Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

July 5, 2007

   For more than a year, the Gwinnett County Board of Education has participated in the Reform Governance in Action program sponsored by the Broad Foundation. The Gwinnett County Public School system was selected as one of only four in the nation to serve in this competitive two-year program. 

   One of the major products of the initiative has been the development of the Gwinnett County Board of Education’s Core Beliefs and Commitments.

   We deliberated carefully before we adopted these as standards and benchmarks of the teaching and learning that are at the heart of the educational program in the Gwinnett County Public Schools. 

   The following are the Gwinnett County Board of Education’s Core Beliefs:

  • Our core business is teaching and learning.
  • All children can learn at or above grade level.
  • The school effect is important and has a positive impact on every child’s life.
  • A quality instructional program requires a rigorous curriculum, effective teaching, and ongoing assessment.
  • All children should be taught in a safe and secure learning environment.

   In addition, the following are the Core Commitments of the Gwinnett County Board of Education:

  • Gwinnett County Public Schools will give its core business, teaching and 
learning, priority over all other functions of the organization.
  • All GCPS students will learn at or above grade level.
  • All GCPS students will reach their learning potential.
  • The school effect is important and Gwinnett County Public Schools will have a positive impact on every child’s life.
  • GCPS will have a quality instructional program that includes a rigorous curriculum, effective teaching, and ongoing assessment.
  • All GCPS students will be taught in a safe and secure learning environment.

   The Gwinnett County Board of Education adopted these Core Beliefs and Commitments at a recent public meeting with the community. As District III Board member, I share these beliefs and commitments with readers of The Weekly.com and ask for your feedback. 

   It is important to have community review and input related to the teaching and learning components of our Academic Knowledge and Skills curriculum as well as other programs operated by our school systems.

   Reading is a fundamental skill for students of all ages in Gwinnett County Public Schools. As students prepare for their return to school for the 2007-08 academic year, parents and other family members can do much to emphasize the importance of reading as a component of student success with the school system’s AKS curriculum. 

   Studies show the average U.S. student spends hours each day with electronic media but only minutes reading. Literacy experts say that strong readers make successful learners. The more time children spend reading, the better reader and student they will become. 

   The following are tips for parents and other family members produced by the Communications and Media Relations Department of Gwinnett County Public Schools. These tips focus on encouraging students to increase the time they spend reading and to decrease the hours they spend each day with electronic media, including television, computers, and game systems:

  • Provide time for daily reading at home, at least 15 to 30 minutes after dinner or before bedtime.
  • Be a good reading example and make sure your reader sees you in the act of reading.
  • Allow no holiday from reading because reading is a daily activity.
  • Make sure the family reads aloud and be sure to turn off the television while reading is going on.
  • Encourage your reader to select reading material with individual appeal.
  • Sign your reader up for a public library card and assist your reader in selecting books from the public library to encourage the reading habit.
  • Build a home library of your reader’s personal reading favorites.
  • Find a book club for your reader to join and ask your reader’s teacher or public librarian for help in locating these clubs.
  • Make sure your reader finds reading material everywhere—cereal boxes, road signs, menus, weather reports, recipes, game directions, movie listings, and much more.
  • Watch for reading problems and share these concerns with your reader’s teacher.

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