January 12, 2022
Students, parents, educators, staff, community members, and friends of the Lawrence Public Schools:
We are excited to share the progress Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) has made since the launch of the district’s turnaround plan 9 years ago. Over the last few years, the Lawrence community has withstood much adversity, from the gas explosions in 2018 to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the community is emerging from these challenges stronger, more united, and further committed to the academic and social wellbeing of its students. Today, Lawrence continues to be rich in diversity, history, and resilience.
At the core of the original plan was the firm belief that all Lawrence students deserve the highest-quality education. We continue to have confidence that the strategies outlined in this plan will result in significant gains and accomplishments for this community. Across the district, the spirit of optimism and collaboration that ignited the original turnaround efforts remain steady. Lawrence continues to implement the district model called “open architecture” that empowers principals, teachers, and families to create school programs tailored to the needs of their students, and the Lawrence Alliance for Education (LAE) has brought a robust focus on community engagement and steady governance.
Accompanying this letter is the renewed turnaround plan for LPS with a continued focus on the Four Pillars set forth in the original plan:
- Rigorous Standards: Creating rigorous, standards-based curricula and assessments
- High-quality Enrichment Opportunities: Creating opportunities for students to participate in activities such as musical theatre, step dancing, and athletics
- Mindset: Inculcating the value of hard work and a growth mindset in our students
- Critical Thinking: Ensuring that higher order thinking skills are embedded in classroom lessons
We have included updates that describe the areas in which LPS has made progress to date and provided details about the turnaround plan’s implementation going forward. The updates are provided in bold text throughout the plan. Once again, this plan will serve as our roadmap for the coming years, and we will continue to need your support to implement it effectively.
Our mission is as urgent as it was when receivership began. But working together, we are in a stronger position than ever to see it through.
