Superintendent’s Community Update, January 22, 2021

Portrait of a Graduate and Strategic Planning 

“In the span of a decade, the role of content knowledge has moved from the front to the back of the bus. Since information is readily available to everyone, content knowledge is no longer valued in the workplace. What matters most in our increasingly innovation-driven economy is not what you know, but what you can do with what you know. The skills needed in our vastly complicated world, whether to earn a decent living or to be an active and informed citizen, are radically different from those required historically”.
Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing our Kids for the Innovation Era by Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith


Dear Hastings Community, 

In last week’s update found here, I previewed our plan to develop a portrait of a graduate of Hastings and its implementation through a strategic planning process facilitated by Battelle for Kids. Today’s update provides a much more comprehensive outline of what the work entails. I am excited about the prospect of opening the new 2021-22 school year with a focus on learner dispositions, skills, habits of mind, competencies, and proficiencies defined as 21st-century skills necessary for all students to succeed and thrive in a rapidly changing global society. 

Overview

It is not uncommon for districts to engage in strategic planning for the purpose of re-examining their mission, vision, and goals for student learning. In fact, it is a rather important process to undertake every 5-6 years to ensure the current mission, vision, and goals of a school system reflect the skills necessary for all students to succeed in future learning, work, and life. Hastings has a history of engaging in strategic planning. Each time, the process has been different. The difference this time is that we are developing a portrait of a graduate described here followed by implementation using a six-phase strategic planning model described here. 

A portrait of a graduate serves as the school system’s North Star to guide student learning, curriculum, instruction, assessment, environments for learning, and professional learning. This process amplifies the acquisition of rigorous content while also fostering important learner dispositions, skills, habits of mind, competencies, and proficiencies defined as 21st-century skills necessary for students to succeed and thrive in a rapidly changing world. A portrait of a graduate becomes the embodiment of the hopes, dreams, and aspirations for all students developed collectively by community stakeholders which includes:
 
  • Students
  • Educators 
  • Families
  • School Leaders
  • District Leaders
  • School Boards
  • Policymakers
  • Social Service Agencies
  • Higher Education
  • Business and Community Leaders
  • Communities of Faith

Some of these stakeholders are members of the Curriculum Thought Group assembled by Melissa Szymanski, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, and me last fall and will be invited to transition into this next phase. The thought group discussed the experiences of learners in our schools, perceptions held by some in the community about some of these experiences, and what our rapidly changing world requires of our learners to be successful in future learning, work, and life. This phase represents a natural progression for establishing what this process will look like in our District. 

We will be inviting stakeholders who were not part of the Curriculum Thought Group to participate in this process. The Hastings PTSA/SEPTA leaders will identify families to represent each school. School administrators will invite faculty and staff of their respective schools. Community leaders including local officials, business leaders, social service leaders, and faith leaders will be invited. This outreach will take place next week. The time commitment is February, 2021-July, 2021 through monthly virtual meetings followed by a combination of virtual and in-person monthly meetings starting in September, 2021-June, 2022. These meetings will likely occur from 3:30 pm-5:00 pm or 4:00 pm-6:00 pm. 

Why Battelle for Kids is our Facilitator

While there are a number of resources available to support this work, Battelle for Kids was selected because of its history of helping districts align their mission, vision, and goals to 21st-century expectations, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Battelle for Kids helps districts to re-envision and transform their school system through a focus on innovation and services that support students, teachers, and leaders. Along with Battelle for Kids, two other organizations, Ed Leader 21 and the Partnership for 21st Century Learning are part of the organization. Ed Leader 21 provides a network of resources to strengthen the implementation of the portrait of a graduate and the Partnership for 21st Century Learning is a pioneer in establishing the language used to describe the skills necessary for success in a rapidly changing world.  

Battelle for Kids has a commitment to: 

  • Inspiring more leaders to envision and advance the creation of 21st-century education systems, while also increasing the diversity of school systems engaged in this work.
  • Creating conditions and supports that empower every student to thrive with agency, voice, and choice; to create a better tomorrow for themselves and others.
  • Supporting school systems as they elevate diverse perspectives of the broader community to build a shared vision of 21st-century learning outcomes for all students.
  • Surfacing and eradicating practices, structures, and policies that cause inequities to take root and persist.
  • Pursuing and providing evidence of successful, equitable 21st-century learning.
  • Equipping ourselves, educators, and school systems to achieve equitable 21st-century outcomes for all.
  • Battelle for Kids will help us to focus on establishing and strengthening the coherence, capacity, and connections our District and community needs to promote for all learners from the time a child enters kindergarten until the time they exit as a graduate.

