Essay on Developing a Strategic Plan for the North Carolina Connections Academy

The purpose of the Plan

Developing a strategic plan that centers on the North Carolina Connections Academy as a single entity is indispensable. The prospects and challenges in the school suggest the need for school-parents-community involvement for students academic achievement. Students face many influences throughout their lives in school, at home, and in their communities. Failure to establish a community, school and home collaboration put the future of students at stake. To achieve the goal of graduating every student, the institution needs to consider the schools-parents-community relationship as the most critical and responsible sources that determine children success. A meaningful and active engagement of parents boosts students achievement and produce globally competitive candidates and productive graduates. The institution is committed to supporting parents, community and parent initiatives to meet its goals and mission in the next two years, and take advantage of prospects for academic improvements and successes.

Priorities of the Institution

The plan puts forth the institutions overarching aspiration: To achieve the goal of graduating all students by boosting their achievement through school-parents-community involvement. This aspiration represents the stature of North Carolina Connections Academy in its unique and special capacity of boosting students performance and success. Having such a predominant aspiration is essential for the institutions theme of this plan. The main strategy proposed for achieving the institution aspirations is captured through collaboration and connectivity. Focusing on strong programs that are essential in maintaining areas of excellence are strategically important. Building a greater connectivity between the school, parents and the community through the development of boundary-crossing structures, developing new integration and productive synergies are important. School-parent-community relationship implies that it will be easy for students to overcome challenges in pursuit of their academic goals.

Specific Aims and objectives

The overall aim and objective of the plan are to suggest the school-parents-community involvement enhance the goal of graduating every student by improving their academic excellence and achievement.

Respectful Relationships

The plan will support families and communities through respectful and reciprocal relationships. The program will ensure that the engagement of parents and the community involve systems, which inform parents and community about grades, class work, academic goals, and homework. Communication will be through a language, which the community and parents understand, and interpreters and translated materials will be provided for parents who do not understand English. There will be ample opportunities for the teachers and parents to build and communicate positive relationships through mechanisms for parents to share information or document concerns to be addressed.

Strategic Priorities and Initiatives

The top priority proposed in the next two years is to enhance student academic excellence and achievement. Based on the context of these predominant priorities, the plan proposes six strategic initiatives for the next two years.

Promote and support responsible Parenting

Assist parents with family support, parental skills, adolescent development, understanding the child, and setting a home environment that supports education and learning at each grade level.

Hold community and school-based meetings that assist parents in understanding the expectations and needs at different educational levels.

Link and collaborate with programs that help parents with economic, nutrition and health services.

Facilitate a meaningful and regular communication

Facilitate a meaningful and regular communication between school and home using a variety of communication tools and skills including active listening, skills for effective verbal engagement and empathetic responding.

Create opportunities for educators and parents to share information such as student learning preferences and strengths.

Promote and encourage concern and care for emotional and physical health, safety, and wellbeing of parents, students, and staff.

Provide additional prospects for parents by offering responses to teachers on students academic progress.

Volunteering through welcoming parents in school and their assistance and support is sought.

Improve training and recruitment to include students and families as volunteers or audiences at school.

Allow teachers to work as volunteers who aim at supporting the student through meaningful and flexible scheduling.

Value parents diverse contributions and appreciates parents' participation.

Student Learning at home

The plan will involve children with their family in learning at home through goal setting, doing homework and other educational related activities.

Provide information on the manner in which parents can foster learning at home, monitor homework, monitor homework, and give teachers feedback.

Assign interactive homework that enables students to interact and discuss with their parents regularly on what students learn in class.

Provide parental training on the manner in which parents can monitor homework and school work.

Advocacy and Decision Making by involving parents

Families will be included as participants in the governance and decisions of the school, and through advocacy activities in committees, improvement council, and school boards.

Provide accessible and understandable processes for raising concerns, influencing decisions, resolving problems and appealing decisions.

Provide parents with information about school practices, policies, and both school and student performance data.

Treat concerns regarding parents with respect and show genuine interest in problem-solving.

Community Collaboration to Strengthen School, student and families learning

The plan will coordinate services and resources for the school, students, and families with community groups like civic and cultural organizations, agencies, businesses and universities, and colleges.

Coordinate integration of school services in partnership with recreation, health, cultural, counseling, civic, and businesses and other organizations and agencies.

Provide service learning and community service opportunities as pathways of enhancing community involvement with schools, families, and parents.

The school, parent, and community involvement plan will be essential in engaging all the parties to meet the needs of students in the North Carolina Connections Academy. The school-parent-community partnership will assist in improving the learning programs, build community, strengthen families, and increase the success and achievement of students.