Charter School Strategic Planning #7 - Mapping Objectives and Tactics

It's relatively easy to set a bold mission for a school.  It's another to accomplish that mission.  According to much of the research, many charter schools are not accomplishing their mission.

The real key to a strategic plan is ensuring that you develop the means to accomplish the goals that you set.  To do that you have to map out a list of tasks that your teachers and administration will do to accomplish your goals.  If you have a goal to improve students' reading scores by a grade level on average, then you have to adopt a method to do that.  You have to make sure that someone is responsible for that happening, and you have to monitor those tasks to make sure the tasks are being done as well as that the results are being achieved.

In the planning process, I use a map to visually outline who, how and when that will happen.  Using the example of reading scores, I would define who is responsible for developing and implementing the strategy to improve reading scores.  I would also ensure that strategy for improving reading scores is in writing and which other staff members will be involved.  For example, I would want to know if regular classroom teachers will be implementing the strategies or if there will be pull out sessions with a reading specialist.  I would want to know how often assessments would be done and what time frame is realistic to expect measurable results.  All of that should be on some kind of a map that anyone can read.  This isn't a report.  It isn't long.  It isn't something that can be used to obscure the facts.  I often create a simple matrix with boxes that allow for no more than a sentence or two.  That way a board can monitor progress without having a report at every board meeting.  The principal may want more detail in monitoring the plan, but for the purposes of the strategic plan, the board does not need every detail.

The Who, How and When format should be defined for achieving every goal.  It may be that a goal has multiple means of being achieved.  For each of those strategies, you must define Who, How and When.

Accountability is important, not for punishing those who fail, but to monitor progress in order to determine if strategies are working.  If they are not, then something has to change.  Perhaps the person is the problem, then the person has to be changed.  Perhaps the method isn't working.  Perhaps the timeline is off.  If things go well, you may achieve your goal ahead of time and will want to set new goals, focus on others, or develop a new method for maintaining your achievements.

The development of strategies and tactics for achieving goals is the most difficult and yet the most important part of a strategic plan because its the part of the plan that you monitor to ensure that you accomplish your mission.