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Our Vision
Students learn to use their minds well, engage creatively and act compassionately.
Our Mission
Riverdale develops inquisitive, imaginative and eager learners. Our students demonstrate academic mastery through exhibition to become effective communicators and responsible leaders.
Riverdale 2024 Strategic Plan
OUTLINING OUR STRATEGIC VISION | 2019-2024
Riverdale is more than a school district. It is a community. One united by its dedication to its children and its desire to put education first. Our community shares in our triumphs, sees us through our challenges and shapes what our schools and our students become. Therefore our strategic plan is the result of shared community goals and, while it rightly puts our students first, it includes the entire community in its focus on creating an engaged, collaborative and inclusive environment.
An 'Essential' School
As a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), the teaching philosophy at Riverdale School District is guided by 10 Common Principles:
- Learning to use one's mind well
- Less is more: Depth over coverage
- Goals apply to all students
- Personalization
- Student-as-worker, teacher-as-coach
- Demonstration of mastery
- A tone of decency and trust
- Commitment to the entire school
- Resources dedicated to teaching and learning
- Democracy and equity
Read more about each principle.
CES Benchmarks and the Habits of Mind
We lean on the benchmarks of the Coalition of Essential Schools as we continue to improve our school culture and practices, including the Habits of Mind. Habits of Mind (and heart) are ways to articulate the type of thinking and emotional dispositions that help students develop their social-emotional intelligence and succeed in school and life.
To learn more about developing the Habits of Mind and a Growth Mindset, consider reading “Mindset” by Carol Dweck and “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind” by Arthur L. Costa and Benna Kallick.
