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HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: School District to Host Public Forum Jan. 23: This Year's Event in South Middle School Will Focus on High School Issues

Posted on: Wednesday, 11 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Paulette Tobin, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Jan. 11--Should the Grand Forks School District increase its graduation requirements from 21 to 24 credits?

Instead of requiring two credits each in math and science, should Grand Forks require three credits in each to graduate?

Should the freshman year of high school be restructured so ninth-graders are required to be enrolled in a class each period of the day?

If you're a resident of the School District interested in these issues and others, you are invited to take part in Public Forum 2006, sponsored by the Grand Forks and Grand Forks Air Force Base school districts.

This year's forum, which will focus on high school issues, has been set for 7 p.m. Jan. 23 in South Middle School. Those who want to participate are urged to call the district office to get information about the topics that will be discussed.

The forum will begin with a general session led by Superintendent Mark Sanford, followed by discussion groups in assigned classrooms led by School Board members and others.

Grand Forks has been sponsoring School District forums more than 10 years; North Dakota began requiring them in 2003. Past forums have focused on technology in the schools, the middle school philosophy and all-day kindergarten, Sanford said.

"The process has been invaluable in getting community opinion on potential changes," Sanford said.

This year's issues came out of the forum two years ago, when many participants said they wanted a study of high school reform. Since then, committees at the high schools have been looking at academic rigor, graduation standards, ways to intervene for students not meeting grade standards and helping freshmen make a successful transition to high school.

"Each group has a discussion leader, and the School Board members aren't going to be telling the public what they think or what we should be doing," Sanford said. "They are there to facilitate discussion."

Each group will have a reporter, and individuals in the groups will be asked to vote on at least four issues presented to them. Then, the information will be compiled to go back to the School Boards.

Although participants are urged to call ahead to say they are coming, last-minute walk-ins will be welcome, too. The forum also is open to students, including university students who graduated from Grand Forks high schools.

"We would be very interested in what the university level could tell us," Sanford said. "They could give us great insights, for example, about adding to graduation credits."

Tobin reports on education, teen news and special events. Reach her at (701) 780-1134; (800) 477-6572, ext. 134, or ptobin@gfherald.com.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Grand Forks Herald, N.D.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.)

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