A Comprehensive Strategic Plan for a Primary School - Essay Example

A Comprehensive Strategic Plan for a Primary School Total Number of Explanatory Words 469 Table of Contents I. About The Two-Year Strategic Plan …………………………………….. 4 II. Enhancing the Students’ Literacy ……………………………………….. 4 a. Strategic Goal …………………………………………………… 4 b. Strategic Objectives ……………………………………………... 5 c. Strategic Initiatives ……………………………………………… 6 c.1 Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) . 6 c.2 Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) 7 c.3 Phase III – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 2) . 8 c.4 Phase IV – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 2) 9 III. Improving the Educators Quality Teaching for the Benefit of the Students 9 a. Strategic Goal …………………………………………………… 9 b. Strategic Objectives ……………………………………………... 9 c. Strategic Initiatives ……………………………………………… 10 c.1 Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) . 10 c.2 Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) 11 c.3 Phase III & IV – Strategic Initiatives (First and Second Semester of Year 2) ………………………………………. 12 IV. Expand Investment on Technology ………………………………………. 13 a. Strategic Goal …………………………………………………… 13 b. Strategic Objectives ……………………………………………... 13 c. Strategic Initiatives ……………………………………………… 13 c.1 Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) . 13 c.2 Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) 14 c.3 Phase III & IV – Strategic Initiatives (First and Second Semester of Year 2) ………………………………………. 14 V. A Final Note ………………………………………………………………. 14 About The Two-Year Strategic Plan The two-year strategic plan will focus on three major goals: to enhance the students’ literacy and improve the educators’ quality teaching for the benefit of the student; and expand investment on technology. With regards to the specified goals of the comprehensive strategic plan, specific objectives concerning the students’ learning, teacher recruitment policy, the best teaching practices as well as the shared service initiatives for the primary school will be highlighted. Note: The education system functions collectively. For this reason, it is very important for the head teacher not to consider only the teaching plan of the teachers but to pay a closer attention to all the possible aspects that may contribute and affect the quality teaching and learning experience of the teachers and students respectively. Improving and increasing the number of school’s available technology for learning indirectly increases the self-confidence and morale of the primary school teachers within the institution. Thus, enabling them to deliver a better quality education for the students. Enhancing the Students’ Literacy Strategic Goal Promote and integrate the 21th Century educational system in the primary school setting in order to improve the students’ fluency in reading, numeric skills, scientific literacy including global awareness by imposing a strict use of the learning technology inside the classroom and encouraging the students to the use of the Internet technology when doing their assigned school work. Note: Encouraging the use of technology in learning is one way of enabling the students to be competitive and well-equipped with the necessary technology skills they will be needing as soon as they finish school and start joining the workforce. Promoting Global awareness will benefit the students since we are already in the stage of globalization. Exposing the students early with the global surroundings is an important as part of the students’ learning activities. Strategic Objectives Making literacy the top priority in education. Encourage the parents to participate in the development of their child’s reading and writing skills. Offer an optional special learning program focusing on early language and literacy. Note: Students with a good quality reading and writing skills is crucial in getting them ready for higher education level. Establishing a good literacy foundation in primary education will make it possible for the students to become competitive in their future learning challenges. Developing the students’ reading and writing skills should not be limited in school premises alone. Parents participating in the learning process of each child will accelerate the child’s learning process. Thus, improving the students’ literacy rate. Extending an optional special learning program would be beneficial for students who are willing to learn more outside their regular class schedules. Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) Research and gather the best teaching practices that are accepted with the 21st Century educational system. After listing down the best teaching practices, take a second opinion from qualified professional educators to ensure its applicability in the primary school system. Review and revise the primary school’s current statutory provisions to ensure that the guidelines are written in accordance with the 21st Century educational requirements on literacy learning. Extend a support to existing local, regional and statewide activities on parent-teacher groups in order to expand the role of the parents as the first teacher of the children. Work with a specialized group in order to revitalize the existing curriculum based on the 21st Century educational requirements. Note: As the primary head teacher, it is critical to make an intensive research with regards to the accepted 21st Century educational style. This will enable the head teacher to determine the best teaching practices to implement within the primary school’s educational system. Taking a second opinion from an academic expert will prevent and lower the chance of encountering possible conflicts with the initial plan. Brain storming with the expert will provide the head teacher with a good insight and a better idea with regards to the implementation of the new educational system. It is important that the primary school’s current statutory provisions is in accordance with the 21st Century educational requirements to ensure that the school is delivering a modern educational strategies for the students. Extending a morale support with the existing local, regional and statewide activities on parent-teacher groups will increase the school’s credibility in encouraging the parents to participate in the learning development of their children. Working with a specialized group in revitalizing the existing curriculum based on the 21st Century educational requirements is a good idea since these group of professionals could contribute a better suggestions and fresh ideas when it comes to redesigning the existing curriculum. It will also prevent a bias feedback and judgment with the existing curriculum. Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) Review the existing affiliation and create a new school partnership with the qualified groups that could contribute in facilitating the primary school teachers to adapt with the 21st Century educational program. Collaborate with different professional associations. Develop a training program for the primary school teachers. Expand the focus of the school’s Annual Conferences and other short meetings with the integration of the 21st Century education system with the current curriculum. Gather some comments and suggestions from the primary school teachers regarding the existing school curriculum. Work with the school teacher(s) in order to ensure that the new curriculum is aligned with the culture and demand for a higher education. Note: Creating a new partnership with qualified group of professionals will be useful in enabling the existing primary school teachers to be familiarize with the 21st Century educational system. The existing group of school teachers will have to go through an intensive training program to ensure that the whole team could function well with the new set teaching techniques. The Annual Conferences and meetings will be the best way to communicate this strategic plan with the rest of the school team. This will enable them to know the new school direction in terms of teaching and improving the learning capabilities of the students. Gathering the suggestions and comments of the primary school teachers is necessary since they are the front liners of the school. Considering that they are the ones that personally deal with the students, they know the standards and intelligence level of each student. Also, allowing them to participate in finalizing the curriculum is an effective way of motivating them to participate with the implementation of the new strategic plan. Phase III – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 2) Give emphasis on the importance of the 21st Century educational system internally and through public campaigns. Finalize and start the training program for the primary school teachers. Continue promoting the importance of parent-student learning strategy by working with the school librarians and creating a web-based site designed for sharing resources and best practices information, and distributing a literacy support materials to the parents. Note: Using public campaigns in the promotion of the importance of the 21st Century educational system will open the minds of the teachers and parents towards a new understanding with regards to the benefits each student will get from the new strategic plan. It will also make the primary school teachers to look forward in participating with the implementation of the plan. Continuance of the promotion of parent-student learning is an essential part of developing the students’ learning process. Phase IV – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 2) Implementation of the new teaching method Improve the Educators Quality Teaching for the Benefit of the Student Strategic Goal To expand and improve the pooling of highly competitive educators by extending the necessary support in the preparation, recruitment, and retention of educators that has both the expertise in the assigned subject matter as well as in child development. Note: The school has a responsibility in extending some necessary training(s) to prepare the teachers in rendering a better quality education to the students. Recruitment is crucial in selecting the best teachers to join the school team. It is important that these individuals go through a set of tests in order to measure the potential teachers’ capabilities in rendering an effective teaching for the students. As soon as the school has found competitive teachers to join the team, it is important for the school to give a good compensation for the teachers in order to retain them for the longest period of time possible. Strategic Objectives Implement a strict background checking on potential teachers applying with the school to ensure their competitiveness in the teaching profession. Extend a high quality professional development for the existing primary teachers. Develop several strategies on recruitment, induction, mentorship, and retaining of educators for a minimum of five years in service. Note: Imposing a strict background checking on potential teachers will ensure the quality and competitiveness of each applicant in the teaching profession. Providing the teachers with the necessary trainings would equip them in their teaching profession. Developing new strategies on with regards to recruitment and retaining process will be beneficial for the school’s long-term goals. It will also be useful in maintaining a network of highly qualified educators within the school system. Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) Review, revise, and establish a new recruitment, induction, mentorship program and retaining process and schemes. Expand the advanced placement employment opportunities of the primary school through professional development and other related activities. Establish a strong and effective professional relationship with the group of primary school teachers. Note: It is necessary to review and make certain revisions with regards to the qualifications of the prospective educators applying for the profession as a primary school teacher. Recruitment is the most essential part in selecting and narrowing down the selection for the best effective educators in town. Induction and mentorship programs are equally important. Induction is the part that creates the first impression of the applicants towards the prestige of teaching and being affiliated with in the school. On the other hand, providing them the privilege to participate with the regular in-house mentorship programs such as seminars and trainings would provide them a growth and necessary updates in terms of their teaching career. Retaining process and schemes should be designed in such a way that it could attract the applicants and the existing competitive primary teachers to remain with the school for a longer period of time. This will prevent the school organization from entailing additional expenses that may arise from training a new primary school teacher with the basic information that each new teachers need to know. This includes: school rules and regulations, existing culture and practices, etc. As the leader, it is important for the head teacher to build and establish a strong professional relationship with the primary school teachers. This would enable the head teacher to gain their respect and participation with the implementation of the new comprehensive strategic plan. Being able to get them to willingly participate and cooperate with the plan is the key towards the success of the whole transformation. Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) Implement the new recruitment, induction, mentorship program and retaining process and schemes. Implement the advanced placement employment opportunities of the primary school through professional development and other related activities. Promote the primary school teachers’ understanding and utilization of the social and emotional learning (SEL) standards as a new rule in the teachers’ curriculum on education. Note: Social and emotional learning (SEL), a process in which the students develop awareness, management, and control of their personal emotions, is necessary in the 21th Century educational system. Students will benefit from the implementation of SEL since it could help them set and achieve some of the most important personal and/or academic goals they will be facing as they reach a higher level of education. This new system will also be useful in guiding them on how to make decision-making as well as ways on how to maintain a responsible behavior which will serve as the basic foundation that could help them reach their goals in school and life in general. Basically, teaching the students about social and emotional learning will enable them to be ready for further learning, develop a good classroom behavior, and achieving a good academic performance. Regular trainings for the primary school teachers should be provided at this stage to enable them to implement the new teaching technique during the first semester of year 2. Phase III & IV – Strategic Initiatives (First and Second Semester of Year 2) Implement the strict use of social and emotional learning (SEL) standards as a new rule in the teachers’ curriculum on education. Expand Investment on Technology Strategic Goal Support and utilize the available technology to be used in teaching and learning purposes. Note: This goal will enable the school teachers and students to strictly follow the new strategy for teaching and learning. This will encourage both the teachers and the learners to follow and participate with the new learning strategy. Strategic Objectives Establish sufficient funds for the investment on new learning technologies. Increase the school-based technology for learning and teaching. Note: Investing on new learning technology is necessary to make the whole comprehensive strategic plan work. Phase I – Strategic Initiatives (First Semester of Year 1) Establish the number of new learning technologies needed by the school. Conduct canvassing. Review the school’s available fund for investment on new learning technologies. Create funding for the project if necessary. Note: Investing on new learning technology may cost more than the school’s available fund. Therefore, as the head teacher, it may be necessary to develop a funding program for the new goal. The funding could either be in a form of school program or purely solicitation from different organizations. Phase II – Strategic Initiatives (Second Semester of Year 1) Plan and implement the chosen funding scheme. Note: At this stage, based on the chosen funding scheme, the head teacher could either coordinate with the primary school teachers to come up with a school program and encourage the students to participate, design a solicitation scheme for the funding, or both. Phase III & IV – Strategic Initiatives (First and Second Semester of Year 2) Invest on new learning technologies. A Final Note This document will serve as the starting point of the two-year Strategic Plan for a primary school setting. This plan will serve to improve and meet the constantly changing demands on the educational system needed by the community and schools. The progress of this plan will be monitored and measure using a Performance Progress and Metric template which will be submitted to the school principal on a quarterly basis. The primary school principal will personally evaluate the effectiveness of the Plan on a yearly basis. Based on the principals comments and suggestions, necessary changes and additional information will be included in the document to ensure that this document remains accurate in leading the changes of the educational system of the school. *** End *** Read More