Strategic Planning Training Modules

Strategic Planning
Training Modules
General Description of Strategic
Planning
A certain sequence of choices brought you to
this place.
 Strategy takes a grand vision and turns it into
something useful.
 The process to provide direction to the school
and meaning to day-to-day activities.
 It examines a school’s values, current status,
and environment and relates those factors to
the organization’s future state, usually
expressed in 5-10 year time periods.

Benefits to Strategic Planning
Strategic planning allows people to feel
in control of their future along with an
increased confidence about stepping up
to opportunities and managing threats.
 Proactive, not reactive.

The Strategic Planning Team
•
•
•
Keep the group small and manageable:
entire board, Principal, other key individuals.
Include a variety of personalities,
backgrounds and thinking styles (creative &
analytic).
Include others through indirect means.
• Allows stakeholders input without complicating the
immediate process.
•
The leader of the strategic planning process
should be neutral (not the Principal or board
President).
Strategic Planning Process Overview
Strategic Planning’s Value for School Governance
• Focus on the mission
•
•
Puts mission into clear goals and behaviors that can be followed by
board, staff, and other stakeholders.
Keeps board members focused on long-range planning and development
of policy.
• Efficient allocation of time and resources
•
•
Improves chance of success of school because work being done is
intentional and not reactive in nature.
Resources are allocated to a specific plan agreed on by all stakeholders.
• Better decision making
•
Expertise of various professionals and board members generates a
myriad of strategies for working with opportunities and threats.
• Evaluation tool
•
Goals will have an outcome measures that can be tracked and used in
school reports and community outreach.
Strategic Planning Process Overview
Strategic Planning’s Value for School
Governance
• Continuity and Survival
•
Ensures longevity of the school through stable direction
and management.
• Consensus and Ownership
•
Stakeholders have input into process.
• School Improvement Plan (Accountability Plan)
•
Strategic plan operates as the School Improvement Plan
• Grant Writing
•
Acts as record of goals and accomplishments
The Value of Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning
• Increases the likelihood of the school’s success
•
Everyone is working toward the same vision, with the same
resources, and the same endpoints in mind.
• Builds a shared vision for all stakeholders
•
Puts the vision into behavioral objectives that can be
tracked.
• Garners broad-based support
•
Can be used to garner support from community
organizations as well.
Strategic Management
Process Flow Model
Vision Statement
Mission Statement
School Profile
External Environment
Long-term Objectives
Strategy Formulation
Strategy Implementation
Annual Objectives
Operating Strategies
Policies
Institutionalization
of Strategy
Control and
Evaluation
This chart was adapted from John APearce II and Richard B.Robinson, Jr. Formulation, Implementation and Control
of Competitive Strategy, Richard D. Irwin, Inc., Burr Ridge, Ill., 1994.
Tips
•
Focus on the important issues.
• Helps you get the most value for your effort.
• Keep it simple and direct.
•
Make the plan workable.
• Produce a workable document that can be
shared with stakeholders.
• Performs as a guide for action.
•
The plan should be motivating, not
burdensome.
• Do not take on so much that you lose focus and
energy. Limit yourself to only the most
important goals.
•
Make it simple in the beginning.
Strategy Formulation
 Vision and Mission Statement


Clear statement of the values of the school and what activities the
school intends to pursue as part of its daily plan.
Mission statement should clearly outline your unique purpose, your area
of emphasis, and should reflect your values and priorities.
 External Environment





Social Factors-Dissatisfaction with public education has brought about
demand for charters
Political Factors-Political environment that affects charters
Competitive Environment-What other schools do we compete with?
Customers-What clientele are we serving? Core Subject/Experiential
Human Resource/Labor Market-Can we fill our needs?
 School Profile

An analysis of your organization
 Long-Term Objectives

Statements of the results an organization seeks to achieve over a
specified period-usually about five years.
SWOT Analysis
(School Profile)
– Strategic Internal Factors
 Strengths
– Examples
 Strong parental involvement
 Dedicated, highly trained staff

Weaknesses
– Examples
 Board weak in Finance Leadership
 Facility too small for growth
– Key External Factors
 Opportunities
– Examples
 Collaboration with YMCA for After-school activities program
 Strong relationship with neighboring businesses

