N.C. School District Launches Visionary Strategic Plan

Academic Excellence and Character Education are the Hallmarks of the Strategic Plan

Guilford County Schools (GCS), the third largest district in North Carolina, unveiled an ambitious and comprehensive strategic plan Tuesday that will guide the district in its efforts to become one of the nation’s leading public school districts. It is the district’s first strategic plan.

The theme of the plan is excellence in all areas, including academics, moral character and operations.

“We believe that strength of character, combined with the keen analytical skills of a finely tuned mind, can overcome any obstacles and create a limitless future,” said Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green. “Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, we believe ‘Intelligence plus character…is the goal of true education.’ That’s why character development of our students is a critical component of this plan.”

The plan is a three-and-a-half year road map with carefully laid out strategies designed to boost student achievement, increase family and community involvement, improve district service, increase the teacher retention rate and improve school safety and discipline. All strategies are based on measurable goals or on goals to be established once more research is completed. Some of these strategies will be launched before the end of the year, while others will be launched during the next two to three years.

The plan is based in part on the input of nearly 4,000 parents, students, employees and community members who sent in comments and suggestions last fall through the “Mo Wants to Know” campaign. Information captured through the campaign and the superintendent’s listening and learning tour—along with the Board of Education’s mission and core values—guided the development of the strategic plan.

This plan is geared toward developing the whole student. Efforts will be made to ensure that in addition to attaining academic excellence, students will develop strong moral character. In addition, key components of the plan will promote health literacy and increase opportunities for student participation in the arts as well as summer enrichment camps.

This plan is divided into eight key areas: improving academic achievement; supportive family and community involvement; strategic human resource management; respectful and responsive service; safe schools and character development; optimal operations; transformational technology; and, clear baseline and equitable standards. The focus on these areas will give GCS an opportunity to do what no other school district in the country has accomplished: achieve education excellence for every child in every school.

Highlights of the plan include:

• Increasing the percentage of students graduating from high school in four years from 79.5 percent to 90 percent.
• Completing more than one million square feet in construction through new schools, additions, renovations or upgrades.
• Increasing the number of district schools designated as Honor Schools of Excellence by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction from one to five (only 20 schools in North Carolina receive that designation each year).
• Increasing the number of volunteers and volunteer hours.
• Increasing financial donations and in-kind contributions from the 2007-08 level of $1.7 million.
• Equipping all schools with a baseline standard of technology.

Some strategies for implementing the plan include:

• Developing partnerships with community groups to launch a community literacy initiative designed to encourage GCS students to read one million books each year.
• Expanding choice options for students and families by exploring a partnership that would establish a specialized academy at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro, N.C.
• Expanding opportunities for students to earn high school graduation credits by expanding the current Twilight School and by opening a full-service evening program.
• Providing quality, timely and cost-effective support to schools by re-organizing the schools and district resources into geographic regions. One of these regions will be exclusively for the most impacted schools.

Even with an uncertain economy, GCS is forging ahead with the implementation of this important plan. “This plan will require us to re-focus our current resources more strategically,” said Green. “While the current economic conditions clearly will make this effort more challenging, our children deserve no less than our very best.”

Moving forward, there will be systems in place to guarantee a successful implementation of the plan involving all members of the community. The district will assemble a team of district staff made up of senior level administrators. They will be responsible for reviewing projects, approving budgets and ensuring that resources align with goals that support achieving education excellence. The district will also develop separate project teams for major initiatives. Where appropriate, these project teams will include school-based employees and support staff, community members and experts from various professions.

“We already have a school district that is highly regarded nationally for creating innovative programs and making gains in student achievement,” said Green. “Now, we have the opportunity to build on that strong foundation and take our schools to the next level. We have the vision and we have the ability. I respectfully ask for your support as we move forward with this plan.”

The district celebrated the launch of the strategic plan with a special event at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, N.C. Green presented the vision of the plan and students performed for more than 600 parents, school personnel and community leaders.

Click here to listen to the superintendent’s podcast about the plan.