DISTRICT VISION:
SEL City Schools will be THE DESTINATION school community.
DISTRICT MISSION:
We educate, inspire and empower students to be high achieving, contributing members of a global society.
DISTRICT CORE BELIEFS:
1. High expectations lead to high achievement
2. Education must focus on the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of students
3. Diversity strengthens and enriches our communities
4. Students must take ownership of their education
5. Education is the responsibility of the entire community
6. Open and honest communication is critical to effective relationships
7. The best education is achieved in a safe and stimulating environment
8. The demands of the future and the lessons of the past shape our educational practices.
CORE VALUES:
- Thoughtful decision-making
- Accountability for outcomes
- Purposeful innovation
- A ‘One Community’ attitude
- A service mindset
PILLAR 1 - PREPARED FOR SUCCESS:
OBJECTIVE: Ensure all students have the education, knowledge, exposure, training, and life skills they need to be successful in all postgraduation opportunities – college, trades, the military, entrepreneurship, or the workforce.
INITIATIVES
- Implement a comprehensive continuum of curriculum that aligns with each of the postgraduate opportunities.
- Increase access and participation to co-curricular programs and activities in all grade levels.
- Define the elements of the Portrait of a Graduate and the necessary learnings and experiences at each grade- band level to build those elements.
- Develop a system that compiles the initial version of an electronic student portfolio for the lifecycle of each student.
- Construct and implement the process for developing individual graduation plans that guide grades 7-12 students through the curriculum based on their post-graduation plan.
- Establish a process for partnering with students and parents on post-graduation plans.
- Implement students’ interest and skills surveys for grades 6-8 to guide students through their education pathways.
- Enhance the network of partners who help provide students with exposure to postgraduation opportunities.
- Explore alternative funding to ensure opportunities, materials, courses, and programs are available and sustainable.
- Build a marketing plan for Excel Tecc and College Credit Plus to increase awareness/exposure and embed it in the way we talk about educational program options.
PILLAR 2 - STUDENT EXPERIENCE
OBJECTIVE: Ensure a positive student experience by providing an innovative and responsive learning environment.
INITIATIVES
- Define and communicate to staff the characteristics of the desired learning environment, associated instructional practices, and the measures of success at the classroom level.
- Adapt current instructional practices to align with the desired learning environment and instructional vision.
- Build and implement a plan to promote best teaching practices within and outside of the organization.
- Finalize, formally adopt, and embed the Core Values into the way SEL Schools operate
- Build and implement a staff engagement plan and a way to measure progress.
- Develop building leadership capability for coaching building staff to foster safety, wellbeing, and belongingness by providing tools and enhancing individual capability.
- Define the framework for respectful, supportive, and caring interactions between staff and students and implement training, awareness, and support needed.
- Establish an annual process to evaluate academic and service-oriented partners to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Implement shared expectations and protocols consistently across buildings.
- Build awareness among stakeholders of the support services available in the district.
PILLAR 3 - STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS
OBJECTIVE: Enable the short-term and long-term success of the district and its students through healthy relationships between students, staff, parents/guardians and external stakeholders such as local businesses, faith-based organizations, civic leaders, safety services, and others who support the business of education.
INITIATIVES
- Develop a definition of a Healthy Relationship with consistent guidelines that can be used to assess and track progress.
- Educate both internal and external stakeholders on high impact national, state, and local legislation and trends that affect our school community
- Develop a process for reviewing progress toward the strategic plan with the Board and other stakeholders.
- Implement surveys with stakeholders that measure the health of the relationship from the stakeholders’ perspectives.
- Evaluate the systems and tools used for communicating to stakeholders and develop a framework for effective communication with each stakeholder group.
- Ensure stakeholders understand the Portrait of a Graduate.
- Identify opportunities for stakeholders to work with the district to build student accountability in accordance with the Portrait of a Graduate and other expectations of students.
- Build a work/internship program to offer opportunities for students with local and Northeast Ohio Businesses.
- Define and implement the protocols and activities needed to engage parent-based organizations in the pursuit of the district vision.