For decades, Los Altos School District has been providing an outstanding education to the children of our community, and for this the community has demonstrated great appreciation.  Together we have expected nothing less than excellence.

During this time, LASD has utilized the industrial-age model of schooling, and did it as well as anyone in the nation.  This model has included students batched into grade levels by age for most of the day, learning standards identified for that grade level, typically without regard to whether a student had already mastered those concepts or not.  This model was designed to produce a student who was ready for the world they would inherit -- in the early 20th century.  Arguably, LASD has had the very best industrial-age model, serving the needs of this time exceedingly well.  We are nearing the limits of its functionality, and we should expect more for our students.

Times have changed.  Today, our school district must ensure our students are best prepared for their futures in the networked-age.  We must go beyond a one size fits all system and design an approach to learning that will meet the educational needs of each individual student.  This will be accomplished through a personalized learning experience: incorporating the necessary foundational skills for success, while enabling students to apply those skills in a purposeful, relevant way. This balance is critical.

We have shining pockets of excellence in classrooms throughout each of our schools.  Now is the time to string these examples together to create an entire school district preparing future ready students who excel within the established standards. We will design to the edges and create a more personalized learning experience as we evaluate what our students need to be successful.   The future our students inherit is one that will continue to evolve; we must prepare them for it, expecting the very best in all we do.  We have a history of excellence; it is one that will continue.