Strategic Plan 2022-2027

By August 2023, the Director of Community Life will oversee a process to develop a clear DEI statement of beliefs that articulates the purpose and value of diversity at our school

Status: The statement of beliefs was finalized in the summer of 2023 and states the purpose and value of diversity at Prep. This statement will be featured on our website and ground our actions in a shared understanding of the value of diversity at Charlotte Prep.

By August 2023, the Division Heads will review and clarify the school’s dress code

Status: Minor modifications and clarifications were made to the middle school dress code and communicated in the revised student handbooks prepared for the 23-24 school year. The school affirmed its current dress code as reflective of the mission and ethos of the school, as it allows students to express their individuality.

By August 2023, the Head of School and Division Heads will create a staff retreat that features professional development and team-building activities. This retreat will launch in the 2023-2024 school year and be scheduled on an annual basis.

Status: This retreat has been scheduled for October 6, 2023 and will feature the desired professional learning and team-building activities. Annual retreats will be held in successive years.

By August 2023, the Division Heads will create mechanisms to develop a campus-wide shared understanding of the nature of independent school culture among all faculty

Status: An overview of independent school culture has been added to the staff handbook and discussed with faculty; all new teachers who have not taught in an independent school will go to the NCAIS workshop for teachers new to Independent schools; and all prospective teachers who do not have experience in independent schools will be informed of Prep’s expectations during the interview process.          

Beginning in the spring of 2023 and continuing on an annual basis thereafter, the Directors of Enrollment and Development will work with the leadership of the parents’ association to create events and opportunities that strengthen the bonds and community connections of Prep parents.

Status: Plans to create additional opportunities for building community connections are underway. Initiatives include the following: adult-only parent socials; cross-divisional meet-ups; a more robust parent education series; parent admissions and development ambassadors; inviting parents to all school assemblies; and other events and opportunities throughout the school year.

By August 2023, the Director of Development and executive committee of the Parents’ Association will further clarify the PA’s operating principles to clearly define the PA's purpose, leadership roles, and optimal operating structure and to ensure broad and inclusive participation of parents.

Status: Revised PA operating principles were approved by the PA leadership team, Head of School, and Director of Development in the spring of 2023 and will subsequently guide the work of the PA.

By August 2023, the Director of Community Life and Division Heads will lead a process to ensure the school calendar reflects and recognizes the variety of cultural traditions within our school community.

Status: A review of the demographic composition of our community was conducted in the spring of 2023, and this information informed the creation of the school calendar, which now reflects the diversity of our community.       

By August 2023, the Head of School will initiate a process to attract and retain a diverse professional staff.         

Status: The school now works with two firms that place teachers of color in independent schools; advertises openings at historically black colleges and universities; and prioritizes building candidate pools that include diverse candidates. In addition, the senior administrative team has received training in unconscious bias in the hiring process, and the Director of Community Life will offer support for all new faculty and staff of color to ensure their transition to Prep is successful. This goal will remain a priority of the school’s leadership in the coming years, and statistics about staff diversity will be shared on an annual basis by the Director of Community Life.    

By August 2023, the Director of Community Life will lead a process to create a DEI strategic plan.

Status: This plan, titled Building a Culture of Belonging, articulates two key goals that will maximize the positive impact of DEIB work throughout our school: strengthening our school culture to make our community even stronger and more connected, and achieving clear objectives to enhance the student experience at Prep. The plan will guide the work of DEIB initiatives over the next two- three years.

In January 2023 the Head of School will Increase the budget for faculty professional development. Adequate professional development funds will remain a priority for the school in successive years.

Status: Professional development funds were increased by 20% for the 23-24 school year

By August 2023, the Head of Early School will create a plan and materials to educate all staff about the Montessori method and value to the Charlotte Prep mission.

Status: A workshop for faculty on Montessori methods was offered in the spring of 2023. Additional presentations about Montessori will be held during staff meetings, and staff and teachers will be invited to observe Montessori classrooms. Finally, the head of the early school will share information with staff about Montessori philosophy and practice via occasional newsletters.  

By August 2023, the Division Heads will create permanent time and structures in the academic calendar for professional development at the department, division, and whole-school levels.

Status: A new full day professional learning retreat and several in-service half days have been added to the calendar and will be utilized for school-wide faculty and staff professional development. In addition, time at divisional meetings will be used for the same purpose throughout the school year.

By August 2023, the Division Heads will create a plan to expand and formalize opportunities for teachers to connect and collaborate to better prepare students for transitions from grade to grade. 

Status: Formal meetings between teachers of different grade levels and division were held during the 2022-2023 school year and will continue and expand in 2023-2024. Particular emphasis will be given to the 4 to 5 transition and meetings between these teachers.

By August 2023, the Division Heads and Director of Curriculum, working with the faculty, will identify the school’s core beliefs about teaching, learning, and pedagogy. This work will be informed by current research and best practices and will result in a shared understanding of and commitment to a philosophy of education that serves students and distinguishes Prep from other schools.

Status: The new statement of educational philosophy will guide curricular work and decisions in the coming years.

