Rigor, Relevance and Relationships (

I Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships for All Students August 27, 2008 On Wednesday, August 27, Sue Gendron, the Commissioner of the Department of Education invited to a special presentation entitled Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships for All Students: A Showcase of Best Practices. This event was sponsored by the Maine Department of Education and the Successful Schools Network/International Center for Leadership in Education and will be held at the Augusta Civic Center. The presentation included two major parts; a presentation

by Dr. Bill Daggett and a description by Maria LaFort, Associate Principal at Brockton High School of how one Massachusetts school has grown to be a center of learning. The day concluded with a showcase of successful practices and strategies from Maine schools.

Dr. Willard Daggett, President of the International Center for Leadership in Education, presented a morning session, The Education Challenge – Preparing Students for a Changing World. The audio portion of his presentation is available in four parts. Dr. Daggett draws attention to the Rigor/Relevance Framework available on line at the website of the International Center for Leadership in Education http://www.leadered.com/rrr.html He also discussed Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century Learners available online http://www.leadered.com/learningCriteria.html Dr. Daggett encouraged attendees to join the Successful Practices Network www.successfulpractices.org The Successful Practices Network is a not-forprofit membership organization designed to share data, experiences, technical assistance, research, and successful practices focused on rigor, relevance and relationships for all students Maria LaFort, Associate Principal at Brockton High School in Brockton, MA discussed that school’s remarkable journey to success. Brockton has overcome challenging demographics to deliver a rigorous and relevant education to all students and achieve success on state assessments. The audio portion of her presentation is available in two parts. The Brockton High School story is presently featured on the website for the International Center for Leadership in Education, http://www.leadered.com/index.html These presentations were followed by a showcase of successful practices and strategies aligned to engaging students and supporting a relevant 21st century education. The showcase segments were presented by representatives from high schools involved in our initiative sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as other Maine schools that have implemented practices where students are achieving at high levels.