Strategic Plan 2020 2023 final .pdf
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. 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 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. School District of Clayton Objectives - Our What Strategic Goals Objectives are what would be true (milestones) if we are moving towards attaining our goals. Objectives are concrete, measurable and indicate if we are achieving our goals. Achievement of all objectives related to a goal does not necessarily mean achievement of that goal; it often represents completion of one phase of work that will continue with the formulation of additional objectives and action plans (evergreen model). The objectives provide clear direction and are reasonable in respect to timeline and scope. District personnel are responsible for developing and implementing specific and coherent action steps to reach the objectives. Strategic Goals are broad, overarching key areas of focus identified as priorities to achieve our mission and vision. The Goals represent the aspirations that the District intends to realize under a specific strategic direction. Strategic Goals reflect our “big picture” thinking and are bold, yet attainable. Measures of Success are the targets and measures that will be used to determine if the District is successful in achieving its objectives. A data dashboard will indicate movement towards the objectives and inform the refinement of the strategic plan if needed. They will also be used for monitoring and reporting progress toward the achievement of objectives. Measures of Success Our Learners We use the term “learners” throughout this document. It’s important to know excatly what we mean when we refer to learners. We define learners as all individuals in the school system, which includes students, staff and parents. School District of Clayton We will know we have achieved this goal when ... Meeting these objectives will ensure Clayton graduates are: • Culturally Competent • Empathetic • Self-Actualized • Collaborative School is a safe place for all learners to thrive regardless of their identity or ability. (Measurement: positive relationships, school climate and sense of belonging, social emotional survey data) Discipline disparities among groups of students are reduced. (Measurement: three-year analysis of referrals and suspensions) The District is a learning community where our learners feel connected to others. (Measurement: social emotional and school climate survey data) The diversity of Clayton’s teaching staff reflects the racial diversity of our students. (Measurement: staff and student demographics) The District’s commitment to becoming an equitable, anti-bias and anti-racist learning community is reflected in the actions of our students, teachers, administrators and the Board. (Measurement: feedback on high-quality, ongoing professional development and implementation of programs in schools, incidents of bias and racism in the District are reduced as a result of anti-racism training) A place for everyone ... GOAL #1 We will ensure all learners, regardless of their identity, feel safe and valued. Clayton students have a strong sense of self efficacy. (Measurement: social emotional survey data) Every student has someone within the school they consider a trusted adult who they can go to when needed. (Measurement: social emotional survey data) School District of Clayton We will know we have achieved this goal when ... Meeting these objectives will ensure Clayton graduates are: • Culturally competent • Intellectually Curious • Creative Thinkers • Collaborative Curricula are designed to promote personalized learning that provides students opportunities to have a voice and choices in their learning. (Measurement: self assessments, progression rubrics and student engagement data) Approaches for individualization, built on student needs, are implemented to maximize abilities of students. (Measurement: student achievement data, results or response (actions) to curriculum audit, data from focus group and surveys) Barriers to and disparities in equitable educational opportunities and access to programming are eliminated for students. (Measurement: student achievement data and program participation) ... to grow as learners ... GOAL #2 We will commit to the educational growth of our learners through an equitable, personalized and individualized learning experience. Students have multiple pathways to authentic, real-world learning experiences that allow them to design and implement solutions to complex problems. (Measurement: self assessments, progression rubrics and student engagement data) Our students see historically accurate representations where students’ cultures are celebrated and reflected in curricula and materials. (Measurement: change as measured from the data (result) of the equity audits) Our educators demonstrate commitment to equitable, personalized and individualized learning experiences through the Standards of Professional Practice. (Measurement: educator evaluations, educator feedback surveys) The District curricula allow for students to ask their own questions and to explore multiple solutions to complex issues or to challenge the status quo. (Measurement: self assessments, progression rubrics and student engagement data) School District of Clayton We will know we have achieved this goal when ... Meeting these objectives will ensure Clayton graduates are: • Self-Actualized • Empathetic • Collaborative Students demonstrate belief in self and engage in self-improvement and advocacy. (Measurement: self-management and social awareness and supportive relationships survey data) Students demonstrate kindness, compassion and respect of others by engaging in the District designed social/emotional learning curriculum. (Measurement: social emotional survey data). Students incorporate habits and practices that foster lifelong wellness. (Measurement: social, emotional and physical well-being survey data) Students make anti-oppressive choices and use their gifts and talents to build a more inclusive community. (Measurement: bullying and discipline data, community service hours) ... in head and heart. GOAL #3 We will be dedicated to the personal growth of our learners in their social, emotional and physical well-being. School District of Clayton Tracking Our Progress Allocating Resources The School District of Clayton will optimize and align resources to ensure we meet stated goals and objectives. To ensure we have both the fiscal and human capital needed, we will use an organizational planning model that causes us to annually review our alignment of strategic goals and finances. We will build our annual budget based on an organizational structure focused on instruction, human resources, capital improvement, programs and financial sustainability. We will use our growth data to determine if the way we are allocating resources is having the impact we expect. Action Steps and Evaluation Strategic plans are living, evolving documents. Actions steps, and the measures we use to evaluate our success, are some of the moving pieces that frequently change. View our progress at claytonschools.net/strategicplan. The School District of Clayton 314.854.6000 claytonschools.net #2 Mark Twain Circle Clayton, MO 63105