Foster City Islander Article - 05-02-2007
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Charter Public |
Phyllis Moore, President, Foster City High School Foundation |
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“High Schools for the New Millennium”
Why are Bill and Melinda Gates contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to improve our nation’s high schools? The Gates Foundation report, High Schools for the New Millennium, explains why: “Every year our country loses thousands of young people ¼ who leave school ¼ without the skills and knowledge to succeed in life. This failure to prepare the next generation for tomorrow’s challenges threatens our nation’s economic and civic health ¼ [and is] leaving far too many young people behind. ¼ We are asking teachers to succeed in a system that is broken.”
When Bill Gates recently testified before the U.S. Senate, he warned our lawmakers that, “The U.S. cannot maintain its economic leadership unless our work force consists of people who have the knowledge and skills needed to drive innovation.” He explained that, “Our current expectations for what our students should learn in school were set fifty years ago to meet the needs of an economy based on manufacturing and agriculture. We now have an economy based on knowledge and technology. Despite the best efforts of many committed educators and administrators, our high schools have simply failed to adapt to this change. ¼ As a result, while most students enter high school wanting to succeed, too many end up bored, unchallenged and disengaged from the high school curriculum.¼” For the full report and full text of Bill Gates’ Senate testimony, see the Gates Foundation website:www.gatesfoundation.org
The report provides A Vision for High Schools in the New Millennium. This vision perfectly describes the charter public high school planned for Foster City: Its small size (500 students), coupled with its unwavering commitment to the success of every student, intensifies the interaction between students and teachers. This helps students develop a sense of pride, responsibility and maturity. The school’s rigorous and challenging academic curriculum requires that students learn and practice information analysis, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and teamwork—skills they need to succeed and thrive in today’s world. Project-based learning, the school’s primary teaching method, incorporates a range of real-world experiences and community internships that engage students as they work on practical projects that prepare them for college, work and life.
The public high school planned for Foster City will be a shining example of a High School for the New Millennium.
Contact me at phyllismoore1@comcast.net or 650-349-5676
