CONDUCTING A SCHOOL SWOT ANALYSIS

WHAT IS A SWOT ANALYSIS? 0 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 0 Important tool tool for administration, teachers and staff involved to identify effective and less effective elements in your school. 0 Best conducted when you have identified goals and objectives 0 Used to plan strategies for achieving your goals.

STRENGTHS 0 INTERNAL factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving school objectives. 0 Characteristics of the school that give it an advantage over others. 0 Examples 0 Good reputation as an innovative organization 0 Highly qualified and experienced staff 0 Motivated students 0 Rich technology resources 0 Strong counseling for students for college/career planning.

WEAKNESSES 0 INTERNAL factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving school objectives. 0 Characteristics that place the school at a disadvantage relative to others. 0 Examples 0 Poor communication between administrators, teachers, and staff 0 Lack of qualified staff 0 Weak administration that is not improvement-oriented 0 Poor resources of all kinds

OPPORTUNITIES 0 EXTERNAL factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding school objectives. 0 Elements that could be exploited to the school’s advantage. 0 Examples 0 Availability of new federal funding for technology resources 0 High tech company is willing to sponsor a school coding program 0 Local business and community partnerships 0 Potential of parent involvement in promoting critical thinking 0 National education reform movement

THREATS 0 EXTERNAL factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving school objectives. 0 Elements that could compromise the school’s success. 0 Examples 0 Changes in college entrance examinations 0 Lack of national commitment to education 0 Parent demands on students’ time 0 Student poverty limits their resources

WHEN COULD YOU USE SWOT? 0 A SWOT analysis can offer helpful perspectives at any stage of your reform efforts. You might use it to: 0 Explore possibilities for new efforts or solutions to problems. 0 Make decisions about the best path for school reform. 0 Identifying your opportunities for success in context of threats to success can clarify directions and choices. 0 Determine where change is possible. 0 If you are at a juncture or turning point, an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses can reveal priorities as well as possibilities. 0 Adjust and refine plans mid-course. 0 A new opportunity might open wider avenues, while a new threat could close a path that once existed.

SYNONYMS PositivesNegatives  strengths  assets  resources  opportunities  prospects  weaknesses  limitations  restrictions  threats  challenges

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES 0 INTERNAL FACTORS include your resources and experiences. General areas to consider are: 0 Human resources - staff, volunteers, board members, target population 0 Physical resources - your location, building, equipment (Does your building have a prime location? Does it need renovations?) 0 Financial - grants, funding agencies, other sources of income 0 Activities and processes - programs you run, systems you employ 0 Past experiences - building blocks for learning and success, your reputation in the community

OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS 0 Cast a wide net to identify EXTERNAL FACTORS. 0 Consider connectedness to your community. 0 Forces and facts that your group does not control include: 0 Future trends - in school reform, technology use, national exams 0 The economy - local, national, or international 0 Funding sources - foundations, donors, legislatures 0 Demographics - changes in the age, race, gender, culture of those you serve or in your area 0 The physical environment (Is your building in a growing part of town? Is the bus company cutting routes?) 0 Legislation (Do new federal requirements make your job harder or easier?) 0 Local, national or international events

STEPS FOR CONDUCTING SCHOOL-WIDE SWOT ANALYSIS 1. Identify the goals, outcomes, ESLRs for your school reform. 2. Create a safe and open environment so administrators, teachers, staff, and students can respond candidly. 3. Complete a collective SWOT analysis by involving administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, etc… 0 Independently, in small groups, whole group 0 As part of staff development 0 As part of class activity 4. After collection of all responses, identify: 0 Strengths that could be maximized 0 Opportunities that could be acted upon 0 Weaknesses that can be minimized 0 Threats that could be mitigated 5. Make time to reflect on results and plan for action.