The Buffalo School District is regarded as one of the premiere urban school systems in New York State. Serving 34,000 students in nearly 60 facilities, the district strives to bring exemplary teaching practices and unparalleled opportunities to its diverse student population. Mission, Beliefs and Goals:
To ensure that every student will have the confidence, knowledge, thinking skills, character and hope to assume responsibility for her/his life and contribute to the lives of others; and
we will champion excellence and innovative learning experiences in partnership with family and community; and
we will hold ourselves accountable for educating our students and for working to energize all members of the community to actively participate in the accomplishment of our mission. We believe that all schools should be safe, equitable and flexible. We believe that all schools should serve the community in which they are located. We believe that all segments of the community should be involved in education. We believe that schools should provide for the development of life skills, including an appreciation for lifelong learning. We believe that all schools should foster an awareness, understanding and valuing of the self and others. We believe that schools should constantly re-evaluate programs. We believe that schools should incorporate advanced technology whenever such use will improve potential achievement for students. We believe that schools should provide all students with the opportunity for post-secondary success. All students will demonstrate the ability to engage in effective and productive communication, including the skills of speaking and listening, writing and reading, and developing and understanding visual presentations using various media. All students will demonstrate the ability to understand and interpret the mathematical information and to perform the mathematical processes that are needed in daily life. All students will demonstrate responsibility and personal accountability; will behave with honesty, friendliness, empathy, respect, and politeness toward others; and will possess personal traits of courage, adaptability, and positive self-esteem. All students will demonstrate the ability to think logically, critically, and creatively, including processes for inquiry, reflection, problem posing, problem solving, evaluation, futuring, and decision making. All students will demonstrate the ability to understand, use, and appreciate the life-enriching insights and perspectives that are provided by the subject areas, including: language arts, science, math. and technology, history and social studies, technical and occupational studies, second languages, arts, music, and humanities, physical education and health, and home and career skills. All students will demonstrate the ability to live harmoniously and to cooperate with others, valuing the enrichment provided by diversity, and incorporating our democratic civic values of equal opportunity, justice, and peace. All students will demonstrate the ability to plan for, assess progress toward, and achieve success in the variety of interrelated roles they will assume during their lives, including those involving post-secondary education and/or careers; family and/or parenting responsibilities; maintenance of physical, mental, and emotional health; and management of personal resources. All students will demonstrate the ability to participate actively in community service and in helping to address community issues, including the skills for exercising appropriate leadership as well as the skills for working productively as a group member. All students will demonstrate the abilities necessary for lifelong learning, including the skills for locating needed information, synthesizing the new with the known, planning, researching, and assessing results of research.
