Consortium Core Beliefs

Democracy’s Imperative……….

Public education must fully apply school and community will, skills and resources to assure high levels of learning for each student. To do less inhibits individual growth and threatens the future of our democratic society.

To Meet This Imperative……..

• We must assure personalized learning so that each student continuously grows and masters high standards for success.
• We must transform our policies and practices to assure each student’s learning success.
• School systems and their broader communities must share accountability to assure high levels of continuous growth and development for each student.
• Transformation and personalization of learning must be guided by the continuous wise use of a wide range of data that guides progress toward specific benchmarks for learning and system performance.
  

We are committed to creating world-class districts by focusing on all student learning, establishing clearly identified performance benchmarks, fostering connections to the larger society, and articulating a clear vision for the future of public education.

We will accomplish our vision by developing benchmarks toward world-class educational organizations, sharing ideas through networking opportunities, advocating our vision for creating the future on behalf of public education, and working collaboratively to find solutions to common problems and issues.

• focusing on the work of the student learner with an appreciation for the diversity of needs and and variety of strategies needed to address those needs; 
• developing appropriate benchmarks to reflect student progress and achievement; 
• sharing responsibilities with the stakeholders (family, parent, community); and 
• engaging in continuous improvement and reform to create the future for public education. 

Link to the Western States Benchmarking Consortium description document.

 

A Search for More Meaningful Accountability

In the mid-1990's, a small group of superintendents and other key executives from a handful of large high-performing Western U.S. school districts met and decided to join forces in their efforts toward improvement in learning for all students. From its inception, this central focus on improving student learning has been the "glue" which has bonded member districts. Consortium district leaders meet periodically to engage in dialogue about "best practices" and strategies for improvement and to share learning from various members' experiences. Active membership of the Western States Benchmarking Consortium now includes seven school districts committed to continuous improvement in learning for all students. The Consortium also works in a strong partnership with the American Association of School Administrators.

• Blue Valley Unified School District, Overland Park, Kansas—Dr. Tom Trigg, Superintendent
• Cherry Creek School District, Englewood, Colorado—Dr. Monte Moses, Superintendent
• Lake Washington School District, Redmond, Washington—Dr. Chip Kimball, Superintendent
• Peoria, Arizona Unified School District—Dr. Denton Santarelli, Superintendent
• Plano Independent School District, Plano, Texas—Dr. Doug Otto, Superintendent
• Poway Unified School District, Poway, California—Dr. Don Phillips, Superintendent
• Vancouver School District, Vancouver Washington—Dr. John Erickson, Superintendent
• American Association of School Administrators—Dr. Paul Houston, Executive Director
  

Consortium members have developed common definitions of organizational effectiveness, i.e., "benchmarks" that articulate the steps toward achieving the highest quality public education. These statements are intended to assist the districts and campuses in recognizing and acting on key areas of emphasis to improve learning for all students. The statements also provide a vehicle for sharing best practices and strategies for improvement.