Future
Connections’ future looks strong and its teachers have continued to work on curriculum and assessments that are relevant and important to their students. All of the teachers set high standards and demand the best from the students at the school, and the students have responded by meeting or exceeding these standards.

The teachers feel that they have created a positive learning environment that is student-centered and -planned, and in return have found that they can successfully address the academic, emotional, and social issues of their students. The teachers attribute their success, not only to their own skill and dedication, but to the contribution parents have made to the school. Though many were resistant at first because the demands Connections places on the parents of its students are more than those of a typical elementary school, many are now convinced by Connections’ results. The teachers feel that the parents are invaluable to the educational process and have only enriched it by their involvement.

Connections has proved that even a small group of dedicated teachers can create quite an impact. It has also proved what kinds of changes are possible within the American public school system. If it is possible to create a new school altogether, it is quite possible to create significant changes on a smaller scale. Connections can be used both as a content model for what kinds of instruction and administration work, but also as a source of inspiration for teachers, students, and community members who want more out of the educational system.