For my first reaction paper, I analyzed the Fredericksburg City Public School 2014-2019 Comprehensive Plan. The schools that fall within the Fredericksburg City School System are the Walker-Grant Early Childhood Center, Hugh Mercer Elementary School, Lafayette Upper Elementary School, Walker Grant Middle School, and James Monroe High School.
The plan begins by stating why the plan was revised, quoting VA code 22.1-253.13:6. It also states that each public school develops its own plan in accordance with this one. The plan then launches into expectations for the schools that fall under jurisdiction of the school board. These expectations include a school mission, expectations of the staff, the principal, and detailing of the environment created by the school and parents for the students. They also include four goals for the schools:
- Goal #1: Student Achievement: Fredericksburg City Public Schools will develop, advance, and support academic programs which enable students to become productive citizens in a global society and to meet laudable academic, career, and personal goals.
- Goal #2-School Environment: Fredericksburg City Public Schools will continue to provide a safe school environment that encourages students and staff to demonstrate respect for each other and to appreciate our diversity and democratic values.
- Goal #3- Highly Qualified Staff: Fredericksburg City Public Schools will recruit, develop, and retain highly qualified staff to carry out the mission of the school division.
- Goal #4-School and Community Relations: Fredericksburg City Public Schools will promote, facilitate, and enhance partnerships and communications between the schools, students, and the community.
One of the strengths of this plan is that it outlines an overview of how all the schools will execute in a similar fashion. The weaknesses is that the plan lacks solutions for problems that arrive, allowing the individual schools to come up with their own solutions. The plan also takes a very abridged approach to plans for the schools in general. It comes off as a very top down approach, because it seems to be authored by people who lack understanding into the differences in every school.
“Fredericksburg City Public School 2014-2019 Comprehensive Plan” City of Fredericksburg. Web. October 22, 2015