STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2023 A plan for moving from excellent to transformational. School District of Clayton What We Believe Mission Statement We inspire each student to love learning and embrace challenge within a rich and rigorous academic culture. Vision Statement Core Values We develop leaders who shape the world through independence, creativity and critical thinking. We model and promote • excellence by challenging our students and ourselves to meet the highest expectations of our community. • trust by building relationships based on integrity, mutual respect and open communication. • inclusiveness by valuing individual differences and the contributions of a diverse student body and staff. • innovation by encouraging ideas and practices that foster adaptability. • accountability by aligning our actions and resources with our stated objectives and taking responsibility for the outcomes.

Vision Statement Core Values We develop leaders who shape the world through independence, creativity and critical thinking. We model and promote • excellence by challenging our students and ourselves to meet the highest expectations of our community. • trust by building relationships based on integrity, mutual respect and open communication. • inclusiveness by valuing individual differences and the contributions of a diverse student body and staff. • innovation by encouraging ideas and practices that foster adaptability. • accountability by aligning our actions and resources with our stated objectives and taking responsibility for the outcomes. School District of Clayton Our Story Every strategic plan should be a living document, a travel guide, if you will, that takes an organization on a journey from good to great. For a high-achieving school district like Clayton, we don’t just map out a strategic direction that will take us from good to great, we map out a direction that will move us from excellent to transformational. Having strong academic achievement, quality teachers and fiscal responsibility are givens in our work and will remain constant. To start that journey, we developed our Profile of a Graduate. We began with the end in mind, using the voices of our community, our students and our alumni to develop a profile of the competencies we want for every Clayton graduate. We use that profile to shape the direction in this strategic plan, influence our approach to learning and challenge the mental models of what our schools should look like for our students. About The Plan

We use that profile to shape the direction in this strategic plan, influence our approach to learning and challenge the mental models of what our schools should look like for our students. About The Plan School District of Clayton The Clayton Graduate is... Self-Actualized • engages in healthy practices and relationships to promote overall mental and physical well-being • demonstrates belief in self and engages in self-improvement, advocacy and resilience • lives life with authenticity, purpose and happiness Intellectually Curious • sees risks and mistakes as opportunities to fail forward • asks questions that lead to effective problem-solving • makes learning a constant Culturally Competent • embraces diversity of opinion and is aware of one’s own world view • demonstrates positive attitude and interactions toward cultural differences • challenges prejudices, discovers commonalities and values differences Empathetic • demonstrates compassion and understanding of others • demonstrates kindness and respect of others A Creative Thinker • designs and implements solutions to complex problems • explores multiple possibilities and challenges the status quo • expresses thoughts, ideas and emotions in varied ways – design, arts, writing and speaking A Collaborator • respects divergent thinking to engage others in meaningful discussion • uses active listening strategies to advance understanding and values the contributions of others • works to be an agent of change through strong communication skills “These are the skills that make people remember you.” - Clayton Student

School District of Clayton The Clayton Graduate is... Self-Actualized • engages in healthy practices and relationships to promote overall mental and physical well-being • demonstrates belief in self and engages in self-improvement, advocacy and resilience • lives life with authenticity, purpose and happiness Intellectually Curious • sees risks and mistakes as opportunities to fail forward • asks questions that lead to effective problem-solving • makes learning a constant Culturally Competent • embraces diversity of opinion and is aware of one’s own world view • demonstrates positive attitude and interactions toward cultural differences • challenges prejudices, discovers commonalities and values differences Empathetic • demonstrates compassion and understanding of others • demonstrates kindness and respect of others A Creative Thinker • designs and implements solutions to complex problems • explores multiple possibilities and challenges the status quo • expresses thoughts, ideas and emotions in varied ways – design, arts, writing and speaking A Collaborator • respects divergent thinking to engage others in meaningful discussion • uses active listening strategies to advance understanding and values the contributions of others • works to be an agent of change through strong communication skills “These are the skills that make people remember you.” - Clayton Student School District of Clayton We are a District with a growth mindset and a commitment to continuous improvement. As a nationally-recognized school district, we can’t be complacent with good or even great. We have to challenge ourselves to move from excellent to transformational, to ask ourselves the hard questions and take risks that make us uncomfortable. We owe nothing less than our best thinking to the students and families who trust us with their learning. A strategic plan provides a road map for action that will help answer those hard questions and push us to take those uncomfortable risks. It also provides us with bookends that help sharpen our focus and keep us from getting overloaded with too many ideas or initiatives. Why do we need a strategic plan? Where will it take us? Our Theory of Action The School District of Clayton envisions having graduates who are self-actualized, intellectually curious, culturally competent, empathetic, creative and collaborative. The journey to those attributes starts as soon as students enter our schools. We want to develop students who are not only academically prepared, but also attuned to their humanity and how they can improve it. In order to develop the graduates who possess the attributes we believe are necessary to have an impact in the world, we need to provide them with the opportunities they need to develop those skills identified in our Profile. Not all of the attributes in our Profile are easily measured, but that doesn’t mean they should be thought of as soft skills. They are anything but soft - they are critical. Therefore, you may find objectives or action steps in this plan that may not seem to directly connect to our Profile of the Graduate and that’s okay. Whether directly or indirectly, everything within this plan is a means to an end that has one singular focus: our learners. One key aspect of a good strategic plan is where it is kept, or, more importantly, where it is not kept. A strategic plan cannot be effective if it sits in a three- ring binder on an office shelf.