STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018
Three Pillars Built on Values and Aspirations At the end of last year, King’s Board of Trustees formally adopted our School’s 2013-2018 Strategic Plan. I am pleased to present it to you as the centerpiece of this fall’s Quest Magazine. The plan is a marriage of our values and our aspirations. It is grounded in King’s Mission Statement and aimed at new milestones that will enhance our position as a leading independent school. More practically, it charts a clear path for the next five years – a period that includes the exciting opportunities around our Sesquicentennial celebrations. The Strategic Plan (with an overview on the following page) started with a thoughtful committee of trustee members, parent volunteers, Faculty, and administrators. The final product reflects the input of an inclusive cross section of the King community, gathered through a series of “listening tours” to make sure our roadmap reflects a broad consensus about what matters most to King’s future. Like the 2008 Strategic Plan, this Plan is built on three pillars: I. Educational Excellence II. A Culture of Civility and Respect III. Institutional Strength and Advancement By retaining these ideals at the core of the plan, we’ve signaled our desire to capitalize on recent achievements, including the following:
• Academic enhancements such as the launch of the Global Studies Program
• Cultural markers such as the creation of the Office
of Community Affairs and the adoption of Service Learning across the curriculum
• Attainment of important financial goals such as the completion of the Campaign for Excellence
Some highlights of the 2013-2018 plan include:
• Creating the next generation of King’s unique approach to personalized teaching and learning
• Enhancing our educational technology infrastructure • Capitalizing on our investment in performing arts and athletic facilities
• Clearly defining the virtues and responsibilities
that all members of the King community must share
• Strengthening our brand to build our reputation regionally and nationally
• Further enhancing King’s culture of philanthropy Of course, this plan itself is not intended to capture all of the activities taking place on campus every day. Rather, it identifies the key strategic priorities that are important to lift King to the next level of excellence. And just as the world will surely change over the next five years, this plan is intended to be a living document that will change through time, but always point us in the direction of our primary goals. I encourage you to read the overview and check King’s website for a full version of the plan. This plan is about King’s future, and that means it’s about the future of our kids, our families, and our community. Your understanding of our priorities and shared commitment to our ambitions will make a vital difference. Thanks for all you do for King.
Alan Bowser Alan Bowser Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018
PILLAR I EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE Critical to the future excellence of King’s educational program is a commitment to broadening and deepening our student-centered, whole child, personalized educational approach, as well as refining and expanding our comprehensive academic program - thus, preparing our students “to thrive in a rapidly changing world.” The primary focus is on Teaching and Learning at King, which includes both how and what we teach – a focus that will prepare our students for the future. King’s commitment to a world class Faculty, a well-rounded program for a diverse student body, and a superb college counseling program will further equip students to capitalize on their own unique strengths and emerge from King as lifelong learners, prepared to be successful in college and beyond. To advance these goals, we will: STRATEGIC PLAN 20132018 1. Create the next generation of personalized teachDevelop a sophisticated Department of Computer ing and learning: Science and Digital Applications – as well as developing new and innovative approaches to Broaden and deepen our educational core, a the study of Science, Research, Mathematics, commitment to a personalized experience, which and Engineering is rooted in four critical components: the Depart-
•
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ment of Assessment and Instruction; our approach to Professional Growth and Development; the use of Cognitive Profiles of our students; and Faculty compensation schemes that encourage desired outcomes
• Hire, retain, support, and develop a world-class, diverse, deeply committed Faculty
• Continue
to build our Educational Technology infrastructure and consolidate our leadership position in this area
2. Advance our Academic Program:
• Expand the next level of educational excellence at King by fully embedding and further developing initiatives in: Service Learning, Global Studies, and Diversity Programming
• Enhance our traditional programs that engender effective writing, critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem solving
• Capitalize on our investment in Performing Arts and Athletic facilities by expanding these programs in a manner that will offer greater opportunities to our students, and more fully establish our presence in the larger community
3. Expand and develop our College Counseling Program:
• Complete the development of a college counseling
department office and program that leads the field of fine independent schools
• Build institutional fluency with the college admission process, resulting in better integration of college counseling into King’s educational program
• Emphasize students
the “right fit” choice for all our
STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018 STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018
PILLAR II CULTURE OF CIVILITY AND RESPECT King believes that individual accomplishment must go hand in hand with respect for others. Our culture of respect, civility, and service fosters both collaboration and independence. We embrace human and cultural diversity, thus creating a vibrant learning community where each person is valued. We prize responsible and thoughtful citizenship. This culture reinforces the School’s mission-driven belief that respect, civility, and service to others are all central to individual and community health, educational excellence, and personal achievement. To fulfill our commitment to these beliefs, we will: 1. Clearly define the virtues and responsibilities that all members of King’s community must share (students, Faculty and parents) to maintain and promote a culture of respect, civility, and service:
• Build mutual accountability among students • Set expectations for Faculty and staff to lead by example
• Communicate
expectations that parents to support King’s culture
encourage
2. Continue to reinforce King’s commitment to human and cultural diversity:
• Objectively
evaluate King’s current diversity experience through a NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism or appropriate best practice assessment
• Review
King’s Diversity Policy and develop a progressive Diversity Plan that sets clear goals for all three divisions and the broader King community
• Benchmark our diversity resources relative to peer schools
• Implement a periodic review process to assess
progress against these goals, in conjunction with the regular Strategic Plan review
3. Continue to develop programs that support and reinforce King’s culture of respect, civility, and service:
• Focus
on Service Learning, Global Studies, Leadership, Mentoring and Peer Counseling programs
• Work to coordinate these programs with curricular and extra-curricular activities, where appropriate
• Deepen the understanding of these programs, and
broaden student, Faculty and parent engagement by actively communicating their importance in building King’s culture
STRATEGIC PLAN 2013-2018
PILLAR III INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTH AND ADVANCEMENT To promote the King Mission and ensure the long-term success of the School, it is vital that the community on campus and beyond be aware of our leading educational product, our successes and the challenges we share together. An important measure of the health of our culture is our own commitment to and engagement with the School. Thanks to sound financial management and the support of many, King is in excellent financial condition. We recognize the continuing need to build financial and institutional strength to support our program and achieve the ideals in our Mission. To accomplish this, we will: 1. Market King’s Mission and brand on campus and beyond:
• Establish King’s reputation regionally and nationally • Consolidate King’s position as a first choice school in the area
2. Enhance King’s culture of philanthropy and stewardship in order to meaningfully increase nontuition revenue in support of School programs:
• Continue to grow the Annual Fund until King is
at or near median annual giving in the Fairchester group of schools
• Capitalize
on the opportunity afforded by the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary celebration) in 2015-2016 with a community wide, all constituent initiative that includes growth in the Annual Fund, capital projects from the Master Site Plan, and legacy building through endowment growth
3. Expand the student body to support a rich and diverse learning community:
• Reach an overall student population consistent with being a “big small school”
• Increase funded financial aid to enhance access and affordability of a King education
• Complete
renovation of the Upper School to accommodate our student body in a state-ofthe-art facility