Mendocino USD

The Mendocino Unified School District is a small K-12 district located on the rural coast of northern California, approximately three and half hours north of San Francisco. The district covers 420 square miles and serves the communities from Caspar on the north to Elk in the south and inland to Comptche.

The schools in our district include two of the dozen remaining one room schoolhouses in California as well as a K-8 campus in the town of Mendocino, three small and distinctive high school programs renowned for their quality, and a K-12 independent study program.

The Mendocino Unified School District has a highly dedicated teaching staff, active and involved parents, a supportive community, and best of all, a wonderful group of students!

In order to prepare students to be active, participating citizens in our society and the world, and to provide them with the ability to work toward their vision of a more positive future, we will:

 v  provide opportunities for student involvement in the decision-making process;

v  develop an awareness of the political, ecological, and ethical issues of economics;

v  encourage global awareness and knowledge of other countries and cultures;

v  instill an awareness and relationship to the student’s own community and the future of that community;

v  develop awareness of the student’s relationship to the natural environment and human community;

v  assist each student to explore and realize his/her creative potential;

v  develop basic competency in reading, writing, and mathematical computation;

v  create an awareness of the student’s place in history;

v  teach the structure and function of government and the duties and rights of citizens;

v  provide physical fitness training and health instruction;

v  provide the opportunities for a student to become proficient in a foreign language;

v  present career and vocational educational information and opportunities;

v  offer students opportunities to be conversant and comfortable in the world of technology;

v  educate students in critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and in a rational process of decision-making.

Basic educational premises which guide District decisions:

v  The most important skill to learn is the ability to think.  Rational/critical thinkers have always been needed, and this skill is even more important in our rapidly changing and complex society.

v  All students can increase their thinking ability and intelligence.  The various intelligences students have, if stimulated and used in a systematic way, will increase students’ ability to learn and think.

v  People must and can learn how to be continuous learners.  As the problems of society change, people must be able to see and implement creative solutions.  People need to know how to analyze and select the ever-growing information produced in the technology era.

v  Training the mind is important, but without a strong set of values based in a belief in the sacredness of all life, the necessity to protect the environment, and the values inherent in a democratic society, thinking skills will not be well used and in fact could be misused.

v  People learn best in an atmosphere of trust where risk taking is encouraged and failure is viewed as a natural part of the learning process.

v  People learn at different rates and in different ways.  Schools must provide a broad range of educational approaches so that each student will have access to the learning environment or situation that best serves his or her needs and talents.

v  Learning is intricately linked to relationships and community.  Schools must act as catalysts in supporting and sustaining the vitality and rural nature of our community.