1. Superintendent’s Strategic Plan
Spring 2001

2. “Instruction, Instruction, Instruction
That is my one and only priority.
I believe that children learn as a direct result of what and how they are taught and that effort counts.”
Roy Romer, August 2000

3. Why a Strategic Plan? Articulates goals and key steps to achieve them
Communicates vision and goals to staff and the community
Focuses our efforts
Establishes priorities for funding
Provides benchmarks and measures for monitoring our progress

4. Fundamental Goal
To improve student learning to enable all students to achieve high academic standards.

5. How to reach our goal Highest Priority Activities Reading Math
Professional Development
Space

6. Additional keys to success
Support for English Learners
Special Education
Recruitment and Retention of Staff
Use of Technology
Efficient Use of Resources
Early Childhood Education
Expanded Magnet and Academy Schools
Enhanced After-School Programs
Involved Parents and Community

7. Measuring Progress
Overall Measure: Improvement in the Academic Performance Index (API)
Goal: 80% of all schools will meet their API growth targets by
Percentage of schools reaching goal will increase in each of the next 5 years

8. 2000 Academic Performance Index
Target for all schools is 800

9. The specific goals and activities

10. #1 Improved student reading and writing skills across all grade levels
Continue K-2 Open Court and coaches
Roll out 3-5 Open Court and coaches
Two hour elementary language arts block
Double period language for struggling middle & high school readers
Explicit literacy instruction for 6-12
The skills of reading, writing and mathematics are basic.
Reading is a gatekeeper skill.

11. #2. Improved student skills and understanding in
#2 Improved student skills and understanding in mathematics across all grade levels
Provide special mathematics K-12 teacher training
Adopt and provide new math texts
Add 285 math coaches
Encourage departmentalization in grades 4-5
Provide auxiliary periods for secondary school professional development
Our performance in math has been stagnant. We must turn the spotlight to mathematics to improve achievement.

12. #3. Focused professional development as the
#3 Focused professional development as the key to improving classroom practice
Focus professional development on analysis of student work
Utilize 760 coaches as the vanguard of change
Enable principals and administrators to be instructional leaders
Use enhanced program quality review process (EPQR) as a process for analyzing school strengths and weaknesses
The key to improving teaching skills is a professional development strategy that is embedded in the classroom, is collaborative and focuses on student work.

13. #3. Focused professional development as the
#3 Focused professional development as the key to improving classroom practice
Train all teachers in math through Governor’s initiatives
Continue training for elementary reading initiative and begin secondary reading initiative
Negotiate compensation packages that are more inclusive of pay for skill acquisition
We learn by being active learners, not passive. As teachers, we learn best in the setting in which we do our work – the classroom.

14. #4 Adequate classroom seats
Build 65,000 classroom seats
Use non-traditional means to provide space (e.g., lease)
“Fine tune” facilities organization to get the job done
Maximize state school construction funding
The shortage of classroom seats is one of the most compelling problems facing the District.

15. #5. Support for English Language Learners (ELLs)
#5 Support for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Standard English Language Learners (SELLs)
Sustained and specialized teacher training to develop expertise
Develop expertise in literacy coaches
Pursue and acquire supplemental funds
Collect and report data on progress of students
Almost half our students are English Language Learners. Another 20% are Standard English Language Learners.

16. #6 Enhanced delivery and effectiveness of special education services
Uniform policies and procedures for writing Individual Educational Plans (IEPs)
Increase participation of students with disabilities in general education activities
Screen ELLs referred for special education assessment
Implement appropriate transition activities
Our primary objective is to ensure ALL students will meet and exceed content performance standards.

17. #6 Enhanced delivery and effectiveness of special education services
Pursue innovative strategies and models
Improve efficiency in delivery of services
Ensure appropriate identification of students using uniform criteria
Create a web-based IEP system
Integrate full-range special education data into District’s student data base
Provide assistance to parents
We must also commit to eliminating all vestiges of a hostile environment for students with disabilities.

18. #7 Enhanced recruitment and retention of qualified staff
Competitive teacher compensation package
Enhanced recruitment plan
Expand incentives for new teachers
Ensure new teachers get the support they need
Enhance customer service to applicants
The single most important ingredient in academic success, is the preparation and professionalism of the classroom teacher.

19. #7 Enhanced recruitment and retention of qualified staff
Enhance recruitment of school-site administrators
Expand outreach to potential future administrators
Enhance recruitment and retention of classified support staff

20. #8. Increased use of technology in the
#8 Increased use of technology in the classroom and more effective use of technology for instructional support
Adopt and implement a district-wide technology plan
Implement network strategy to support instruction and administrative needs
Roll-out computers at 6:1 ratio (kids:computers)
Provide teacher technology training
We must provide students, teachers, administrators and staff with the tools necessary to prepare students for higher education and work, as well as to improve the quality of decision-making and increase efficiency.

21. #8. Increased use of technology in the
#8 Increased use of technology in the classroom and more effective use of technology for instructional support
Long-term support of technology for local school sites
Improve services and skill levels of technology staff
Enable District to use data to drive decision-making through technology

22. #9 Increased efficiency in the use of resources
Target resources to support the District’s strategic initiatives
Review budget allocations
Implement cost efficiency measures in programs where costs are rising
Utilize technology to increase effectiveness and efficiency, for example:
Position control system
Electronic storage and retrieval of documents
Enhance/replace payroll system
It is our responsibility to maximize the dollars spent on the direct delivery of services to boys and girls, as their education is our primary mission.

23. #10 Improved early childhood education as a foundation for success
Appropriate curriculum for early literacy and math
Readiness coaches and professional development strategies
Increase competence of early childhood staff
Provide 20 hours per year of parent education
What a child experiences and learns in the years before kindergarten is far more important than ever imagined.

24. #11 Expanded magnet and academy programs
Encourage conversion of schools to a multi-track calendar to create space
Identify and target areas with the fewest magnet seats
Set aside seats in new schools for magnet or academy options
Seek Magnet School Assistance Program grants
The 27,000 student waiting list for magnet programs speaks volumes about the popularity of these academically successful, diverse programs.

25. #12 Expanded and enhanced after-school programs
Establish performance indicators, benchmarks and evaluation criteria for all programs
Develop appropriate infrastructure for coordination and support
Coordinate with organizations providing expanded learning and enrichment services
Seek funds from a variety of public and private sources
Every child should have a safe place to be with engaging activities that support achievement and promote social, emotional and physical development

26. #13 Involved parents and communities
Ensure parents have a voice in educational decision-making
Reach out to a wide variety of parents and community members through Local District Superintendents
Create connections between local district and local elected leaders, business leaders and community organizations
Parents and students are the ultimate stakeholders in our educational community.

28. Complete presentation is available at the Local District G website on the Administrators Webpage.
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