Global Literacy Opens a World of Opportunity

Oxford Community Schools is not focused on providing a good local education; instead, they are driven to provide a world class education that rivals any school on earth. The mission statement of Oxford Community Schools is clear: "Provide a world-class education that challenges all students to achieve their maximum potential and prepares them to succeed in a global society."

Educators just think differently in Oxford. "Even our Honors Students are considered "At Risk"—not of getting a failing grade, but of failing to live up to their own unique potential," says Superintendent Dr. William Skilling. Oxford has achieved the area's best standardized test scores by throwing out the standard "playbook" along with many of the traditional rules of teaching. The results speak for themselves: highlighting their outstanding test scores, last year an Oxford graduate achieved a perfect score on the SAT and is now attending Harvard University.

Oxford is committed to educating each student for Global Literacy. "Global Literacy means the focus on education is not limited solely to academics, but is evenly balanced between scholastics, arts and humanities, and athletics," Skilling said. "We have a global economy—it's not enough to compete with our neighbors or even our country. We must prepare our students to compete on the global stage they will be entering upon graduation. Our future economy depends on the depth and strength of the education we provide today."

A Better Education in any Language

The district has re-written the rules on traditional foreign language instruction by committing that each student will have the opportunity to graduate from Oxford Schools with fluency in at least two languages. This commitment begins early: both Mandarin Chinese and Spanish language instruction begins in Kindergarten and extends through Grade 12.

"We believe that language—the key to effective communication—is the fifth core subject," Skilling said, adding it to the traditional "four core" subjects of math, science, English and social studies. "We know that adding another language to a child's repertoire serves to enhance overall learning ability. Once a student is fluent in 2 languages, it is easy for them to pick up other languages on their own."

Up Close and Musical

Beyond academics, the role of arts in education is crucial. For many years the school systems have focused on the left brain - the analytical skills - and sacrificed development of the right brain - creativity. Creativity enhances productivity in even the most traditional fields. Oxford has bucked the trend of cutting music programs and refocused the spotlight on music and the arts as a way to enhance learning. And of course, enjoyment and self-expression are the short-term benefits for every student in the program.

The district uses "The Suzuki Method" in music education, which takes the approach that every child is capable of learning to play an instrument in much the same way they learn to speak a language - by listening and then repeating what they hear. Oxford recognizes the important parallel between music and language skills, and offers even the youngest students the opportunity to study both Chinese and Violin, for example, and then build their proficiency through graduation.

A Higher Achievement in Mind

Responding to the call for American schools to improve in science and math, Oxford Schools has recalibrated its programs to ensure no child is without a world-class education in these subjects. Along with multiple advanced placement and honors courses, the district has created an Engineering program beginning in middle school and continuing through graduation, providing each student the foundation to succeed in an increasingly math and science-oriented world.

One of the district's proudest associations is as a member of the International Center for Leadership Education. Founded nearly 20 years ago, the International Center is a non-profit foundation dedicated to helping schools and districts implement organizational changes that translate into world-class curriculum, instruction and assessment.

"In order to change the way we educate our students, we need to break out of our comfort zone and challenge engrained habits," Skilling said. "At Oxford, we have made a concerted effort to bring in a culturally diverse, highly educated staff to provide our students the best role models available today."

A Better Game Plan

So, how does this unique approach to learning impact the playground and football field? "Athletics are as important to our Global Literacy plan as academics or arts" says Skilling. "Our role is to provide the broadest possible opportunities to every student - to give them the chance to participate, to win and to lose, and to find their own unique strengths and talents. The lessons learned on the field or in the pool teach us as much about ourselves as anything we learn in a classroom."

Oxford offers 22 athletic programs at 54 different levels. In fact, they provide nearly every athletic program sanctioned by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Oxford teams have garnered 6 regional championships, 28 district championships, and 34 league championships.

Oxford recently did away with the "pay to play" system, removing the fees that are often charged by schools for students to participate in a sport.And, they lowered the 'gate fees' for all sporting events to allow whole families to attend and cheer on their student-athlete.

The Honor System

Along with academics, arts and athletics, personal behavior and citizenship are also strongly emphasized as part of the global literacy initiative. Students from pre-Kindergarten through graduation are taught in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance and respect. Oxford has a zero-tolerance policy toward intimidation and negative behavior that affects the greater student body.

Because personal responsibility is a key aspect of learning, in recent years Oxford has achieved a 98.7% percent high school graduation rate—one of the few districts in the state to enjoy that proud statistic.