When a student completes her schooling and moves into adult life, she will be judged not by her ability to perform on tests of basic skills, but by the quality of her character and the quality of her work. When do we expect young people to develop the passion and skills to do work of quality if we do not support this sharply and deeply in school?

For students and teachers, excellence is built through an ongoing process of examining models of strong student work, and examining their own work, to create a shared vision of what we are aiming for: what constitutes quality. For teachers, this process informs instruction and planning; for students, it promotes critical thinking, creativity and craftsmanship.

Read more about the importance of student work.