Goals and Performance Management at the Lower Merion School District

Goals and Performance Management at the Lower Merion School District

The Lower Merion School District (LMSD) is a public school district located in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia. The district serves residents from the Borough of Narberth and Lower Merion Township. There are two high schools, two middle schools and six elementary schools in the district. The district’s main goal is to provide high quality, multi-challenging instructional programs and dynamic co-curricular experience to the students. This goal is consistent with the standards of the education sector. As a way to achieve it, the district has implemented comprehensive educational programs for all students comprising those with special needs and gifted abilities. The district likewise fosters various community-based learning programs, support for early intervention literacy, extended day care, and an extensive menu of courses for high school students. The range of courses includes technology, arts and music, and foreign language instructions.

LMSD’s performance management activities encompass the development and implementation of procedures and policies to ensure that schools, instructors, and staff provide educational services that effectively address the needs of students consistent with the district’s charter. In this regard, the district has developed policy guidelines for the recruitment and deployment of teaching, administration and other staff in schools. The guidelines establish guidelines for appraisal and assessment of staff to ensure high levels of quality of learning.

In accordance with the education industry’s standards, LMSD does not enforce strict performance management requirements for its schools. Rather, its guidelines provide flexibility to allow boards of trustees to implement performance management systems that are appropriate to their communities and schools (Rury 23). Overall, the district’s performance management policies are consistent with the education industry’s requirement to foster professionalism and exceptional competency in the delivery of education.

Works Cited
LMSD. About LMSD. 17 Dec. 2016. Web. http://www.lmsd.org/about-lmsd/index.aspx
Rury, John. Education and Social Change: Themes in the History of American Schooling. Boston: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002. Print.