for the future of work Our strategic plan will be our guide, and it lays out how the District, together with the community and partners, will evolve to serve the whole child in preparing to thrive as part of a technology-driven workforce in a globally-connected community. 48 SOUTH FAYETTE