RAVENWOOD:  A HIGH-PERFORMANCE LEARNING COMMUNITY

 

“A shared vision is not an idea.  It is not even an important idea such as freedom.  It is rather, a force in people’s hearts…Few, if any, forces in human affairs is as powerful as shared vision.”  Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

We, at Ravenwood High School, take great pride in our learning organization.  We are demonstrating the incredible accomplishments that can be achieved when a school joins in a true partnership with its community.  Through the accreditation process this year, all stakeholders are engaged in conversation about vision, mission, values and goals, to include teachers, students, staff, parents and community members.  We strive to become a model of successful community collaboration with the purpose of developing all learners to be able to work, learn and lead in the 21^st century.

Both the non-traditional look of the school and the forward-looking Raptor logo represent the progressive and innovative vision needed to set us apart from other high schools.

But, Ravenwood will not be created overnight.  It may take several more years for our community to construct a school committed to a curriculum that would enable its graduates to truly hit the ground running.  We believe that collaboration is one of the keys.  Structured time during the school day allows curriculum teams to meet and grapple with three essential questions:  What do we want students to learn?  How will we know students have learned?  What will we do when some students do not learn?  In answering the first two questions, common essential learnings and assessments are being developed in all subject areas.  Supports for students struggling to succeed are already in place and will be developed as we grow.  While maintaining the integrity of our academic program, we are committed to doing “whatever it takes” to help our students succeed both academically and socially. 

We know that another key to helping our graduates succeed in college and work is to expect them to take advantage of challenging courses and to study hard.  We realize that collaboration skills nurtured in high school, will equip our graduates with life-skills needed to succeed into their adult lives.