Archive: Around Town

"This is a pioneer document in our school district, and I think that is essential to recognize," said Elementary School Principal Earlene Carr.  After suffering a revolving door in the superintendent's office for six years the Lansing School District finally has a long range plan.  The plan is a blueprint for the district to move forward to achieve goals, make the most of strengths and address weaknesses. 

The plan was developed by 20 parents, teachers, administrators and residents.  "It's easy to put plans together if you're a committee of one or two, but the buy-in is virtually nil," says Superintendent Mark Lewis.  "The goal of this process was to pull in all the varying perspectives regarding what the priorities of the school district should be in terms of the educational program."

The planning committee used a process of decision making driven by quantifiable data.  Facilitated by Prism Decision Systems' Sean Brady, committee members voted using electronic devices similar to those used for "Ask the Audience" in the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" game show.  This meant that people less comfortable speaking in a group had a level playing field with more outspoken members, guaranteeing that all constituencies were equally represented in the process.

"The discussion and the debate was rich," Lewis says.  "It was extremely productive.  and it was extremely insightful.  I learned a lot more from my participation regarding what the expectations are from each one of the component groups, and also about the culture of the community and the school itself."

Mission The Lansing School Community will educate our students to become knowledgeable, responsible, healthy and productive citizens. Priorities for 2006-2007 Create and implement a plan to provide effective interventions for economically disadvantaged students pre-school age to grade 12 Continue to develop a vertically aligned K-12 curriculum in all subject areas that meets or exceeds state standards and assessments Develop a comprehensive development plan that is based on district priorities and student performance data that provides opportunities to collaborate both with and across buildings

The group brainstormed the strengths and weaknesses of the district in small groups first, then filtered the discussion to the committee at large.  "Between those two extremes of the real strengths of the district and those areas that need improvement we identified opportunities and came up with what we thought would be the best strategies for capitalizing on those opportunities," explained Jamie Wells, a district resident who does not have children in the system.

A key benefit of the approach is that it uses measurable metrics to track progress so that the plan's success can be measured, and areas for improvement can be identified.  Some of the measures include State assessments, No Child Left Behind benchmarks, Regents test, graduation precent, Students With Disabilities diplomas, student wellness, pre-K readiness, student satisfaction, community service, extracurricular participation and fiscal responsibility.  In the coming school year a task force will research appropriate assessment tools, what the baseline data is and how to process and report it.

They prioritized the issues individually and collectively.  Key issues included academic intervention services, curriculum alignment, facilities, wellness and technology.  These were placed on a grid based on current performance and importance to the district, and this process allowed the group to identify the top three issues needing the district's attention.  "It was a refined and meaningful product based on the district's mission," said Curriculum Director Deb Pichette.  "And it facilitates ongoing improvement."

Next year the focus will be on those three issues, and the district's success will be measured in those areas.  The group will meet again to identify the top issues for the next school year and to assess the plan's success in the first year.  "Opening day we will roll out the district plan and the building plans to the staff," said Lewis.  "We will make sure that the plan has as much exposure as possible, not only in the schools but in the community itself.  The goal is to pursue the mission of the district in an effective way, and also in an efficient way."

"We'll channel our human and our fiscal resources into those areas of endeavor and those areas of initiative that this community feels are essential to student success," Lewis said.  "We feel that we've taken a giant leap toward achieving that goal."  Carr agreed.  "What was done during the process of establishing a strategic plan is something that has longevity," she said.  "It is not something that will sit on shelves and collect dust.  It has a high intensity caliber, and we know that what we came up with will stand the sands of time."

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