Our Mission


The mission of the Lawrence Public Schools is to enable all students to acquire developmentally appropriate skills and knowledge necessary to become informed decision makers and effective communicators who assume responsible roles in society. This will be accomplished by teaching all students challenging curricula in stimulating and flexible environments enriched through parental involvement and the resources of a community dedicated to the conviction that all children can learn.

Leading Indicators of Effective Schools

In the Lawrence Public Schools, we believe that the following are district-level leading indicators of effective schools or indicators which improve the probability that the desired, stated results, Learning for All, will be obtained:

  • Focus from the Superintendent and Board of Education
  • Strong Leadership
  • Data-Driven Decision Making
  • Focus on High-Quality Instruction
  • Curriculum Aligned with State Standards
  • Results-Based Staff Development
  • Focus on State Assessments
  • Collaborative Approach/Appropriate Autonomy
  • Equity and Accountability
  • Appropriate Resource Allocation/Utilization

In the Lawrence Public Schools, we believe that the following are school building-level leading indicators of effective schools:

  • Safe and Orderly Environments
  • Clear and Focused Mission
  • High Expectations
  • Opportunity to Learn/Time on Task
  • Frequent Monitoring of Student Progress
  • Positive Home/School Relations
  • Strong Leadership
  • Collaborative Work Behavior
  • Community Participation
Six Community Goals for Our Schools

In 1999, the Lawrence Board of Education invited 100 community members to participate in a Futures Planning Conference. Participants represented students, teachers, educational support staff, school administrators, parents, business and university leaders, retired citizens and community activists. The purpose of the event was to outline goals for the future of the Lawrence Public Schools and its students. The resulting six goals continue to serve as focal points for the district’s strategic planning efforts:

• Lawrence Public Schools will be student-centered environments that ensure all students learn academic and life skills to reach their maximum potentials.

• Lawrence Public Schools will recruit, develop and retain only high quality staff to educate and support all students and demonstrate the staff's value to our community.

• Lawrence Public Schools will be comprehensive centers for accessible community services.

• Lawrence Public Schools will expand and integrate the use of technology into all phases of the educational process.

• Lawrence Public Schools will evaluate existing resources and identify additional educational support.

• Lawrence Public Schools will implement effective collaboration and teamwork and continuously involve our community in setting, refining and implementing goals and initiatives.