1. Strategic Planning and Professional Learning Communities

2. The Strategic Plan The School Profile The School Report Card
The School Improvement Plan (SIP)

3. The School Profile Details of the School
Staff FTE
Program Descriptions
Student Population
Description of the Communities
Description of Facility
Classrooms
Science Labs
Computer Labs
Details of Important Information Related to the School

4. School Report Card Results from Provincial Assessment
Results from District Assessment
Results from Formal School Assessment
Results from Perception Surveys
Data that provides the reader an account of where the school stands

5. The School Improvement Plan
In line with District Improvement Plan which, in turn, is in line with the Provincial Improvement Plan (SIP, DIP, PIP)
Provincial Education Plan (Challenge)…When Kids Come First
Vision: Build the best education system in Canada
Three Clear Goals
Eight Commitments
141 Specific Actions
23 Targets in a Balanced Scorecard

6. The School Improvement Plan
Curricular areas of Literacy, Numeracy and Science & Technology are stressed; these along with “Positive Environment” are the foci for the Innovation Grants
School District will formulate a DIP in line with the goals and focus of the province
Each school develops an SIP to align with the DIP

7. SIP – Who Is Involved Administration Curricular Leaders Teachers
The Parent School Support Committee (PSSC)
School District

8. Components of an SIP Clear Focus (Foci) Performance Targets Actions
Most often related to improvement of student achievement
Performance Targets
Specific goals
Actions
What are we going to “do”
Measures of Success
Are our actions “measurable”; they should be
Indication of Person(s) Responsible
Who takes the lead; who is involved
Timeline
How long will it take

9. The School Improvement Plan
“A Living Document”

10. School Improvement Plan in Conjunction with Professional Learning Communities

11. “The most promising strategy for sustained, substantive school improvement is building the capacity of school personnel to function as a professional learning community” Milbrae McLaughlin

12. Definition of a Professional Learning Community
“…A Professional Learning Community is a collaboration of teachers, administrators, parents and students who work together to seek out best practices, test them in the classroom, continuously improve processes, and focus on results”
Rick DuFour, 2002

13. The Three Big Ideas Behind Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
Focus on Learning
Collaborative Culture
Focus on Results

14. Key Questions for a PLC What is it that we want our students to learn?
How will we know when the students have learned it?
What will we do when we find the students have not learned it?
What will we do when students have learned it?

15. Characteristics of a PLC
Shared Mission, Vision and Values
Collaborative Teams
Collective Inquiry
Action Orientation/Experimentation
Commitment to Continuous Improvement
Results Orientation
(DuFour and Eaker, 1998)