The Harvard School District has begun work on its three-year strategic plan.
In September, the School Committee authorized the hiring of Dr. George Ladd, professor emeritus from Boston College, as consultant for the process. Ladd has worked with many school systems on their strategic planning and comes with the personal recommendation of interim Superintendent Joe Connelly.
The Strategic Plan Steering Committee held its first meeting on Nov. 4. Membership comprises three school administrators, which include co-chairwomen Linda Dwight and Patty Wenger; three teachers, one each from elementary, middle, and high schools; five parent/community representatives, a high school student, two special education representatives; and ex-officio member Joe Connelly.
Ladd began the meeting by stating his priority: “It’s always about the kids,” he said, a phrase he would reiterate throughout the conversation. He explained that the committee’s charge is to produce a one- or two-page brochure that states the core values, vision, and mission of the Harvard schools. “Keep it simple,” was Ladd’s watchword. He believes these statements should be clear and unambiguous and that anyone new to town or entering the schools should be readily apprised of what the school stands for. Once those fundamentals are in place, the committee will use them to establish district goals in a longer document, with specific objectives and outcomes. Ladd says that everything in the document must have its rationale in the core values, vision, and mission statements.
The first step for the committee is to establish core values. Ladd described these as the community’s fundamental beliefs about education. They are the markers that answer the question, How well did your school prepare you for life? Drawing on models provided by Ladd and using the Harvard schools strategic plan of 2008 to 2013, the committee will spend time hammering out the wording of core values in the areas of student achievement, personal growth, school climate, collaborations/partnerships, resources, and perhaps other categories if the committee feels the need.
Ladd stressed the importance of getting community input on these core values. Once the committee has a draft, it will put that draft into a survey format. Ladd has a networking strategy whereby committee members will work with key people in various stakeholder groups, ensuring that everyone in town has an opportunity to participate in the survey. That community involvement will help to shape the final form of the core values statements.
The timeline calls for the core values survey to be conducted in December and for the entire document to go to the School Committee in the spring. The steering committee will meet next on November 14
Carlene Phillips is a member of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.
