Quality in Education

Guest blogger, Superintendent Dr. Dave Markward, shares his thoughts about the strategic plan. He writes "The days of thick, ponderous documents are over..." Read on and be sure to share your comments!

In his book, Results Now, Mike Schmoker cites Kouzes and Posner (1995) when he states, “Certainly, by now, schools should know that ‘strategic planning doesn’t work’ – and never did.”  Doug Reeves (The Learning Leader) expresses similar sentiment in his criticism of ‘Documentarianism’, relating that “its adherents believe that with just the right school improvement plan…the deity to whom they pray will grant educational miracles.”

I’ve read and extracted significant amounts of useful information from the writings and presentations of Mr. Schmoker and Mr. Reeves. They have done much for many through the years.   I do caution, however, to not accept the criticism as a reason to avoid developing a solid, yet flexible, strategic plan.  As the late Madeline Hunter suggested, “Do your thinking on your seat not on your feet.”  Just as I’ve witnessed struggling teachers who neglected to prepare a plan for the day and the unit of study, there are examples of schools and school districts adrift in the sea of improvement, moving at the whim of the tides and winds as a result of not having strategically charted their course.

It seems to me that, as is so often the case, the devil is in the details.  There is certainly a difference between not having a plan and having a plan so cumbersome that it is a detriment, rather than a help.  Two scenes from movies come to mind to illustrate the point.  The first, Tommy Boy, stars Chris Farley.  At one point, Tommy has to rapidly change his clothes in the restroom of an airplane.  (Please recall that Chris Farley was a very large man.)  Into the small space he goes to immediately address the task of changing.  What’s missing?  He has not a hint of a plan.  In the next few minutes he tears the clothes hanging device from the wall, is hit in the head by the toilet seat, gets his foot caught in the stool, and eventually is trapped when his tie is sucked into the bowl while accidentally triggering the flushing mechanism.  Finally, he slams backward against the door bursting into the seating area. There he comes to rest on the floor with much of his original clothing still on.  No plan = lots of activity; little progress.

The second scene is from Saving Private Ryan.  As the landing craft approach the beaches at Normandy, thousands of troops disembark to wade ashore and join the action.  Each solider is laden with huge packs and equipment to support survival on the beach.  Unfortunately, many of the soldiers never made it to shore.  For those dropped off in deep water, the gear that they were carrying was too much.  The equipment that was to keep them alive so weighted them down, that they sank, never to surface again.  Although the planning was extensive, it was, in some cases, overdone.  The individuals were simply too laden to be able to move about and respond to what was happening around them.

In the Cedar Rapids Community School District, we approach strategic planning in a realistic manner.  We know that the enactment of a plan is inversely proportional to the thickness of the document.  We utilize a ‘Strategic Plan on a Page’ to communicate the district’s vision, mission, core values, goals, and guiding philosophy to all constituents.  Schools align their improvement plans to the district plan, through the identification of measures as part of their SMART goal development process. In turn, classroom teachers align their efforts to those of the school.  At each level, goals, actions, and measures are developed.  The documents are thin, with clear understanding of the need for flexibility and adaptation. 

The days of thick, ponderous documents are over in CRCSD.  The need for planning on our seats, however, is very much a part of our culture of continuous improvement.

-Dave Markward, CRCSD Superintendent

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What are your thoughts about the strategic plan?  What does your school improvement plan look like?  In your classroom, do you have key goals, action plans and measures?  How do you streamline your guiding documents and plans so they are actionable?

Do you have something to share???  If you would be interested in "guest blogging" on the Quality in Education blog, send me an email with your topic and time line for submission.  All ideas and topics are welcome! 

-Jay Marino