Dec. 9, 2025

Following each Board of Education workshop, District Communications provides a recap in the Board Digest.

Monday’s Board of Education workshop advanced the preparation for our school district’s next strategic plan. Staff from the Superintendent’s Office, School Improvement and Curriculum and Instruction Support participated in the presentation and discussion with Board members. 

Since September 2023, improvement efforts have built momentum toward this plan. Key elements shape the recommendations:

• Omaha Public Schools Mission, Vision and Values
• Extensive input from staff, students, families, community members and partners
• A thorough analysis of our school district’s current state and student outcomes
• Evidence-based practices of high-performing schools and districts
• The principles of Improvement Science

Why We Need to Act

As Omaha Public Schools launched our Moonshot, it was critical to clearly identify the challenge that must be addressed. Based on 2024-25 NSCAS English Language Arts assessment data, the highest level of literary proficiency reached across any grade was 42% of fourth and eighth grade students. The highest school-wide literacy proficiency was 81% and the lowest was 17%. 

Literacy unlocks everything else. Every subject in school and every lesson that follows for a lifetime. It is key to every student’s success.

To ensure our community’s voices, knowledge and experiences are infused throughout the plan, staff conducted listening sessions with nearly 1,000 participants. High expectations, removing barriers and fostering a sense of connectedness and belonging emerged as critical areas of focus.

Our Strategy

Staff discussed our district’s unique approach to improving for every student. All of it is centered around a singular, united focus on literacy. 

The approach begins with a deep understanding of our district’s current state, combined with evidence-based practices of highly effective schools and districts. Those practices fall into four categories:

• Culture of learning
• Leadership for learning
• Engagement in learning
• Growth through learning

That analysis led to the plan’s theory of action. We will improve reading outcomes when we:

1. Focus our people, time, and resources where they are needed most,
2. Use proven reading practices that work for every child,
3. Build a culture based on our core values, and
4. Stop doing things that don’t directly impact student learning.

Once we do these four things then every staff member, family, and community partner will have a role in helping students succeed, and every staff member will have what they need to be successful, and all students will read on grade-level by 2030.

The approach involves:

• Establishing and delivering the necessary elements for success at every school
• Defining everyone’s role in student success
• Implementing a shared improvement approach
• Expanding early childhood opportunities
• Increasing the sense of belonging and connectedness
• Developing a robust network of volunteers and partnerships focused on literacy
• Ensuring grade-level, evidence-based teaching in every classroom, every day
• Stop doing things that do not align with our focused, aligned approach to improvement

How We Know It is Working

The proposed measurement system has four parts:

• Foundational Conditions: Are foundational elements in place at each school so all students succeed?
• Implementation: Are we implementing things as we said we would? How is that going?
• Progress: Are students growing, and reaching proficiency?
• Achieving our Moonshot: Are we meeting our final target?

Staff reviewed the specific assessments and tools that would be used to track all four parts. The continuous, real-time information would help our district target resources and support where they are needed most. The approach provides clarity, predictability and alignment for stakeholders.

The philosophy guiding this draft plan moves our district from “random acts of improvement” to aligned goals, behaviors, processes and investments. 

Following the discussion, staff will incorporate feedback from members of the Board of Education and return with updates to the draft plan. It is expected to return to the Board of Education for approval in March 2026.

View the entire presentation.

Next Omaha Public Schools Board of Education

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2025. It is tentatively scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Board of Education Agenda

To review previous Board of Education agendas, click here. If you need help accessing direct links, please access the entire Board of Education Agenda to view presentations and other documents.

How Can I Watch a Previous Board of Education Meeting?

Video from Board of Education meetings/workshops is most often available by noon the day after the meeting. The video can be viewed by clicking here.

Omaha Public Schools | (531) 299-0220 | www.ops.org

Questions or feedback? Email us at: BoardDigest@ops.org