Major Issues
A Improve the Academic Experience of our Residential Students by:
1. better integrating the residential and academic programs, capitalizing on the fact that our students are here 24 hours a day and could be here on many weekends.
2. making the daily schedule more flexible, allowing more time for some classes, less for others, using evenings and Saturdays.
3. Giving students more choices in courses. Graduation requirements are too rigid and there are too many required courses.
B Work on models for communication
1. Find meaningful ways for us to discuss what is going on with students. Faculty and SLI's need to meet and talk on a more regular basis
2. Work to improve the process in which faculty discuss and come to agreement on important topics.
C Faculty and staff need more flexible work schedules and demands:
1. There needs to be more adults on campus more of the time.
2. Faculty need to be evaluated on all that we do. If attendance at games, plays, meetings, etc is important to the community, we need to be evaluated and rewarded for such.
D NCSSM needs to be more involved in the community.
1. Some saw this as Durham
2. Others saw this as addressing statewide education community with more
E What is our mission? is it too broad? should it be narrowed?
Who are our students? Where are they going to college? What kinds of education are they expecting? Should we be recruiting students like colleges do?
F What is the focus of our curriculum? is it projects? advanced coursework? are they
interested in AP courses ? IB curriculum? is a residential program viable? should the student body be smaller?
G Personal discipline and work ethic evaluation: setting high standards: how do we set them?
how do we maintain them? how do we get students to set their own?
H priority should be residential program while at same time recognizing importance of outreach mission (within DL focus should be more on teacher training than individual classes of students)
I need infusion of capital in residential program (offer more, offer better and identify what is unique about our residential environment - advertise that)