Foster City Islander Article - 12-20-2006
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Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
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Teaching Exceptional Teachers
Parents have always known that teachers often make the greatest difference in how well students do in school and whether they go on to college. For the sake of our children, today’s over-emphasis on testing as the only gauge of success must be refocused on helping teachers motivate students.
In a recent nationwide poll, 50 percent of high school students complained that school was dull and unchallenging. Why? One reason is that most high schools were designed a half century ago for a very different world—one where teaching was lecturing and learning was memorizing. Dedicated students can still succeed with this approach. However, large numbers of today’s teenagers do poorly and many of them drop out of school. As the number of these “lost” students continues to grow, our community loses an irreplaceable part of our most valuable resource—educated citizens.
Teachers have always known that different students learn in different ways. For this reason, educators have explored different teaching strategies, searching for one that will help rescue our “lost” students. One approach has emerged as a proven success—personalized, project-based learning in close partnership with parents. When students are engaged in projects that are meaningful to them, they enjoy learning. High Tech High, our parent organization, uses this approach in all its schools and will use it in Foster City. The results speak for themselves—99 percent of High Tech High graduates are admitted to college, 80 percent to four-year schools.
The experience of High Tech High shows that the success of this approach demands exceptional teachers coupled with ongoing teacher training. This is why our Foster City charter public high school is committed to hiring dedicated teachers with a passion for inspiring all students to succeed. To support these teachers, High Tech High will provide the specialized training they need to achieve that goal.
To prepare our children for the challenges of the 21st century, “No Child Left Behind” must become “No Child Not Motivated.”
