Who We Are
The Northwest Unified Schools is an innovative community school system aimed at changing the culture of low performing public schools in the remote outer islands. We are a collection of 17 schools in the remotest part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia; namely, the Pattiw, Pafeng, and Namonweito islands. We serve approximately 1,328 students in elementary, junior high, and high schools (9-12).
Our distance from the main centers have also led to become easily forgotten by leaders in the main center of Chuuk lagoon. More disheartening is the fact that our people have not taken full ownership of their public schools believing that it is the responsibility of the government. Consequently, our schools in the Northwest Region have long suffered from lack access to basic educational and technological resources.
On July 4, 2012, the leaders of the Northwest region resolved to unite the public schools into the Northwest Unified School District. They committed to rebuild our sense our belief in our ability to change our future, to take control of our own destiny, and to shape the future for our children. We can no longer wait idly for the Chuuk State Department of Education to improve our schools. We pledge to honor the system, but empower ourselves as a region to improve our own lives, our schools, and our children.
Our Core Belief
We believe that every child in the Northwest —at whatever level of academic and cultural competence—can achieve excellence. We cannot simply expect excellence out of our students without first improving performance at every level of the Northwest Unified School district.
Our Mission
The Northwest Unified Schools will be one of the top performing public school district in Micronesia, innovative, community-supported, student focused, culturally-appropriate, and well-managed. We pledge to provide the highest quality public education to empower our children to succeed in life as compassionate leaders who help their island community.
Our Approach
The Northwest Unified Schools offers a partnership between educators, students, leaders, community, and global supporters to provide the highest performing public education in Micronesia. We pledge to do so by expecting the best out of our students by providing them with highly trained and motivated teachers and principals supported by highly active parents and island community.
Our Core Values
The Northwest Unified Schools operate on four pillars of guiding principles:
Full Commitment
Everyone involved in the school from students to teachers, administrators to parents, board members to benefactors must be fully committed to ensuring the highest quality education possible.
High Expectations
The Northwest Unified Schools must reverse the cycle of low performance of students, teachers, administrators, and community by systems of rewarding high performance and expecting the highest output by all.
Compassionate Leadership
All involved in the Northwest Unified Schools must sacrifice their own good for the betterment of others. For when we look out for each other and keep each other accountable, it is then that we grow strong in our ability to help ourselves as a people.
Showing Up
Learning cannot happen without the principals, teachers, students, parents, and the entire community putting in the time and effort to lead, teach, learn, help, and support. Northwest Unified School students and teachers must show up every single day no later than 7:25 am.
The Northwest Pledge
The success of the Northwest Unified Schools is built upon our pledge that we must all take to remind us of our collective and individual commitments and responsibilities. Read the full pledge>>
