EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
As a school corporation of Iowa, the ESTHERVILLE LINCOLN CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, acting through its board of directors, is dedicated to promoting an equal opportunity for a quality public education to its students within the limitations of the school district's ability and willingness to furnish financial support to provide for students in cooperation with their parents and the school district community, the opportunity to develop a healthy social, intellectual, emotional, and physical self-concept in a learning environment that provides guidance to and encourages critical thinking in the students for a lifetime.
The board endeavors through the dedication of the school district's resources, to encourage students, who come to the school district from a variety of backgrounds, to look forward to the time when they will have jobs, homes, families, places in the school district community, and attain recognition as individuals. In order to achieve this goal, the board will seek qualified employees dedicated to development of their professional skills for the betterment of the education program and for the expertise for educational productivity.
Instruction and curriculum are the key elements of a public education. Critical thinking and problem solving skills that will assist the students' preparation for life shall be instructed as part of a sequentially coordinated curriculum. The school district strives to prepare students for employment, to discover and nurture creative talent and to prepare them to meet and cope with social change in an atmosphere conducive to learning.
The support and involvement of the home and the school district community are essential to achieve educational excellence in the school district. The school district strives to maintain an active relationship with the home and the school district community to create within the students an awareness of dignity and worth of the individual, civic responsibility and respect for authority.
Legal Reference: Iowa Code 256.11, .11A; 275.1 (1995).
Cross Reference: 102 Equal Educational Opportunity
103 Educational and Operational Planning
209 Board of Directors' Management Procedures
600 Goals and Objectives of the Education Program
602 Curriculum Development
Approved: 10/14/96 Reviewed: 4/04 Revised
9/08
8/10
3/12
11/19
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
The school district and its educational programs should enable all students, regardless of background, to maximize their potential. Youth must be encouraged to foresee the time when they will have jobs, homes, families, places in the community and attain recognition as individuals with true worth and dignity. There must be an emphasis on understanding that people live, work, think, and speak in a variety of acceptable ways. Hence, schools must prepare students for a variety of work, discover and nurture creative talent, strengthen the moral fabric of society, foster a healthy respect for democracy, and prepare them to meet and cope with social and global changes-all in an orderly environment conducive to life-long and self-directed learning.
The Board of Directors believes that quality instruction and curriculum are primary in generating the proper learning environment for our students. Therefore, the Board is dedicated to developing the professional skills of staff and the fusing of solid curriculum principles based upon proven research.
The responsibilities for education fall to the Board of Education, the parents, the school community, the personnel the Board of Directors employ and finally the students themselves. Thus, it becomes imperative that the community is involved, supportive and committed toward the pursuit and maintenance of educational excellence. It is the administration and staff who must provide the expertise for educational productivity.
The Estherville Lincoln Central Community Board of Directors resolves to develop those policies that will govern the operations of the district, result in appropriate educational goals and meet the expectations of the community for the highest quality of learning possible for our students.
Approved: 12/98 Reviewed: 7/99
9/01
4/04
9/08
8/10
3/12
11/19
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District is to ensure that all students maximize their learning potential in becoming confident, independent, productive citizens with good character.
Approved: 12/98 Reviewed: 7/99
9/01
4/04
9/08
8/10
3/12
11/19
EDUCATION - DEFINED
The Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District believes that education is the process that encourages continual progress through the addition of skills, improvement of one’s abilities, expansion and application of one’s interests and knowledge, and growth of one’s character.
Approved: 12/98 Reviewed: 7/99
9/01
4/04
9/08
8/10
3/12
11/19