All Students

We started the year with reading an article about the idea of teaching ALL students.  As we approach the midway point of the year, I'd like to remind ourselves of what we talked about, way back in August! I've highlighted some of the ideas we identified as important - things we'll circle back to at this week's Late Start.

All Means All

Anne E. Conzemius

“This is a social justice issue,” Superintendent Demond Means tells a room full of educators and community members. “All means all! We made a commitment as educators when we walked into our classrooms for the first time that we will reach every kid in our classroom. We didn’t make a commitment to reach 75% of the students.” (Promoting Excellence for All: A report from the State Superintendent’s Task Force on Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap, page 8)

You might not expect to hear these remarks from the superintendent of the district named the #1 K-12 district in the state of Wisconsin the past three years, whose high school achieved an ACT composite score of 26 and whose middle school, it was learned just the day before, is being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.

Dr. Means, now in his eighth year as superintendent of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, is passionate about closing the achievement gap. He is fearless in his pursuit of excellence, because of a deeply held sense of responsibility for each and every child in our state. As Chair of the State Superintendent’s Task Force on Wisconsin’s Achievement Gap, he led the state’s effort to identify proven-effective school and classroom practices that do just that – close the gap for children of color, English language learners, students with disabilities and students living in poverty.

The challenge facing high-performing organizations like Mequon-Thiensville is convincing people that improvement is needed. In this case, their greatest accomplishments will be their greatest challenges. In the words of our friend and professional colleague, Kathy Larson, “change is inevitable, improvement is optional, transformation is a courageous choice.” Transformation is what Dr. Means is all about. The courage comes from within and is fueled by his commitment to justice, not test scores. His responsibility is to frame the transformation as a journey toward a larger vision of a culture that “supports and challenges all students to achieve their full potential” (Mequon-Thiensville Strategic Plan). The job of educational leaders is to build capacity not just for great results, but for continuous improvement of the learning experiences that students and adults have within the organization and the community.