EASTHAM — A proposed revision of the strategic plan for the Nauset Regional School District emphasizes social and emotional learning, global citizenship, and partnerships between the schools and the community at large.
The plan was presented to the regional school committee on Sept. 17 by Maxine Minkoff, former principal of the Nauset Regional Middle School, and committee vice chair Judith Schumacher. The revision is the first to be considered since the district’s previous strategic plan reached its “sunset” in 2017. The school district encompasses Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, and Brewster.
Minkoff contrasted schools of the 20th century, which she said emphasized a “teaching culture,” with those of the 21st century that seek to foster a “learning culture” and a shift from the traditional “Three Rs” to the “Four Cs of creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.”
Besides social-emotional learning and global citizenship, the plan stresses the importance of professional development opportunities for educators and seeks to “create partnerships between the school and the community at large where all members of the community can come to teach, to learn, and to share ideas.”
A proposed statement on core values, winnowed down from more than 100 initial ideas, asserts that “Every child matters. Every child is unique. Every child deserves to feel safe” — the last statement applying both to physical safety and respect for individual ideas.
The majority of the committee members seemed pleased with the draft proposal, but member James O’Leary of Brewster expressed strong concerns that the plan was missing key elements and that the proposed timeline, with implementation beginning in November, was unfeasible.
Minkoff and Schumacher tried to reassure O’Leary that the plan was still a work in progress and that comments and criticism were not only welcome. After some heated discussion, committee chair Christopher Easley asked the members to formally respond to the proposal before the committee’s next meeting on Oct. 10.
Editor’s note: Because of a fact-checking error, an earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Maxine Minkoff as the current, not former, principal of the Nauset Regional Middle School.