By August 2023 the Division Heads will assess current use of standardized tests and make recommendations to link testing to useful understandings of student achievement and program effectiveness.

Status: The school streamlined its use of the ERB standardized test and will reduce the scope of this testing to reading and mathematics, which will give teachers more relevant data and take less time to administer, leaving more time for other important student learning.

By August 2023, the Heads of Lower and Middle Schools, working with learning support specialists and counselors, will identify the range of students the school can best serve and then align methods of providing learning support and accommodations to make the student transition from Lower to Middle School more cohesive.

Status: Meetings between the admissions team, division heads, and learning specialists have resulted in a greater shared understanding of the students we can best serve. The development of better admissions assessment tools is in progress and will also aid in the admissions process.

Systems of support for current students are also being clarified between divisions and will be reflected in the school’s handbooks and practices. The need for an additional learning specialist position is also being considered.

By January 2023 and on an annual basis, the Head of School and finance committee of the board will make it a priority to ensure staff salaries and benefits are as competitive as resources allow.

Status: Significant increases to staff salaries and benefits have been made for the past two years. The board and senior leadership will continue to prioritize and benchmark salaries and benefits to ensure they are competitive.

By August 2023, the Director of Finance and Operations will recommend ways to optimize new employee onboarding, mentoring, training, and support.

Status: An enhanced onboarding system with more formal training and support has been created. New employees will receive thorough onboarding from a variety of staff, including human resources, division heads, divisional assistants, and formal mentors.  

By August 2023, the Director of Marketing and Communications will improve website content highlighting the benefits of working at Charlotte Prep, including teacher testimonials.    

Status: A new webpage has been created with testimonials from four current faculty members highlighting the advantages of working at Prep.

By August 2023, the Director of Community Life will arrange for cross-cultural competency training for those who interview prospective employees.

Status: This training, offered by a leading DEI consultant, recently took place and provided useful guidance, sensitivity, and understanding to senior administrators.

By August 2023, the Head of School will expand funding for the faculty summer grant program to facilitate professional development and curricular/teaching improvements.

Status: Funding for more summer grants has been included in the increased professional development budget. 

Beginning in January 2023 and on an annual basis, the finance committee of the Board of Trustees will align tuition to the strategic needs and investments of the school.

Status: This has been an ongoing strategy of the board for the past two years and will continue moving forward. Comparisons with regional peer schools will be done on an annual basis to keep tuition at or below the median of peer schools while still investing in impactful programs and school needs.

By August 2023, the Director of Development will Identify the optimal tactics and structures to facilitate the success of the Prep Fund.

Status: A comprehensive development plan, articulating key actions and dates for a successful Prep Fund campaign, has been created. Essential actions within the plan include new Prep Fund grandparent, alumni, and past parent ambassadors; greater communication about the purpose and impact of the Prep Fund; proactive leadership donor identification and engagement; more development-focused events; and new development publications (annual report calendar created in August 2023 and annually thereafter).

By August 2023, the Director of Enrollment, working with appropriate faculty and staff, will review and improve, if necessary, the methods and manner by which we assess prospective students to ensure they are mission-appropriate.

Status: This work is in progress and will result in better and more accurate admission assessment tools for the 2024 admissions season.

By August 2023, the administrative team will have evaluated and scheduled the implementation of database systems that serve school-wide needs.

Status: This review resulted in the following actions: the development office has transitioned to a new database system that will significantly increase functionality and accuracy of data. Other administrative areas will continue to use the current database system in the hope that recent upgrades to it will result in better functionality. If it does not, a move to a new database system will be made for the 2024-2025 school year.

By August 2023, the Director of Enrollment will create a plan to build and strengthen relationships with relocation agencies/realtors, preschools, and physicians to convey the Charlotte Prep value proposition. This plan will launch in the 2023-2024 school year 

Status: The admission team will connect with realtors within our school community to make connections with the relocation arms of their companies in Charlotte. Local realtors will also be invited to tour our school and meet with the admissions team. Connections with physicians within the Prep community will also be scheduled to share information about Prep within their practices.

By August 2023, the Director of Finance and Operations will obtain quotes for a campus master plan. The finance committee of the Board of Trustees will then decide by August if this is a feasible and worthy undertaking and, if not, what other mechanisms will best identify the facility needs of the school.  Key considerations will be, among others, a library, more multi-purpose space, more teacher work space.

Status: The campus master planning process has been awarded to Little Architects and will commence in the summer of 2023, resulting in a new campus master plan by December 2023.

By August 2023, the Director of Finance and Operations will create a plan, with needed resources, to enhance campus beautification on an ongoing basis.

Status: A local landscaping company has been engaged to regularly beautify the grounds of the school. In addition, the Parents’ Association has a committee to decorate the campus for holidays throughout the school year.

By August 2023, The Director of Marketing and Communications will conduct a communications survey and audit to align communication types and frequency with parents’ preferences and effectively share timely, accessible, and relevant information with the community.

Status: This survey was administered in the spring of 2023 with strong participation from parents. Results of the survey and specific actions taken because of it will be shared with the community in the fall of 2023.