Threats
– Examples
 District relationship is strained
 Political environment is not charter friendly
SWOT Analysis Grid
Jefferson Academy Schools Strategic Plan -2000/2001 Update (Rev 8/00)
Vision Statement: Jefferson Academy Schools envision a community of parents, teachers, students, and educational and business leaders, working together
to create a learning environment that engenders growth in character, academic achievement, and the love of learning, resulting in responsible, productive
citizens.
Mission Statement: The mission of Jefferson Academy is to help students attain their highest social and academic potential through an academically
rigorous, content-rich educational program.
Jefferson Academy SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis:
Strengths
 Quality administration and staff
 Academically rigorous, content-rich core curriculum
 Safe and disciplined environment
 Significant parental involvement
 Image - good reputation in the state, the local community, and
the charter and educational communities
 Strong leadership in charter movement - a model for others
 Flexibility resulting from ownership of facility
 Incorporation of technology in our elementary academic
program
 Size of school allows for comprehensive view of each student
 Athletic program in the context of the charter community
Opportunities
 Working with various organizations to address facility and
budget needs and growth of program
 Capitalize on our relationship with the foundations, business,
higher education, and government entities
 Professional development of teaching staff
 Development of K-12 activities program
 Character development plan
 Continuity of K-12 educational program
Weaknesses
 Facility limitations
 Reliance on temps in Jr. High and Elementary
 Fine Arts space
 Lunch facility for secondary
 Capital Revenue
 Library program at secondary level
 Secondary level in expansion mode with new staff and
curriculum development
 Limited opportunity for teacher specialization at
secondary level particularly electives
 Inexperienced secondary staff/lack of mentors
 Lack of public transportation
Threats
 Contract negotiations with District
 Neighborhood relations
Qualities of Long-Term Objectives

Acceptable
 Reflect buy-in from the community you represent

Flexible
 As situations change, objectives may no longer be appropriate

Measurable
 Objectives must clearly and concretely state what will be achieved and
when it will be achieved.

Motivating
 Objectives should be challenging, but not frustrating.

Suitable
 They should reflect vision and mission.

Achievable
 Must be realistic.
Needs as Identified by Group
• Board of Directors Development and
Strengthening
• Educational Program Objectives
• Staff Growth and Professional
Development
• Facility Development or Improvements
• Financial Viability to Support the Dream
• Other Program Objectives
• Organizational Objectives
Needs Stated as Long-Term
Objectives
• Board of Directors Development and
Strengthening
•
Board of Directors will receive training on running
effective meetings by March 2004.
• Educational Program Objectives
•
We will provide full Core Knowledge Program by the
end of our third year.
• Staff Growth and Professional Development
•
Staff will initially follow a blanket PD plan receiving
training in our school policy, classroom management,
etc.
Strategy Implementation
 Annual Objectives


Break down objectives into yearly goals
Example: Our first year, we will implement full
Core Knowledge curriculum in our sciences.
 Functional Strategies

Specific behaviors that can be done to reach
your goals
 Policies
 Evaluation and Control
Strategic Plan Table
Long Term
Objectives
1. Board of
Directors
Strengthening
and
Development
Annual Objectives
Functional Strategies
Board of Directors
Subcommittee
 Quarterly
Review by
subcommittee,
Principal, and
Accountability
Committee of
Strategic Plan
 Communication
of the Strategic
Plan to the
school families
 Open
House/BTS
Night
communicat
ions for
prospective
students
new
families
 Staff Meetings
 Strategic
Plan Review
 Faculty
Needs
Assessment
Board of Directors
 Quarterly review by Jr. High Subcommittee,
Principal, and Accountability Committee of
Strategic Plan
 November, January, April, June
 June meeting is Annual Meeting
 Faculty Needs Assessment is included
 Accountability Committee consists of:
Students (4) - two from 7th, two from 8th
Parents (4) - two from 7th, two from 8th
Staff (2)
 Communication of Strategic Plan
 End of year school report (in May) which
includes Strategic Plan accomplishments
 Upcoming school year communication of
Strategic Plan
 Fall Reception (September)
 Spring Open House (late April, early May)
Waiting List families
Incoming students
 Letter to families
 Staff Meetings
 Brief August meeting with staff members
Administration
 Quarterly Review of Strategic Plan (with BOD)
 Communication of Strategic Plan (with BOD)
 Staff Meetings (with BOD)
Status/
Schedule
 complete
 complete
Application of Strategic Planning
Jefferson Academy Example
• Annual board retreat
• Completed in a full-day retreat
• Strategic Plan development
• SWOT Analysis
• Development of Goals and Strategies
• Quarterly review to board
• One person is assigned to tracking progress on document and
reporting to board on a quarterly basis.
• Scheduled communication to parents
• Determine how often you want to report to parents on your
progress toward your goals.
• Subcommittee work
• Guides subcommittee work requiring less investment of time on
behalf of Board Members.
• Staff implementation
• Provides specific behaviors that communicates your vision and
mission throughout the school.