Victory in Every Classroom

DeKalb County School System Excellence in Education Plan 2012

Introduction

Let us introduce you to a DeKalb County School System student of the not-too-distant future.

First, she’s not carrying a heavy back pack full of books. All of the books and lessons she needs are on a tablet computer. And if you could browse through her tablet, you’d see she’s mastering basic Chinese. Chinese is offered at her school because most colleges and the rapidly-changing job market are demanding it.

You’ll notice, too, that even though she’s just entered high school, she’s already well versed in algebra. Her middle school curriculum taught her algebra and other core fundamentals, because success in those subjects is the best predictor of how well she and her peers will perform in high school and beyond.

Our student also is immersed in problem-based learning scenarios that will prepare her for college and various careers and help her perform competitively on national assessments. Her classroom learning reflects an interdisciplinary approach that educates her about the modern world and allows her to make connections to strengthen her use of mathematics, history, language arts and science to solve and communicate solutions to real-world, community-based and global problems.

There’s music on her tablet, too, but she’ll admit it’s not her first talent. But she understands the hard work and complexity behind music, just as she has a wide appreciation of art, and an opinion of what she likes. Nutrition and personal wellness are important to her, too, and she’s encouraged her family to make healthy changes with her. These subjects were ‘non-negotiable’ in her School System, topics taught at every single school, and she’s been learning about them since kindergarten.

She hasn’t decided what her future career is going to be, or whether she’s going to college. But either way, she has options. She’s more technically proficient than her parents, or even her older siblings. She knows that even to fix a car or an air conditioning system, she has to understand a computer. The classes she’s taught in school support that. And through partnerships with her community’s major corporations and top universities, her school provides opportunities for internships, paid positions, higher education or service. Whatever she chooses, the opportunities are there for her.

Sign in and walk into her school with her, and you’ll see it’s clean, orderly and, above all, safe. The students show a positive attitude, and you can see an encouraging, respectful culture in the banners, the slogans, the student art and everything in and around the school.

Sit down in her first period, and see the classroom is led by a dedicated, well-trained and enthusiastic teacher. You can tell by meeting him that he feels good about his job, his career path and his pay and recognition.

Walk down to the principal’s office, and she can describe how her school improved its performance and earned a level of autonomy to build a highly-effective team of teachers and administrators. She can show you her plan to continually improve student success, and how it’s aligned with national standards.

The principal’s superiors at the Central Office are working with her to ensure that she has the resources she needs to provide every student with a quality education, and that everyone in the School System is geared toward one thing, helping our student become a productive part of her community.

This is a snapshot of the DeKalb County student and School System of the future, the DeKalb Schools that we all aspire to. And in some ways, we are not too far from it.

But we live in the reality of today, and today, the DeKalb County School System is at a crossroads.

Today, our School System has an enrollment of more than 98,000 students, many of whom struggle with the complexities of modern life.

Each day, we as educators are responsible for changing, advancing, and in many cases sustaining, the lives of all of those 98,000 children. Failure is not an option, because the monetary and social cost of our failure is almost impossible to grasp – cost in opportunities deferred, in deteriorating communities, in Georgia’s alarming rate of incarceration. It’s telling that some of the School System’s most vocal supporters in the community are law enforcement. They know that as educators, we are in the life saving business.

But despite the high stakes, in some cases, failure has been the status quo.

Our School System is one with individual pockets of high-performance and success. We are blessed with remarkable students and dedicated teachers who inspire miraculous achievements. But as a whole, our School System faces tremendous challenges.

One in four of our students do not graduate from high school. Most score below the state average on comprehension in reading and math. Most of our schools to not meet the federal standard for Adequate Yearly Progress, and in some cases, our schools’ performance standards are declining.

Our School System faces these realities with fewer resources. The national economic crisis has driven down property tax revenue, while the state of Georgia has consistently cut funding for local school districts. In DeKalb, state funding was cut by $9 million in 2008, $41 million in 2010, and by $64 million for the current school year.

We were grateful that DeKalb County voters in November overwhelmingly supported the School System with a renewal of the Special Local Option Sales Tax (or SPLOST IV), a penny sales tax expected to raise some $400 million for school buildings and infrastructure. But due to declining revenues, the School System will again this year have austerity measures to maintain a balanced budget.

