The following goals for school operations are established by the Board of Education:

1. Intercommunication with the community to keep the schools in harmony with the aspirations and needs of the people. (See Series 1000) The Board wishes to encourage mutual cooperation of administrators, teachers, parents, children and other citizens in developing a progressive educational system.

2. Effective administration (See Series 2000)

a. Central Administration (MAJOR GOALS) -

- To manage the school system in accordance with Board of Education policies and guidelines.

b. Building Administration (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide instructional leadership and management in each school in order to effectively implement all regular and special learning programs.

3. Efficient businesslike funds management and desirable non-instructional support services (See Series 3000)

a. Accounting and Budgeting (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide a budgeting and accounting system that will furnish the Board of Education with accurate financial statements.

-- To provide controls that will safeguard the public funds appropriated to the Board of Education.

-- To provide the local and state agencies with required reports.

-- To manage district-wide in-town travel accounts for special teachers; contract and equipment maintenance; control district-wide printing and postage services.

b. Capital Outlay & Department Service (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide adequate physical facilities and instructional equipment necessary for effective implementation of learning programs.

c. Food Services (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To make a lunch program available to all Hamden Public School students and to make the breakfast program available to all students in schools which have been approved by the Board of Education.

d. Maintenance (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide safe and well-maintained buildings for students, staff and members of the community who use the Board of Education facilities.

e. Plant Operation (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide a safe, clean and comfortable environment for students, staff and those members of the community who make use of the Board of Education facilities.

f. Transportation (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide safe and reliable transportation for all students in the Hamden Public Schools, K-8 Parochial Schools, and Eli Whitney Vocational School.

-- To provide transportation for those activities that are directly related to the implementation of either a regular or a special learning program.

4. Instructional administrative and support staffs of high quality (See Series 4000)

a. Personnel Services (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To effectively administer the Board of Education's contractual obligations.

-- To recruit, select and employ the best qualified personnel to staff the school system.

-- To effectively administer the affirmative action Goals/Objectives for School Operation (continued)

5. Exemplary student personnel services for all who are admitted as students in the school system

a. Youth Services (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To reduce school truancy behavior.

-- To insure that students are thoroughly aware of what is expected of them as responsibility relates to attendance and behavior within the Hamden Schools.

6. Specialized and individualized kinds of education experiences for meeting the particular needs of students, with assurance that instruction bears a meaningful relationship to the present or future needs and/or interests of students (See Series 6000)

a. Art Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in the student an awareness of self and the world through a sensitivity to, an appreciation of and experiences in art.

-- To instill confidence within the student to express himself/herself in art as a means of communication.

b. Business Education Grades 6-12 (MAJOR GOALS) To develop in students proficiencies in business and office skills for personal and occupational preparation and computer keyboarding and word processing skills.

c. World Language Grades 7-12 (MAJOR GOALS) -- To communicate in at least one language other than English.

-- To gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

-- To make connections with other areas of study and acquire information.

-- To understand the nature of language and cultures through comparisons.

-- To participate in multi-lingual communities within a variety of contexts.

d. Home Economics Grades 7-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide knowledge and skills in areas related to home economics for both personal and vocational use.

e. Industrial Arts/Technology Education Grades 7-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in students skills and knowledge in specific areas of industrial arts for personal and vocational use.

f. Language Arts Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in students communication skills in the American English language including writing, speaking, listening, viewing and non-verbal communication skills.

-- To foster knowledge and appreciation of our linguistic and literary heritage.

g. Mathematics Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop an understanding of mathematical concepts, structure of mathematics, its laws and principles, and its sequence and order.

-- To acquire maximum skills and competency in the use of mathematics.

-- To develop basic computational skills.

-- To recognize situations in daily living which require mathematical solutions.

-- To develop the ability to think critically and reason effectively.

-- To develop problem solving techniques.

h. Music Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in students an appreciation both a receptive art form and as a means of self-expression.

-- To develop in students an understanding of structure and design of music.

-- To develop in students skills in vocal and instrumental music.

i. Physical Education Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide students with developmental physical activities for body coordination and fitness.

-- To provide opportunities for students to gain recreational and fitness skills for use throughout life.

-- To develop in students an awareness and a appreciation for fitness and health.

j. Reading Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in students reading skills in order to derive the utmost meaning from written and printed communication.

-- To develop in students habits and attitudes toward reading as a useful skill and for lifelong enjoyment.

k. Science Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To understand and apply the basic principles and concepts of scientific phenomena in daily life.

-- To appreciate and understand the implications of limited natural resources, and the need for conservation.

-- To recognize, design and apply techniques for solving problems in science.

