Stories

With our strategic plan Writing Our Next Chapter now launched and in motion, it seems a good time to reflect on why strategic plans so often deliver far less than they promise. I have long noticed this dynamic in schools, but it is really not that surprising. Many schools have an uneasy relationship with the two most essential elements of strategic planning: an openness to examine, in transparent and honest ways, the current reality a school is facing and the confidence and will to make necessary institutional improvements.

As Jim Collins pointed out in his seminal book Good to Great, organizations, be they businesses or schools, need to have a clear-eyed understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and then have an unshakeable faith in their ability to be even better – in other words, to move from good to great.

We engaged in a comprehensive look at where we are during the first phase of our strategic planning process. We got feedback from multiple constituents through surveys and focus group meetings. Our visioning day retreat put tough (but fair) questions on the table. The feedback from this part of the planning process was clear: we have much to be proud of and the opportunity to be even better.

And now we must act, confident in our abilities to make Prep an even better school. The only way to move a school forward is to do so on all fronts because every component of school life influences another. For example, we cannot have a strong curriculum without excellent teachers, and to attract and retain excellent teachers we must have competitive salaries and benefits. This is why our strategic plan encompasses all the important elements of our school, from curriculum to facilities to resources to community.

This is a time of great hope and promise for Charlotte Prep. We have an exciting vision for our future and the talent and will to bring this vision to life. Our strategic plan will improve the experience of our students in myriad ways, and it is heartening to know the adults of our community – faculty, staff, parents, trustees – are united in our efforts to write this important next chapter of the Charlotte Prep story.