Children are adaptable, capable, and are endowed with native intelligence and a desire to survive, succeed, and live happy and productive lives. Educators must challenge and nurture children and they will respond and deliver. There is nothing magical or complex about student achievement and successful schools. Both have common core qualities that include high standards and expectations, challenging courses, and quality teaching and learning.
Successful schools have teachers who offer their best and demand the best from students.
When teachers set high expectations, students respond and deliver. Schools are judged by a number of quality indicators such as test scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, discipline and others. Reading and math tests are the most common quality indicators. When test scores are high, the school is pronounced successful, but when they are mediocre, the tendency of educators is to take a defensive posture and blame the poor results on all too familiar reasons. Others include social diversity, a war torn homeland, political exile, religious persecution, and other experiences.