Book Study # 1
The development of a portrait of a graduate begins with a book study of The Coming Jobs War by Jim Clifton on Wednesday, February 24th from 4:30 pm-6:00 pm. Each school has copies of the book to distribute. 

Portrait of a Graduate Timeline

The timeline for this work is March, 2021-June, 2021. The first meeting will be on March 25th from 3:30-5:00. Before this first meeting, the dates for April, May, and June will be shared. As our facilitator, Battelle for Kids will organize the following:

  • An overview meeting with the District leadership team and Board of Education
  • Preparation of communications with internal and external stakeholder groups 
  • Establishment of a project charter which outlines the planning design process
  • Meeting # 1:  kick-off meeting to describe the design process
  • Meeting # 2: discuss learner dispositions, habits of mind, competencies, and skills essential for all learners
  • Meeting # 3:  to reach consensus on the learner dispositions, habits of mind, competencies, and skills essential for all learners, description statements, and visuals
  • Meeting # 4: finalize the recommended portrait and recommendation for how it will be actualized by the District
  • Battelle for Kids will present 2-3 sketch visuals designed with community input and two rounds of adaptations.
  • Battelle for Kids will provide a communications tool kit that includes talking points, invitations, meeting reminders, community vetting survey questions and polling tools, and sample messaging for the Board of Education and District faculty and staff. This assistance will be ongoing. 

Sample portraits of a graduate from districts around the country can be found here.

Book Study # 2

Preparation for implementation of our portrait of a graduate, using a six-phase strategic planning model, starts with another book study on Coherence: The Right Drivers in Action For Schools, Districts, and Systems by Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn. The date of this book study is July 6th from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm. Each school will have copies of the book to distribute. 

Strategic Planning Timeline

The scope of work from September, 2021 to June, 2022 involves the implementation of our portrait of a graduate. The group will closely review the District’s current state through a Current State Analysis Report provided by our facilitator from Battelle for Kids. This process involves the collection of qualitative and quantitative data including, but not limited to:  

  • student achievement data
  • attendance data
  • focus group and survey findings (District faculty and staff, family, student, and community)
  • policies
  • report cards

The following will occur during monthly meetings:

  • Meeting # 1:  collect qualitative perception data from the group; This will include a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), 21st Century System Self-Assessment, portrait implications discussion, and an Asset Inventory
  • Meeting # 2:  discuss the summary report provided by Battelle for Kids which guides the District into its next steps
  • Ongoing resources will be provided for communications with internal and external stakeholders, consultation, and capacity building
  • Meeting #3:  outline the District’s priority areas, recommended metrics and evidence of success, and resources for developing goals and strategies
  • Meeting # 4:  vet the priority areas for strategic planning and unpack the strategic framework and feedback from the group to develop draft goals and strategies
  • Battelle for Kids will draft the strategic plan which the group will vet; hand-offs will take place over a six-week period
  • Technical assistance and resources will be provided to assist the District leadership team and Board of Education to develop goals and strategies for each priority area
  • Meeting # 5:  vet the draft components of the strategic plan
  • The Battelle for Kids facilitator, District leadership team, and Board of Education will engage in a review of the strategic plan until it is complete and finalized
  • Resources will be provided for communicating with internal and external stakeholders
  • The Battelle for Kids facilitator, District leadership team, and Board of Education will start launching the strategic plan by promoting the story behind the plan, leveraging social media, website, signage, events, and other branding experiences
  • Resources will be provided for communicating with internal and external stakeholders specific to the launch of the strategic plan
  • Ongoing consultation and capacity building provided by our Battelle for Kids facilitator
  • Our Battelle for Kids facilitator will plan a status check-up six months after the launch of the plan; additional status check-ups may occur as needed

I hope the thought of this work energizes and gradually focuses the community on this promising journey. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

The option for hybrid learners to shift into remote learning expires on January 29. However, given that each school had a COVID-19 case today, we are extending this option until February 26, which is after the mid-winter recess. If your school administrators already know you are using this option and you plan to continue remote instruction, nothing further is required. Families must notify Ms. Hardesty at Hastings High School, Mr. Hanlon at Farragut Middle School, and Mr. DeKams at Hillside if you want your child, who is learning in-person, to shift to remote learning until February 26. Notifying them is important because of new attendance coding requirements we must follow. While we encourage children to attend in-person learning, we respect the wishes of families regarding this matter. 

Thank you for continuing to follow safety procedures that will protect your family and others from contracting this virus, which can be fatal. 

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Warm regards,

Valerie Henning-Piedmonte, Ed.D.