2020-2025 Strategic Plan UpdateNovember 11, 2019

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Agenda Purpose

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Purpose

To provide an update to the community on the development of the

2020-2025 Strategic Plan.

• Background for the development of the strategic plan

• Gather feedback from stakeholders on the proposed plan.

• Share a draft strategic plan content with the community

• Listen to feedback from stakeholders on the proposed plan

components.

11/11/2019

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• We will be engaged and fully present

• We will have one conversation

• We will stay focused on the topic of conversation

• We will share the air

• We will respect each other

• We will respect our time together (time will be provided at the

end of the meeting for individual questions)

Norms

What’s Different in the Proposed 2020-2025 Strategic Plan?

In this plan you will see:

o Clear Direction

• Three Strategic Goals anchored in our mission

• A Theory of Action for change and improvement

o Equity

• Revised mission statement

• Embedded in all strategic plan components

o Continuous Improvement

• Removed silos

• Clearly defined district support for schools

• A focus on monitoring progress at the school and district level

o Your Feedback

• Internal and external feedback guided the development of the goals, priorities and many of the objectives

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Context and Intro to the Strategic Plan

Our focus for the past five years has been strengthening our students, schools, staff, and system. We reorganized as a charter system, giving principals and schools greater autonomy over the decisions that make sense for their students and families. We organized schools into neighborhood-based clusters, creating alignment across schools that allows students to build expertise in signature programs that communities collaborated to select for their respective clusters. These shifts empowered school sites to make decisions for their students and engage communities in decisions to support their schools.

The work of strengthening our district has achieved significant achievement: Our graduation rate has increased to 77.9% with a district high of 2,506 on-time student graduates in 2019. We are also proud of our investment in facilities improvements that have provided upgrades to several campuses and brand new buildings.

With greater localized decision-making, flexibility, and alignment in place, we are ready for the next critical step in preparing every APS student for college and career readiness: a district-wide focus on building equity. Excellence, equity, ethics, and engagement have consistently guided our work, and the time is right for equity to move to the forefront of our strategy for excellence for all.

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Components of the Strategic Plan

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MissionWhy APS exists

VisionA picture of APS’ future

Guiding PrinciplesAPS’ value and beliefs that guide

decision-making

Core ValuesAPS’ employees’ beliefs that

guide how they work

PrioritiesBroad Areas of Focus

Strategic GoalsSpecific and measurable targets

related to district priorities

Strategic InitiativesSpecific projects related to Priorities that help to achieve the Strategic Goals

Action StepsA plan of what needs to occur, by when, and by whom

Theory of ActionAPS’ belief in what will lead to long-term success

Joint School Board

& District

Administration

Responsibility

District

Administration

Responsibility

* Adapted from the District Management Council; Strategy in Action: Curtis & City; Strategic Plan Examples (Los Angeles, Ottawa,

Washington, DC, Des Moines, Charlotte-Mecklenburg); Association of Strategic Planning

District Mission (REVISED)

The current mission statement should be updated to emphasize and be more explicit about a district focus on equity.

Through a caring culture of equity, trust, and collaboration, every student will graduate ready for college and career.

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VisionMissionThrough a caring culture of

equity, trust, and collaboration,

every student will graduate

ready for college and career.

A high-performing school

district where students love to

learn, educators inspire,

families engage and the

community trusts the system.

Foundation

Core ValuesGuiding PrinciplesExcellence in everything we do

Engagement with our school

community

Ethics to rebuild our integrity

Equity in our approach to

decision-making

1. Putting Students and

Schools First

2. Commit to Teamwork

3. Focus on Communication

4. Demonstrate Respect for

Others

5. Be Accountable

6. Act with Integrity

7. Embrace and Drive Change

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Theory of Action

Definecriteria against which schools and the District are measured

Empower schools to set goals and priorities and equip them with capacity and equitable resources

Assess progress, engage stakeholders, identify success, and commit to a timeline and effective support strategies for continual improvement

We will be positioned to act with urgency and revise strategies to take action when criteria are not being met or showing significant progress

Every student, regardless of background, will attain the skills, knowledge, and tools to succeed in college and career

If we… and… So that…and… then…

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Theory of Action

How would you define the “criteria?”

Schools District

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Areas of Focus identified by APS BOE September 2019

The following priority areas were identified by the APS BOE during the

September Board retreat.

• Close the Achievement Gap and Address Equity

• Focus on Early Childhood and Literacy

• Empower Effective School Leaders and Staff

• Identify, Prioritize, and Meet the Needs of Students and Schools

• Continue to Strengthen District and School Culture

Themes pending completion of Strategic Planning Processes*:

o The district will make investments to eliminate the racial achievement gap

o The district will make investments in teacher/staff well-being initiatives to support staff recruitment and retention

o The district will make investments in alignment with the overall district strategic plan to support Reading / Literacy initiatives

o The district will make investments in alignment with the overall district strategic plan to support Math initiatives

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Multi-Year Areas of Focus:DRAFT as of 10/17/2019 from Budget Parameters discussion

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DRAFT: Strategic Goals

INCREASE THE PERCENT

of students proficient or above in 8th grade

math

INCREASE THE PERCENT

of African-American and Hispanic students reading on grade level

CLOSE THE GAP

in Graduation Rates between APS and the

State

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Excellence Through Equity

Excellence Through Equity

o Atlanta Public Schools will build a culture of equity, trust and collaboration, preparing every student to graduate ready for college and career. Over the next five years, our guiding principles of excellence and equity will move to the forefront of our work to advance our mission for all students. The measures of success will be defined for all schools in a way that will empower all staff of the Atlanta Public Schools family to measure progress and to drive action together.

o We will also align our focus behind key priorities across Atlanta Public Schools that will close gaps and drive resources and support for schools. We will do this through aligning behind four key priorities (see next slide):

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Strategic Priorities

We are fostering academic excellence for all.

