1.11 - Teacher, School and Professionalism

SERIES 1 - THE SCHOOL AND IT'S GOALS

According to Part I, Section (d) I. B. of Liberty Common School’s Charter submitted to
the Poudre School District on October 1, 1996:

Teachers are at the center of both the mind and heart of every successful school. Without dedicated competent teachers the best of educational practices will never actually come to fruition in the classroom. Research on effective schools reveals that next to individual ability and effort, the organization of the school is most influential in determining academic achievement. The School's teachers will be expected to implement the School's academic mission. In the classroom the teacher will be in charge. Outside of the classroom, teachers will receive professional guidance with respect to specific goals and objectives from the BOD through the Headmaster.

Professionalism requires a body of knowledge and skill applied with a clear level of
accountability that affords the flexibility to accomplish the defined task. All teachers
have a different style of teaching—the unique blend of classroom characteristics that
enable them to give the very best of themselves to educating their students. The teacher's style sets some basic parameters for the parents as well as the children. Within those parameters parents have the opportunity to assist the teacher. As a high level of parental involvement will be actively encouraged, teachers will be expected to incorporate parental volunteer efforts in the classroom.

The central role of teachers in the classroom deserves respect. The School will make it
clear to all teachers that they must understand and accept the responsibility of teaching
the entire curriculum, both content and skills, and in a way congenial to the School's
attitude toward values and the student. This will be defined as their primary role.

A number of the innovations of the School (bonus pay for teachers, additional planning
time for teachers, provision of a Headmaster) that have been part of the plans for the
School also directly address concerns resulting from a recent report for the Department of Education by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (Exhibit XV). The report concluded that many new teachers are poorly prepared to teach, in part
because of a lack of sufficient mentoring, failure to reward better qualified teachers, and a lack of planning time.

The Headmaster will be hired by and be directly responsible to the BOD. His/her
foremost responsibility will be to support the teachers in their primary role by coaching
them towards attainment of their professional goals. Teachers will be expected to give
input regarding their needs to the Headmaster.

Adopted: 03-04-2004