Goals

Process

Acknowledgements

The Pelham City School System acknowledges all who have participated in the creation of the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan. The leadership and commitment of the Strategic Planning Team Members and Community Advisory Committee have been invaluable. We are especially appreciative of our board of education members, all staff members, parents, community members and friends of public education whose insight and feedback provided significant contributions, resulting in the culmination of this plan which charts our future to ensure excellence in education for all Pelham City Schools students. In addition, we’d like to thank the Pelham City Schools’ Partners in Education and other business, civic, and faith organizations for their support in the publication of the Strategic Plan.

Beliefs

1. All children can learn.

2. A safe and caring environment nurtures student learning.

3. Employing and retaining highly effective leaders, teachers, and staff and providing opportunities for their professional growth are crucial to the schools’ effectiveness.

4. Partnerships among schools, students, parents, and the community are vital for student success.

5. Schools are responsible for providing a challenging, differentiated, and student-focused learning environment.

6. Learning occurs when students are motivated and engaged.

7. Students must learn how to think critically and develop problem solving skills in order to succeed.

8. The State and local community share the responsibility to ensure that a viable public education program is provided for all children and youth.

Guiding Principles

Early Learning and Student Success

-Responsibility for children’s readiness lies with the adults who care for them and the systems that support them.

-The family plays the most important role in a young child’s life.

-Child development occurs across equally important and interrelated domains-physical well-being and motor development, social and emotional development, and cognition and general knowledge.

-The first five years of life are a critical development period.

Teaching and Learning

-Higher levels of learning are attainable for all students.

-People learn differently at different rates.

-Motivated and engaged learners derive more from their learning than do passive learners.

-High-quality, job-embedded professional development for teachers and leaders supports the teaching-learning process.

-The quality of teaching and leadership makes a significant impact on student learning.

-Strong curriculum is deep, balanced, continually improved, rooted in the real world, and based on a common set of learning expectations.

-The integration of technology into educational practices is essential for student engagement.

Human and Organizational Capital

-Effective teaching enhances student learning.

-Selection and preparation of teacher candidates and ongoing support of teachers affect the quality of teaching.

-Effective feedback and supports through ongoing performance evaluation are essential to retaining high-quality teachers.

-Organizational structures and processes at the school and district levels affect learning.

Governance, Leadership and Accountability

-Effective educational governance requires a strategic vision.

-Children and society benefit from effective educational governance.

-Good governance requires effective leaders operating with integrity, ethical behavior, and good intent.

-People are accountable for their actions and outcomes.

-Relevant and accurate information is essential for good decisions.

Culture, Climate, and Organizational Efficacy

-Trust, collegiality, and teamwork strengthen collective efforts.

-Organizational culture is an important determinant of climate and is a distinguishing factor between effective and ineffective schools and districts.

-A healthy culture is devoid of blame and fosters engagement of all stakeholders in finding solutions to challenges.

-High-performing organizations recognize, appreciate, and address cultural differences; strength can be derived from the rich diversity of our public schools.

-Safety, order and respect are necessary conditions for teaching and learning to occur.

Teaching and Learning Resources

-People need a combination of real and virtual places for learning and sharing.

-Relevant and accurate information is essential for good decisions.

-Technology enhances engagement in the learning process.

-Learning is enhanced when the learning environment is flexible and adaptable.

Financial Resources

-The best funding mechanism is one that is based on a well-crafted strategic plan for maximizing student learning.

-Expenditures for high-quality educational programs pay dividends by fostering wellbeing of communities and the state.

Mission

A Commitment To Educational Excellence - Every Day in Every Way

Vision

Pelham City Schools will provide all children an equitable and excellent education that, upon graduation, prepares them for college, career and life.

Goals

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. (Goal 1) Data will be collected through multiple forms of assessment and will be used to drive instruction.

Strategies to Meet Goal:

 Schedule School Data Team and collaborative planning meetings
 District and School Leadership Teams meet to discuss data
 Incorporate Support/RTI classes into master schedule
 Ensure differentiated instruction in all classrooms

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. (Goal 2) Conduct system and school vertical and horizontal alignment meetings to support GSE implementation.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Schedule vertical and horizontal alignment meetings at school and system level

 Create common assessments in all subject areas system-wide

 Increase the use of interdisciplinary units

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. (Goal 3)Increase professional learning during teacher/staff meetings with an emphasis on Standards Based Instruction, GSE, CCRPI, and TKES.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Schedule weekly whole group and content level/grade level meetings

 Establish Professional Learning Communities

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. (Goal 4) Expand and strengthen understanding of RTI and effectively implement the Pyramid of Interventions at all schools.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Embed research based interventions into daily schedule

 Consistently review universal screening and progress monitoring data

 Provide professional learning in the RTI process and interventions

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. (Goal 5) Increase standardized test (Georgia Milestones) results in all content areas and increase the pass rate on CTAE End of Pathway Assessments.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Schedule District/School Leadership Team meetings and data team meetings(with emphasis on subgroup results)

 Develop master schedules to maximize academic instructional time and support differentiation through remediation and enrichment/acceleration

