March 7, 2014

posted Mar 7, 2014, 7:34 AM by Suzanne WARDINI   [ updated Mar 7, 2014, 7:36 AM ]

Strategic Planning

In the coming months we will be embarking on the development of a new Strategic Plan that will select several key areas for the development of ISD in the next 5 years. The last Strategic Plan engendered significant growth in the school’s program and facilities, the most evident being our new Middle School and High School building, along with a very impressive IT program and infrastructure. 

We will begin the process in April, when a Steering Committee for Strategic Planning will convene during Dr. Alan Knobloch’s transition visit to campus. The first session with include an overview of the process, a review of the school’s mission statement, analysis of the results of the most recent annual survey, analysis and discussion on the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and the generation of an initial list of potential strategic topics. In September, the Steering Committee will convene for several intensive sessions to select 5 – 7 strategic goals, and between sessions in October, sub-committees will gather information through focus groups and research to develop the language and timelines for the goals. It is expected that the final draft of the Strategic Plan 2015 – 2020 will be complete and ready for Board approval by November 2014. 

The first session in April will take place in the evening for about 3 hours. Later sessions, in a retreat format, will require about 1 and a half days during a couple of weekends. The Steering Committee will be composed of representatives from student council, faculty members, administrators, parents and board members. It is expected the working group will comprise about 25 participants who will be selected based on representation of groups, previous experience with strategic planning and other areas of expertise. In order to provide continuity between this year and next year, members will be expected to be able to commit through the fall of next school year. Ideally some members will continue with the Steering Committee for a period of several annual reviews of progress on the Strategic Plan.

I invite parents who are interested in being considered for appointment to the Steering Committee to contact me by email at director_isd@isd.sn. Experience and expertise in strategic planning, futuristic visionary thinking, building design, technology, 21st Century education, student achievement and student life will all be desirable attributes. Please include a listing of the attributes you can contribute to the Steering Committee.

Paul Olson
Director
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