Red Clay Consolidated School District

Red Clay News

Red Clay Presents Four-Year Strategic Plan

After more than two years of research, planning and meeting with a wide range of community members, the Red Clay School District is proud to present a four-year Strategic Plan that identifies district goals and maps out specific actions and strategies to meet those goals.
With a theme of “preparing today for tomorrow,” the plan sets down a blueprint for:

• Preparing our students for success upon graduation and beyond
• Preparing our staff to teach and meet the needs of an ever-changing, diverse student population
• Preparing our district to continually serve the Red Clay community and deliver a high-quality educational experience to all students

Based upon district data and the latest and most respected educational research, Red Clay concludes in the plan that increased student success can best be achieved by ensuring that:

• Students are reading at or above grade level by the end of third grade
• Teachers and district leaders receive quality training that is directly linked to student success and is embedded in their daily jobs
• Red Clay closes or drastically reduces the achievement gap for English Language Learners and students with disabilities
• Parents and community members are actively engaged in the education of students

The Strategic Plan will serve as a guide for district decisions over the next four years, framing where to allocate resources, how to prioritize funding, where to assign personnel and how best to train teachers and staff.

“We believe a commitment to this plan will lead to higher student achievement for all students, which is the vision of our school district,” said Superintendent Mervin B. Daugherty. “The plan provides direction for everyone involved in Red Clay. It is built on clear standards, quality instruction and strong measures for accountability.”

The guiding principle of the Red Clay plan is a belief that all children can learn and achieve through continuous improvement, with the support of an organization that has clearly defined goals and collaboration among teachers and parents, administration and support staff and district leadership and the community.
To reach the goal of increased student achievement for all by 2016 – and to meet new federal and state standards – the district must have a highly effective educator in every classroom,  provide necessary interventions and supports to students, and foster increased support from parents and the community.

The foundation for the district’s Strategic Plan was built in 2010, after Delaware was awarded $119 million in federal funds as the first recipient of the Race to the Top grant.  To secure funds at the local level, Red Clay spent one year analyzing district needs and comprehensive ways to meet them.  As a result, The District Success Plan 2011-2014 was created, which served as a framework for the Strategic Plan.
While the Success Plan was put into place, development of the Strategic Plan continued. Teams of Red Clay staff and community members researched specific goals included in the Success Plan and determined the best ways to reach those goals. Each work group developed a set of recommendations that became part of the Strategic Plan.

Preliminary drafts of the Strategic Plan were presented at public meetings and workshop sessions. Small focus groups were held with key stakeholders in the district, such as teachers, Board of Education members, community members and district leadership.

Groups received updates on the plan’s progress and feedback was sought through the district website and at public meetings.

A final draft of the plan will be presented at a Board of Education workshop on June 14, 2012 and added as an infor item to the regularly scheduled school board meeting on June 20, 2012. 

Red Clay is hoping to receive additional feedback on the plan and will launch a new section of the district website on June 21, 2012 with information on the plan and a place to submit questions and comments.

The Board of Education will schedule a second reading of the plan for its July 11, 2012 meeting, when the Strategic Plan is expected to be approved.
As the plan is put into practice over the next four years, the district will continue to seek feedback through surveys on the website. To successfully implement the new Strategic Plan, the district has revised the Table of Organization to reduce the number of directors and managers and replace them with supervisors for English Language Learners and Special Education, instruction and compliance.
District staff will monitor its implementation and conduct formal reviews to determine whether the district is on track to meet the specified goals.

“This is a living document,” said Dr. Daugherty. “It is based upon the best research and the best teaching practices available at this point in time.  As we put the plan into action we will continue to communicate with all members of the Red Clay community and make adjustments as they are needed. We all want the same thing, are all reaching for the same goal, and that is to see all Red Clay students succeed.”

 

Next Steps:

• June 14, 2012:  Board of Education workshop on plan, 5 p.m., District Offices, Baltz Elementary School.
• June 20, 2012: Information item, Board of Education meeting, 7 p.m., Warner Elementary School.
• June 21, 2012: Website launched with plan, additional information, place for comments.
• July 11, 2012: Second reading of plan at Board of Education meeting, expected approval, 7 p.m., Warner Elementary School. 

 

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