Farmington Schools Named 21st Century Learning Exemplar District

Farmington Public Schools Named 21st Century Learning Exemplar District by P21 and Pearson Foundation

Educators, communities, and students featured in online

Patterns of Innovation Initiative

Farmington, Connecticut [February 2, 2014] -  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the leading organization advocating for 21st century readiness for every student, is highlighting Farmington Public School in an online initiative to capture and share exemplary 21st century learning practices that are improving schools and student learning in classrooms and communities across the United States.

Patterns of Innovation: The 21st Century Learning Exemplar Program showcases districts, schools, educators, and students from around the country that have embraced the P21 Framework to increase educational options and outcomes for all children.

Developed with the Pearson Foundation and other P21 members, Patterns of Innovation is designed to share the experiences of schools that have successfully transformed their students’ learning by incorporating elements of the P21 Framework into teacher practice, curriculum, assessment, and professional development.

The 25 exemplars, including the Farmington Public Schools are part of a rigorous examination of schools, supported by the Pearson Foundation, to show what 21st Century Skills practice looks like in action. Selected from across the country and evaluated by P21 members and staff for educational excellence and successful 21st century learning implementation, the schools announced today represent the first installment of P21’s ongoing project to identify, document and celebrate exemplary 21st century learning across the country. An interview with Farmington Superintendent Kathleen C. Greider, Assistant Superintendent Kim Wynne, FHS Principal Bill Silva, IAR Principal Theodore Donahue, elementary teacher Ashley Cole and FHS student, Abby Corrigan, is now featured on the Patterns of Innovation website.

Superintendent Kathleen C. Greider states, “The P21 recognition is a reflection of Farmington’s outstanding administration, faculty, staff and students.   Through the leadership of our Board of Education, we have established rigorous 21st century goals and a Vision of the Farmington Graduate for all students.  Our goals and vision describe the knowledge and skills required of our students in an ever-changing world community.  We extend our appreciation to P21 and Pearson for this recognition and we celebrate the dedication of all members of the Farmington school community.” 

“It has been tremendously powerful to see the ways in which teachers and school leaders are using 21st century learning practices to increase student achievement and develop strong school communities,” said Dr. Helen Soulé, P21 Executive Director. “There is so much to be learned from the ways in which these schools are succeeding and I am excited to share our findings through the Patterns of Innovation site so that educators and policymakers can see how 21st century learning can become a reality in every school.”

“While each of the Exemplar schools is unique in their approach to teaching and learning, we are already finding compelling patterns among the most successful schools, including strong school leadership, a responsiveness to local community needs, an emphasis on student voice and agency and the use of data and evidence to drive improvement,” noted Kathy Hurley, P21 board member and Executive Vice President of Education Alliances at the Pearson Foundation. “There is much to be learned, shared and celebrated and the Pearson Foundation is proud to partner with P21 on this initiative.”

An accompanying Patterns of Innovation podcast series has also launched and is available for download or subscription through iTunes.

Learn more at www.P21.org/Exemplars and #PatternsofInnovation

P21 media contact:
Tatyana Warrick ( tatyana@p21.org / 202-312-6430) 

Pearson Foundation media contact: 
Stacey Finkel ( Stacey.finkel@pearsonfoundation.org /703-304-1377)

School/district media contact:

Kathleen C. Greider, Superintendent

School/district overview:

The Farmington Public Schools is a nationally recognized school district serving approximately 4,000 students in Farmington, Connecticut.  The mission of the Farmington Public Schools is to enable all students to achieve academic and personal excellence, exhibit persistent effort and live as resourceful, inquiring and contributing global citizens. In turn, we are an innovative learning organization that focuses upon continuous improvement in all aspects of our work. This focus on continuous improvement creates an environment of innovation, risk taking, and excellence at all levels of our educational organization. Each day, our students engage in powerful learning experiences, mastering rigorous grade level standards while developing the core thinking and learning competencies necessary to be successful in college, careers and as citizens of our global community.  As outlined in Farmington’s Vision of the Graduate, our students acquire an understanding of the essential knowledge and skills in the core academic disciplines and develop the thinking and learning skills necessary to meet the challenges of local, national and global citizenship in a rapidly changing world:

 Critical Thinking and Reasoning:

Students access, interpret, analyze, and evaluate ideas and information, draw evidence-based conclusions, synthesize new learning with prior knowledge and reflect critically on learning.

Collaboration and Communication:

Students participate effectively in a variety of teams, actively listen and respond to the ideas of others, share responsibility for outcomes, articulate ideas clearly in multiple formats and use technology tools to enhance communication.

Problem Solving and Innovation:

Students identify problems, analyze data, ask questions, utilize a variety of resources, think flexibly, make connections and seek practical, innovative and entrepreneurial solutions.

Self-Direction and Resourcefulness:

Students explore interests, take initiative, set learning goals, demonstrate persistent effort, adapt to change with resiliency and exhibit ethical leadership and responsible citizenship.

We celebrate and honor the strong relationships that have been established among and between the Board of Education, administration, faculty, students, parents and the community at large.  With an outstanding team of administrators and faculty, we work in collaboration with families to engage in continuous improvement efforts that challenge and support our students.