 Incorporate writing across the curriculum

 Utilize instructional technology for content delivery and test preparation

 Offer after-school/intercession tutoring

 Expand CTAE offerings and lab activities

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. Increase the number of students who score in the highest achievement category on the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Strategies to Meet Goal

 Provide professional learning to grow and nurture teacher/administrator understanding of differentiated instruction, flexible grouping, higher order thinking skills, and depth of knowledge

 Analyze student performance data

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. Increase instructional relevance by focusing on college and career readiness
Strategies to Meet Goal

 Continue career awareness activities in the elementary and middle school  Develop and implement graduation plans at the middle school

 Use a variety of instructional resources including technology to engage and motivate students

 Provide real-world application opportunities

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. Improve literacy across all content areas and grade levels
Strategies to Meet Goal

 Implement school literacy plans (GA Striving Reader Grant) and K-3 reading program (ReadWell)

 Provide professional learning in best practices in literacy instruction across the curriculum to include literacy standards in science and social studies

Graduation Readiness Objective: All students of Pelham City Schools will graduate ready for college, career, and life. Ensure that the schools provide students with a safe, orderly, and supportive learning environment built on respect and encouragement.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Continue to improve discipline procedures and protocols, utilizing feedback from teachers, students, and parents; monitor school climate through the use of student and parent surveys

 Continue and expand bullying prevention programs to include cyber bullying  Monitor student and teacher attendance; continue to utilize MAST (Mitchell Attendance Support Team) protocols for students with excessive absences

 Continue partnership with Interquest Canine Detectives to deter possession of contraband on school campuses

Funding Objective: Resources will be leveraged to the maximum benefit of all Pelham City Schools students. Continually monitor ESPLOST revenue from both Mitchell County/Pelham to plan for future facility needs.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Widely communicate future plans for facilities through the use of faculty meetings, surveys, community work sessions, feasibility committee and information posted on the website

 Revisit and modify current long range facilities plan to prepare for anticipated student enrollment increases

Funding Objective: Resources will be leveraged to the maximum benefit of all Pelham City Schools students. Continue to follow and improve upon all recognized good practices related to expenditure controls at each individual school site as well as at the system level.

Funding Objective: Resources will be leveraged to the maximum benefit of all Pelham City Schools students.

Strategy to Meet Goal

Distribute a technology survey to faculty/staff to assess specific technology challenges and needs in order to review and modify the three year technology plan

Funding Objective: Resources will be leveraged to the maximum benefit of all Pelham City Schools students. Continue to improve upon offering quality breakfast options, break items and will balanced lunches to students and staff.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Conduct surveys of students, staff and community members, including parents

 Review financial data pertaining to the PCS School Nutrition Program

 Comply with state and federal school nutrition guidelines

Funding Objective: Resources will be leveraged to the maximum benefit of all Pelham City Schools students. Provide clean, well-maintained and safe school facilities.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Use building-level employees and a report card system to communicate expectations, levels of quality, and areas for improvement

 Use survey results as perceptual data to focus on areas of strength and areas of improvement

 Conduct system-wide Focus Walk visits by the PCS central office to assist building level principals in maintaining clean and quality facilities

Pubic Relations/Communication Objective: Pelham City Schools will continually foster positive communicative relationships with all persons associated with the system for the betterment of its students. Collaboratively involve stakeholders in shaping the direction of Pelham City Schools.

Strategies to Meet Goal

 Hold Community Work Sessions

 Conduct regularly scheduled School Council meetings Pelham City Schools: Strategic Plan

 Conduct regularly scheduled Parent Involvement Council meetings

 Complete Title I Student, Parent, Community, and Staff Surveys

Pubic Relations/Communication Objective: Pelham City Schools will continually foster positive communicative relationships with all persons associated with the system for the betterment of its students. Improve upon consistent information dissemination among employees, parents, and the community by fully utilizing all technology available.

Strategies To Meet Goal

 Grow parent, business, and employee email distribution list

 Update student information in Infinite Campus regularly

 Increase the use of the Infinite Campus Portal among parents

 Create a texting notification system at each school and at the system level

 Increase the use of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

 Update district and school websites regularly

 Increase the use of teacher websites for distribution of course expectations and content

 Continue the use of the automated phone notification system for parents and staff

Public Relations/Communication Objective Statement: Continually foster positive communicative relationships with all persons associated with Pelham City Schools for the betterment of its students. Continue and improve upon maintaining an open organization where differing professional opinions are valued and discussed with the understanding that decisions are driven by what is in the best interest of the students.

Strategies To Meet Goal
 Conduct annual Board Member Leadership Retreat with system
administrators
 Board Members stay abreast of current educational issues through
annual training
 Conduct monthly District and School Leadership Team meetings
 Conduct annual Leadership Institute

Public Relations/Communication Objective Statement: Continually foster positive communicative relationships with all persons associated with Pelham City Schools for the betterment of its students. Increase parental engagement and community involvement.

Strategies To Meet Goal

 Establish system-wide protocols to foster welcoming environments that encourage parents and community members to become active partners in the students’ education

 Recruit additional Partners in Education by strengthening relationships with civic groups, businesses, and the faith community Pelham City Schools: Strategic Plan

 Offer a variety of times and locations for parent involvement activities, community work sessions, and volunteer opportunities