The gaps in access that have allowed for uneven outcomes are being closed. We are identifying and

addressing the needs of each student, regardless of background, so they have the skills, knowledge, and tools

to succeed in college and career.

We are building a culture of student support.

Students are attending schools and learning in classrooms that are inclusive, caring, joyful, safe, and

collaborative. The student-centered culture is inclusive and equitable, responsively providing for the well-being

and development of each student.

We are uniting to invest in student success.

We are rallying teachers, staff, volunteers, families, and community members to create a cohesive coalition of

support for each student, invested in his/her/their success. We are working together to enthusiastically

champion each child, PK-12, through their academic journey at APS.

We are equipping and empowering APS staff.

With a focus on capacity-building and growth, every staff member, is given the training, support, coaching, and

advocacy needed to build their skills and raise the bar for excellence. By providing staff with resources and

autonomy, schools are better positioned to address the needs of their students and their community.

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• Create opportunities for schools that are closing racial and socio-economic achievement gaps to expand their impact and replicate their success

• Focus on PK-12 literacy and mathematics

• Equip students for college and career readiness across the PK-12 continuum (eg. signature programming, advanced coursework, pathways)

• Provide services to address the social, emotional, mental and behavioral well-being of all students (eg. wraparound supports, SEL)

• Equitably increase opportunities and participation in enrichment (core and extended core) and holistic development based on individual student interest

• Invest in 21st Century school learning environments

• Attract, cultivate, support, and retain the highest quality leaders, teachers and staff

• Promote adult mindsets that positively impact the pursuit of equity and fairness

• Partner with families and the community, to include businessand non-profit organizations, to support all schools

• Provide services to improve the engagement and overall well-being of all staff

• Create opportunities for outstanding teachers and instructional leaders to stay in APS and expand their reach through additional leadership roles

• Continuously improve service-focused and responsive support to schools, as well as, district-wide operational processes

• Adopt an equity-minded timeline for effective support strategies, and if necessary due to chronic underperformance, intervention strategies*

• Continuously explore and consider additional effective support and intervention strategies

• Continue to promote school-level autonomy.

• Set equitable goals to dramatically increase resources going to students

We are fostering academic excellence for all

We are building a culture of student support

We are uniting to invest in student success

We are equipping & empowering leaders & staff

Strategic Priorities & Objectives

Suggested Questions for the Community Conversation

o Does this plan point APS in the right direction? How or how not?

o Is there anything you would change that would help us move the plan forward?

o How will the community know that we did what we said we were going to do?

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Strategic Plan Development Timeline

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Monitor & Refine

How we are doing

April –August 2019

Measure

How we will know we are successful

PlanHow we will do it

DevelopWhere we want to

be

AssessWhere we are

August –September 2019

October –November 2019

November –December 2019

SY20-21

CascadeHow can we align

DecemberBoardFINAL

VERSION OF PLAN

NovemberBoardDRAFT

VERSION OF PLAN

JanuaryBoardFINAL

VERSION OF PLAN

DecemberBoardDRAFT

VERSION OF PLAN

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Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles, Core Values, Theory of Action, Priorities, and Strategic Goals with High Level Indicators

January 2020

Strategic Plan Development Timeline

High-level Work Streams (eg. Early Childhood Education, Equitable Resource Allocation)

February 2020

Strategic Initiatives for 2020-2021 March 2020

Strategic Initiatives & Action Steps and Criteria (School and District) for 5 years

October 2020

Strategic Initiatives & Action Steps(in alignment with the FY21 Budget Process)

Start Regional Community Conversations to review draft content• November 11 (Brown MS)

• November 13 (John Lewis Invictus Academy)

• November 18 (Sylvan Hills MS)

• November 21 (Sutton MS)

Volunteers conducted APS Table Talks• Synthesizing APS Table Talk feedback

Continue to Engage with Board of Education• November 14 (Board Retreat)

www.apsstrongschools.com

Next Steps

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Let’s continue the conversation! Through

these four regional sessions, parents,

students, employees, and community

members will have the opportunity to

reflect and respond to a Atlanta Public

Schools’ draft five-year strategic plan.

All meetings held from 6:00pm to

7:30pm.

Childcare and light refreshments

provided.

Monday, November 11, 2019Brown Middle School

765 Peeples St SW

Atlanta, GA 30310

Wednesday, November 13, 2019John Lewis Invictus Academy

1890 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW

Atlanta, GA 30318

Monday, November 18, 2019

Sylvan Hills Middle School

1461 Sylvan Rd SW

Atlanta, GA 30310

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Sutton Middle School

2875 Northside Dr NW

Atlanta, GA 30307

Regional Meetings