VISION

Students prepared to make positive contributions to society and thrive in an ever-changing world.

MISSION

Every Student, Every Day, A Success! In educating students, we teach hearts as well as minds.

Student Commitments

Within the school district of Grand Island

• Every student will be taught to read, write, and communicate effectively; solve problems; acquire and apply knowledge; and demonstrate mastery through performance to the best of the student’s abilities;
• Every student will be treated with fairness and dignity;
• Every student will be honored for their unique qualities and backgrounds;
• Every student will experience a sense of belonging, contribution, and success; and
• Every student will develop responsibility and show respect for others as well as oneself.

POLICY 1110: Statement of philosophy and mission

GIPS STUDENT Success MEASURES

EQUITY, ATTENDANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Increased percentage of incoming kindergartners having participated in a high-quality early childhood education experience.

2. Increased percentage of students meeting or exceeding proficiency every year across all assessed grades and subjects assessed on the Nebraska State Accountability centralized state testing process.

3. Decreased achievement gaps among all student sub-groups on state accountability tests.

4. Decreased percentage of students who are absent 15 or more days as reported by Nebraska Department of Education.

5. Decreased number of students who are suspended or expelled and a reduction in disproportionate (by race/ethnicity, poverty, and identified disability) suspensions and expulsions.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

6. Increased percentage of students with a high level of school connectedness and high commitment to learning.

7. Increased percentage of students self-reporting growth mindset, self-efficacy, self-management, and social awareness.

COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS

8. Increased percentage of students on track to graduate at 3rd, 8th, and 9th grades.

9. Increased percentage of students graduating from high school in four years.

10. Increased percentage of students graduating with one or more of the following:

A. Industry certification.
B. College credit for at least one course.
C. A score of three or higher on at least one Advanced Placement exam.
D. A score meeting ACT college readiness benchmarks for each tested subject.
E. Completion of one or more career pathways.

11. Increased percentage of students enrolled in postsecondary education, enlisted in military, or employed six months after graduation.

Theory of Action

To be successful, GIPS will need to align its strategies, systems, and resources with a theory of action—a set of beliefs about how we will improve student outcomes. This will allow us to ensure that everything we do is in service of achieving our vision. Our goals, strategic priorities, and core objectives including progress indicators and strategic initiatives of our plan are organized around a theory of action.

At GIPS, we believe that if we:

EMPOWER principals and teachers to be instructional leaders

We must support our teachers in delivering a rigorous and robust curriculum to our students and give our principals the tools and resources they need to be instructional leaders of their schools.

   AND

PERSONALIZE learning pathways for students

Learning should ignite the individual interests and passions of our students. By creating learning pathways for students, we can make learning relevant and engaging while connecting children with the supports they need to be successful in school.

   AND

DESIGN decisions by using data

We have data and information about students, schools, and our district. Using it to make decisions about resources and supports for students, teachers, and schools will significantly accelerate our pace of improvement and make sure that we are approaching our work with a sense of purpose and fairness.

   AND

PARTNER with our community

The old adage is true; it does take a whole village or, in our case, an island to raise a child. We know that for our children to be successful, we must work together as a community to support them both during and outside of school hours.

   THEN

Students will be successful.