-- To use observation and analysis of similarities and differences in the study of natural phenomena.

-- To recognize and understand the implications of existing and emerging technologies and their societal implications.

l. Social Studies Grades K-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To develop in students an awareness and appreciation of self, community, and the world.

-- To develop in students knowledge and skills necessary to function as a citizen in a democratic society.

-- To develop in students a knowledge and appreciation for tradition and culture.

-- To apply critical thinking skills and knowledge from history and the social sciences to the decision-making process and the analysis of controversial issues in order to understand the present and anticipate the future.

m. Vocational Agriculture (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide students vocational preparation in the area of agriculture.

-- To provide students an opportunity for career development and enhance employment potential in the area of agriculture. n. School to Career Grades 7-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide students with an awareness of the varieties, possibilities, and requirements of careers and occupations.

o. Adult Education (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide a continuing opportunity for adult citizens to gain a basic knowledge of reading and computational skills.

-- To provide an opportunity for adult citizens to earn a high school diploma.

-- To provide citizens with an opportunity to continue a general education and interests through learning as a life-long process.

-- To provide adults with the opportunity to receive career and vocational counseling and to develop entry-level job skills.

p. Exceptional Children Pre -School - Age 21 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide, in compliance with federal and state statutes, educational programs and services for students identified as having special education needs.

-- To provide a support system for the student to return to the regular class situation with the necessary skills for successful learning experiences.

-- To provide for the gifted and talented in the elementary and middle schools.

-- To provide vocational experiences for special education students in the high schools. 0

-- To provide transitional planning education for students fifteen years old and older.

q. Guidance Services Grades 7-12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide counseling services to students regarding educational needs, career goals and personal matters.

-- To provide a liaison service for students, parents and professional staff.

-- To coordinate individual and group testing services.

-- To initiate referrals to outside agencies for students in need of specialized assistance.

r. Health Services (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To ensure that all students receive a health assessment as mandated by state statutes.

-- To provide emergency services in cases of accidents, illness and emotional stress.

-- To ensure that all children with hearing and/or vision defects are known and referred for evaluation and treatment.

-- To complement the efforts of school personnel in evaluating the health of students.

-- To administer authorized medications.

-- To ensure that all students are in compliance with required immunizations as mandated by state statute.

-- To assist parents in the identification of health problems and remediation.

s. Media Services (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To support all regular and special learning programs through the provision of print and non-print media materials.

t. Preschool to provide an early-interaction, instructional program to identified Pre-School students (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide for the social, emotional, and pre-academic needs of identified preschool students.

u. Program Improvement & Evaluation (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To improve regular and special learning programs continually through the review and development of curriculum.

-- To monitor the implementation and evaluate the effectiveness of all learning programs.

-- To offer opportunities for staff participation in professional training activities.

v. Psychological/Educational Services Pre -School - Grade 12 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To identify needs of students through individual and group evaluative procedures.

-- To interpret findings about the student in written reports and/or conferences to educators, parents and students.

-- To aid in initiating and/or implementing adjustments in the school program to meet the students' needs.

-- To provide counseling relationships with the student on individual, group or family basis.

-- To provide information concerning the needs of exceptional children to school personnel, parents and the community.

w. Social Work Services Pre-School - Age 21 (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To promote mental health practices in schools through communication between the home, school and community.

-- To assist students in the development of their full potential.

-- To assist in the identification of students with special education needs as part of an inter-disciplinary team.

-- To assist with the remedial programs for special education and regular education students.

-- To provide the PPT social evaluations regarding the socio-emotional climate of students so that eligibility for special education can be determined.

x. Speech/Hearing/Language (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To identify children with speech, language and hearing disabilities. -- To provide individual and group therapy.

-- To provide in-service training to teachers either through lecture or classroom demonstrations in the areas of speech and language development.

-- To provide training to parents in the area of speech/language disorders.

z. Summer School (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide students with the opportunity to make up high school academic credits which they have previously attempted and failed.

-- To provide opportunities for students to continue and/or gain supplemental remedial instruction.

aa. Tuition/Homebound/Transportation (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide for the temporary homebound instruction of eligible students.

-- To provide for out-of-town transportation of identified special education students.

-- To provide specialized programs for handicapped students in special placements.

-- To provide specialized programs for students placed by parents in psychiatric treatment facilities.

bb. Non-Public Schools (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide school social work, school psychology, school health services and speech remedial services as stated in Connecticut General Statutes, Section 10-217a.

cc. Chapter I (MAJOR GOALS)

-- To provide educationally disadvantaged children with compensatory educational services in basic skills.

 

Policy adopted: December 9, 1997

HAMDEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS     Hamden, Connecticut