Excerpts from Comissioner's Back to School Message, August 2002

The principles of good leadership demand that we continue our focus on the core of our enterprise—through good times and bad—and that is the continuous improvement of our students' achievements. This is the time for each superintendent to take local leadership on this issue, and with the action of the local school board, make a public priority of "attacking our achievement gaps."

Now more than ever, our words and actions must state clearly that these gaps are unacceptable, that they should not be tolerated, and that we can do better. There are actions we can take, using data to inform our decisions, involving teachers and parents and focusing resources in new ways to identify and close gaps in student achievement.

We need to look to each other to craft effective strategies and work better together for one purpose– student success. We need to reach out and engage every helping hand, every parent, grandparent, family member, mentor and community leader. I am encouraged by the efforts I have seen in many communities as they take on this important challenge. We must continue this work, and we must do more.

Excerpts from August 15, 2002
"Back-to-School Message"
from Commissioner Ted Sergi