It sounds shocking, but right now every single student attending Oxford Area Community Schools is in danger of not being able to handle the rigors of higher education or compete for employment opportunities in a global market.
‘We need to get serious and come to the understanding that all students are at risk in our schools today,? said Superintendent Dr. Bill Skilling. ‘Every single child is at risk.?
That’s why more than 80 residents, community leaders and educators gathered at the Boulder Pointe Conference Center for four days last week to decide where the Oxford school district is heading over the next five years.
‘It went extremely well,? Skilling said. ‘What was really great to see was the consistency of people coming back each day. I would say that we maintained well over 90 percent participation each day, which I think demonstrates the excitement and commitment that people had for this process.?
Thanks to ‘a lot of discussion and lively debate,? this Strategic Planning Committee formulated a 22-page draft document containing a total of 11 goals (see below) to help give the district a ‘clear direction? of ‘where we want to go? with a distinct plan of action as to how to get there.
‘Most of our goals were established around teaching and learning, but more looking at teaching and learning from a much more global view,? Skilling said. ‘Providing our students the opportunity to compete successfully on a global basis for the best education and employment opportunities available ? that’s our big picture vision. That’s really what we’re after.?
The goals, each of which has its own committee, will be presented to the Board of Education for discussion at its March 11 meeting, then adopted at its March 25 meeting.
‘Now everything we do in this district will be measured against, ‘Is this in our plan??
Skilling said. ‘This way we don’t get sidetracked.?
The cold, hard reality is ‘kids coming out of school today, if they can’t compete in a global market, they’re not going to be successful,? according to Skilling.
Having a 4.0 grade point average doesn’t automatically mean students are prepared for higher education or global competition.
‘We have students who graduate from high school with less than a 4.0 who are much better prepared for the rigors of college than students who have a 4.0,? Skilling said.
The superintendent said the district needs to be concentrating on ‘what is their capacity to learn, what is their potential to learn and have we even come close to achieving that.?
One of the ways Oxford plans to prepare its students for the world is by offering more world languages.
Currently, the district offers Spanish and will begin offering Chinese at the high school in the fall.
But Skilling said district needs to consider adding Arabic, Hindu and Japanese, plus anything else a student wants to learn.
‘There’s no reason why with today’s technology we can’t offer every world language that a child wants to learn regardless of how many want it? or if teachers can be hired, he said.
Oxford also plans to place more emphasis on science and technology across its curriculum.
Skilling said ‘we need to immerse our kids more in the use of technology? to accomplish three things ? 1) ‘improve and accelerate their productivity of learning?; 2) ‘create new essential learning opportunities that they otherwise could not have, but need to have?; 3) ‘enhance their employability and technological literacy.?
Right now, there’s a ‘great disparity? between classrooms that have mounted video projectors and can do media interactive lessons, those that have only chalkboards and those in-between with overhead projectors and white boards.
‘We need to equip all of our classrooms with interactive media instruction where the student is actually a participant ? an active learner in the process who is able to control the same information from his or her seat as the teacher is controlling from up front,? Skilling said. ‘Those technologies are all available today.?
The district plans to increase the number of computers from 1,700 to 2,225 or one computer for every two students.
Ideally, a one student to one computer ratio is ‘where every school needs to be,? according to Skilling.
Science curriculum needs to be enhanced across the board starting with offering pre-engineering courses in the sixth grade.
‘If we don’t do that, those kids who really want to pursue careers like engineering won’t be as well prepared to succeed in engineering courses,? said Skilling, noting many American students drop out of engineering college courses because they simply can’t handle them.
Other sciences such as electronics, robotics, biochemistry, biotechnology and nanotechnology need to be introduced to the district as well.
Skilling said the district also needs to begin creating situations where kids can start doing more advanced work in the sixth grade.
For instance, he said one of the goals for this fall is to start offering pre-algebra courses for students with a ‘high math aptitude.?
In order to achieve some of the things Skilling mentioned the district’s going to have to ‘selectively abandon? certain curriculum, programs and departments because the district has ‘limited resources? in terms of personnel, facilities, finances and materials.
‘That’s not to say that all the things we currently teach don’t have value. It all has value,? Skilling said. ‘But we’re going to have to make some hard choices there.?
Despite these hard choices to come, the days of certain educational areas being treated as expendable are over.
The Strategic Planning Committee endorsed the ‘concept that academics, athletics and the arts are equally important to the holistic development of our students.?
‘We need to do everything we possible can as a district and a community to protect those opportunities,? he said.
Whenever the district finds itself in a situation where it needs to make budget reductions ‘those will be the last things we look at,? according to Skilling. ‘We will do everything else possible before we’d ever even consider doing something like that.?

Oxford Area Community Schools Strategic Planning Goals
1. To graduate students who are prepared for ever-changing global opportunities and who embody our core beliefs as evidenced by (a student profile which consists of 21 characteristics, see www.oxfordleader.com for the list).
2. To have student achievement maximized and supported through a globally relevant curriculum, which promotes excellence in academics, fine arts and athletics.
3. To create a model global learning community.
4. To create an organizational structure that supports meaningful, effective and efficient curriculum changes and practices.
5. To develop a seamless, research-based curriculum and instructional practices that will inspire and engage all staff and students to achieve their maximum potential.
6. To have developmentally appropriate learning communities to meet the needs of all students.
7. Create effective and authentic communication of student achievement.
8. To have facilities of excellence, incorporating elements of a secure, celebrated entrance that leads to evolving worlds of learning.
9. To have a highly innovative, dynamic, dedicated and skilled staff.
10. By 2013, we will have a school community that builds a foundation of selfless global leaders in a dynamic environment challenging every learning level where administrators serve staff, staff serves students and students serve the world through academic, athletic and artistic excellence.
11. To embrace the community while working together to achieve common goals and plan future endeavors.

To graduate students who are prepared for ever-changing global opportunities and who embody our core beliefs evidenced by the following Oxford Student Profile:
Responsibility, loyalty, compassion, selflessness, respect, integrity, dedication, perseverance, continuous learners, effective communicators, problem solvers, responsible community members, quality producer, knowledgeable, inquirers, principled, open-minded, risk-takers, balanced, reflective, thinkers.