The feedback you provided was insightful and extremely helpful in developing our goals for the future. As reported in an earlier blog, the Executive Leadership Team and Board of Trustees have been reviewing the results to determine the relative strengths and weaknesses of our school and to identify the critical issues that should be addressed in the strategic planning process. Strategic plans are vital for any organization that wishes to improve its performance and ensure its future. Strategic plans serve as roadmaps, consisting of goals, initiatives, and action plans, that guide an organization from its current reality towards its desired future.
A school's strategic plan is so important that our new accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), recognizes it as satisfying the requirement of a School Improvement Plan. More importantly, the strategic planning process engages the ideas and perspectives of all the constituent groups within a school, so that many stakeholders have a part in shaping the future of the school.
The first step in developing a strategic plan is gathering information. That's where the survey results, focus groups, and special task forces we have been working with provide valuable input. The goals of a strategic plan must be based on an accurate understanding of our school's current performance and the priorities of our constituents. The feedback we receive helps us make decisions on future allocations of resources, development of new programs and improvement of existing programs. The one constant in our decision-making is our mission statement. Every decision we make must be driven by our mission to “equip strong leaders with biblical convictions for tomorrow.”
While we surveyed five constituent groups, we gave particular attention to the responses of our current parents, students and teachers. Here is an executive summary of our review:
Top Five Parent and Student Commendations
- Faculty is rated high for care and concern
- Faith-based education is praised and prioritized
- Academic rigor is rated at an appropriate level
- Opportunities to participate in athletics and fine arts are plentiful
- Balance between academics, fine arts, and athletics is appreciated and supported
Top Five Parent and Student Recommendations
- Give students more “voice and choice” in what they wish to pursue academically
- Focus on hiring high quality teachers across the board to ensure teachers are experts in their fields
- Promote the emotional safety of students
- Place more emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)
- Expand the curriculum to offer greater variety in electives
Six Priority Issues Deserving Attention in the Strategic Planning Process
- Ensuring highly qualified, highly trained teachers in every classroom
- Teaching specific academic skills such as time-management and financial stewardship
- Integrating technology more effectively
- Creating an emotionally safe environment
- Expanding curriculum to give students more choices
- Increasing accessibility of school to mission-appropriate families in the community by providing additional financial assistance.
The issues listed above are not exhaustive; the strategic plan will include many more goals than these. Later this spring, the Board of Trustees will appoint planning committees that will be charged with developing goals, strategic initiatives, and action plans that incorporate these priorities. Our goal is to complete the plan and publish it by August 2018. Meanwhile, we are not waiting on the completion of the plan to move forward with several initiatives. Our new Professional Schools Program is an example of an initiative that we are implementing right now to address the need to expand our curriculum and give students more choices in their studies.
Again, thank you for your participation. Your help in shaping the future of the school strengthens the covenant partnership we value at Legacy.
Onward and Upward,
Bill McGee
Legacy Christian Academy is Frisco's only Pre-K through 12 Christian school committed to educating students in a college preparatory environment balanced in academics, athletics, and fine arts–all within the context of a biblical worldview. For more information on Legacy, visit our admissions page.