superintendent of the year nominations

purposes. The first section is established for those wanting a quick picture of the district’s purpose and long term goals. The second section more specifically defines performance indicators that answer how stakeholders will know if our goals have been met. The third section details specific actions or tasks (what will be done); assigned responsibility for each task (who will do it); determined costs and allocated resources (how we will support it); and the established start and completion dates (when it will be done). In order to address the diverse backgrounds of those involved, a glossary was developed so the vocabulary used was consistently understood by all involved. Both long-term purpose and short-term goals are made crystal clear in the CIP. To better involve diverse members of the community our most recent CIP process was built around a new approach for the district. Facilitators from Case Western Reserve University teamed up to engage the district in a process called Appreciative Inquiry to develop the 2010-2013 Continuous Improvement Plan. The model had been used by district partners such as the Cleveland Clinic and the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation to develop bold goals and solid plans to support those goals. The district committed to the process in an effort to engage a broader group of stakeholders and to stretch goals in an effort to redefine excellence in Westlake. As a result, many were engaged at various stages to provide input, culminating with an Education Summit in June, where the entire community was invited to participate. Over one hundred people were involved in developing the new plan in various stages including students, corporate and higher education partners, civic leaders, parents/community members, teachers, support staff, administration and all five members of the Board of Education. The CIP Core Team planned for a thirty-six member representative steering committee to engage in the appreciative inquiry process in March. This set the stage for a day and a half Summit in June for the greater community, where one hundred and nine community members helped define the critical components that characterize excellence in Westlake. The former Executive Director of Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center, Dr. Julian Earls, was the keynote speaker, and all groups had a forum to provide input on capitalizing on our strengths to ensure Westlake builds on the strong tradition of excellence established over the years. A committee of nineteen then took the ideas generated from the Summit to write several drafts of the new CIP. These drafts were then reviewed by additional Summit participants via who expressed an interest in providing input during the draft process. Lastly, a staff group was called to review the tasks, responsibilities, resources, and timeline portion of the plan to ensure they were clearly defined and provided the right guidance and structure to achieve the CIP goals. An auditing component is an integral part of ensuring the plan is utilized effectively. A representative stakeholder group from the Summit reviews the plan and progress twice annually. Additionally, the plan is reviewed on a regular basis internally and utilized when making all district decisions. Our entire district communication plan is styled to make sure that with every mailing, email, newsletter and presentation, our mission is clear and our actions are consistent with the values of our community as defined through this process. The communications themselves are important, but the key to effective communication is to make sure it is two-way. High involvement in the CIP and district decisions is what makes our communication and plan work best for our students.

Professionalism

5 / 12