Strategic Planning

1. Strategic Planning Training Modules

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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).

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. This chart was adapted from John A Pearce II and Richard B. Robinson, Jr. Formulation, Implementation and Control of Competitive Strategy , Richard D. Irwin, Inc., Burr Ridge, Ill., 1994. Strategic Management Process Flow Model Vision Statement Mission Statement School Profile External Environment Long-term Objectives Strategy Formulation Strategy Implementation Annual Objectives Operating Strategies Control and Institutionalization Policies Evaluation of Strategy

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. SWOT Analysis Grid

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Strategic Plan Table

18. 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.