Skip to main content

5X5 Part II

As we approach 2018 we do so with traditional hopes and goals for the school district. These goals can be found in the form of our new strategic plan, 5X5. We focus on the number 5: 5 Star Quality, 5 strands in the plan, a 5 star rating for the district.

We began the process in August with these three questions:

  • What are you most proud of in our district?
  • What would  you like us to continue doing?
  • What are our next steps and needs?
We saturated the county with these questions and when we were finished we had collected over 750 responses. These responses were analyzed and 5 strands emerged including Technology, Academics, Human  Resources, Community Engagement, and Facilities.

In the Technology strand our 1:1 initiative is addressed. Our goal is to have all students grades 5-12 have their own devices. Included in this is to provide the instructional professional development for our teachers so that they have the knowledge of how to use these , not to replace their instruction, but to enhance it.

I am sure that every district in America has a focus on Academics. While our district is rated a 4 out of 5, we want to be a 5. This strand addresses other areas as well including art, STEM, Gifted/Talented, CTE, and Dual Enrollment. All of these support a strong academic educational program.

We are only as strong as the people we have working in our district. We must pay strong attention to both recruitment and retention. We must be able to offer competitive salaries, strong benefits, and professional development to grow their skill sets. Our Human Resources strand addresses all of these goals.

Community Engagement and Community Partnerships are strong priorities for our stakeholders. We must work in tandem to provide our students with rich work force learning opportunities, job shadowing and internships. These all support our CTE Program.

Finally, our Facilities strand includes a demographics and population study and a comprehensive facilities assessment to determine our needs for the future of our buildings.

We are very excited to imagine our future with these goals set forth in our strategic plan.  Completing them will  put us on par with the highest performing districts in the state. Won't you join us in giving us your feedback and ideas? The draft can be found on the district website. Please take a moment to read the plan and fill out the survey attached to it. You are part of this process. Your opinion matters!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Five Star Quality

When you want to go to an extra special restaurant you might choose one that has a 5 star rating. And if you want to take that once a year weekend to a luxurious hotel you will surely look for one that is also of 5 star quality. It is our desire to offer a 5 star quality educational experience for every child and family in Cheatham County. What does that look like? I believe to get to a 5 star quality we must fine tune the details. It is the little things. There are many things that are expected and standard, if you will, in education: transportation, food service, newsletters, and reasonably sized classes. What gets you to the five star rating? Multiple forms of communication are expected by parents in a 5 star quality program including phone calls, emails, videos, and newsletters. Personal phone calls home giving a positive referral by the teacher should happen throughout the year. Up to date social media sites sharing happenings in the schools with pictures to spark dinner table...

Three Legged Stool

Education is like a three legged stool. For the stool to stand, the weight must be distributed equally with all legs holding up their portion. The three legs represent the school, the student, and the parents or caregivers of the student. All have an equal yet different responsibility in the education of a child. The school has the responsibility for providing a safe and respectful environment in which to learn. A guaranteed and viable curriculum must be delivered daily to all students. Classes and opportunities should be available to develop the whole child including art, music, physical and vocational education. Opportunities to develop 21st Century skills should be offered to give students chances to collaborate in meaningful ways. Students need lessons that require them to create, analyze and use higher order thinking skills. Finally, the schools should develop relationships with students that give them mentors, role models, and caring adults in their lives. Parents are their c...