VERMONT
"For over a year, the Vermont State Board of Education and the Department of Education have been working on a new plan to transform our educational system and make it more responsive to the current and future needs of our students. Vermont’s traditional education system served our students well, but it was created a century ago when the world was much different than it is now. In the 21st century, we are preparing students for a competitive, knowledge-driven global economy, not to mention jobs that do not yet exist. Vermont’s teachers and administrators are dedicated professionals who truly care about our students, but our schools ask them to teach one way, while society demands an entirely different type of preparation. If we are going to give our students the best possible chance to succeed, then we must transform our education system and our schools.
The New England Secondary School Consortium and our partner states are helping Vermont make a fundamental shift toward a more student-centered learning culture, one that will shape teaching and learning experiences in fundamentally different ways. Our New England partners not only share many of the same challenges facing our state, but they also share the same goals and values. Together, we are better positioned to do what needs to be done to build a 21st century education system that will ensure that every student graduates from our high schools prepared for life."
- —Armando Vilaseca
- Vermont Commissioner of Education
Secondary Initiatives
As Vermont educators, we work to ensure that all our students graduate with an awareness of their own value in the world and with the foundational knowledge and skills they need to pursue their personal aspirations—whatever they may be. We believe that every student in Vermont should complete their education, meet the highest expectations, and leave our public schools prepared for success in college, careers, and citizenship. Achieving these goals requires Vermont to employ bold strategies for addressing problems as they arise and promoting systemic, sustainable improvements—which is why we are a member of the New England Secondary School Consortium.
- The Transformation of Education in Vermont
In this framework for transformation, the Vermont State Board of Education explains why educational transformation is needed, what a transformed educational system in Vermont will look like, and how the state will achieve its goals. - Opportunity to Learn, Defining Vermont Education for the New Generation of Learners
- The Vermont State Board of Education appointed the Education Transformation Policy Commission—made up of legislators, educators, and business leaders—to recommend a state policy framework that would advance educational transformation in Vermont’s public schools. In its final report, the commission recommends a coherent policy framework that includes five interdependent strategies: Education Quality Standards, Learning Expectations for a New Generation of Learners, PK-16 Partnership, Educator Quality, and Education Districts.
- High School Completion Program
The Vermont Legislature recently established the laudable goal of increasing Vermont’s high school graduation rate to 100% by the year 2020. One of the vehicles for accomplishing this goal is the High School Completion Program, which is a model for some of the innovative practices that will inform the transformation of Vermont’s high schools. - High Schools on the Move
Published in 2002 by the Vermont High School Task Force, this report provides an overview of Vermont high schools in the context of research and national trends, and proposes twelve principles to improve high school learning.
Department of Education Contact
- JOHN FISCHER
- Vermont Lead
- john.fischer@state.vt.us
