See how all efforts connect, giving the department and those served by it a greater sense of purpose. Communicate the mission and direction to the people of the State. Change strategies when results are insufficient. This mission, as well as its constitutional authority gives the Board of Regents and the Department a powerful asset with which to raise the level of learning throughout New York. Out of this work plan came the New Learning Standards.
Equity demands that all students have learning programs based on the same high standards.
Excellence requires that those standards reflect the high quality learning that is needed for full participation in all areas of our society. Education has always aimed to provide the knowledge and skills that were deemed necessary for students to succeed in adulthood. The world has become a very challenging and complex place, however. The standards that worked in the past simply cannot prepare our students to take their places as citizens of the world and productive adults in the new, global economy. For example, a mother and father may expect their children to make their beds each morning.