But despite the challenges, we cannot give up. There is too much at stake.

Our goal must be to transform DeKalb Schools into a district-wide School System of Excellence. Every child in every part of our community must have access to a quality education, one that gives them the opportunity to become productive citizens. This is our sole mission, and all of our actions and decisions will be based on reaching that goal.

To realize our mission of improving student success, the School System has begun a process of creating a new mission and vision statement, articulating our core values and presenting an overall plan to turn around the DeKalb County School System.

In the following pages, we will present the details of our Excellence for Education Plan, the blueprint for turning our School System into a district-wide system of excellence. In the years ahead, we will show how we’ve progressed. We invite everyone in the community to follow our progress and participate in our mission.

Working together, we can truly achieve Victory in Every Classroom.

VisionThe DeKalb County School System will be one of the most effective and high-performing large school

systems in the United States in bringing about student success in a rapidly changing world.

MissionOur mission is to prepare 21st Century students to thrive and succeed in a diverse and ever-changing

world through a partnership of homes, schools and communities.

The DeKalb Schools 21st Century student will demonstrate

Flexibility and adaptability

Initiative and self-direction

Social and cross-cultural interaction

Productivity and accountability

Leadership and responsibility

Information and technology literacy

Critical thinking and problem solving

Creativity and innovation

We believeStudent achievement and preparedness for post-secondary education, careers or service are our core

business

Learning is a shared responsibility of schools, parents and communities for which we are all accountable

All students will learn and must be challenged and supported to achieve at their highest levels

Schools should be safe, nurturing and supportive environments

A culture of accountability and transparency with appropriate checks and balances is necessary for our School System to deliver exceptional customer service and to achieve operational excellence

Diversity is an asset that we embrace and promote

Effective teaching and strong instructional leadership have a profound impact on student potential and are vital to the success of our community

Every school is unique and must have quality resources that are aligned to teaching and learning

An effective teacher is equipped with instructional knowledge and research-based practices and is committed to continuous professional learning

All DeKalb Schools employees should be appropriately recognized and celebrated for their impact on our students and their success

Where We AreDeKalb Schools in 2012: An Overview

In September 2011, the DeKalb County School System started a new chapter with the Board of Education’s appointment of Dr. Cheryl L.H. Atkinson as Superintendent.

Upon being sworn in, Dr. Atkinson launched her 90 Day Entry Plan, a set of activities to fully immerse her new administration in the workings of the DeKalb County School System, DeKalb County’s communities and neighborhoods, and all of the external institutions that support and touch the School System.

The overall objective of the 90-Day Entry Plan was to listen, learn and lead. Listening and learning sessions consisted of numerous meetings with constituent groups, internal leadership and direct reports, as well as external leaders and representatives from business, service, not for profit, philanthropic, political, faith-based and community organizations of all kinds.

The 90-Day Entry Plan transition proved to be critical, as the process reinforced that the School System faces a growing list of challenges, including decreasing student achievement, inconsistent student discipline, declining employee morale, a lack of trust of the School System among parents and the members of the community and a number of other issues that require urgent action.

To that end, the Superintendent determined that the School System must:

establish a strong community presence promptly assess the organization's strengths and weaknesses identify critical issues facing the district

correct weaknesses and build on strengths create a network of contacts and resources engage stakeholders in mutual transformation and accountability

In listening to the community, the Superintendent established five guiding principles that needed to be followed in the School System’s initial decision making.

No. 1, Students Come First.Student achievement is our business and must be the central theme in all initiatives.

Second, every school must believe that parents are our partners.It is the School System’s responsibility to include and value parent and guardian input into their children's education and school.

Leadership and accountability at all levels are key to success. Every classroom, every school and central office department must have a strong leader.

We are not alone in this endeavor. It takes the entire community to ensure the success of the district, and we must tap into the knowledge, skills, and support they can offer to assist in providing a quality education for all students.

Victory is in the classroom.Daily teaching and learning is where the battle for improvement in student achievement is fought.

With the information from the listening and learning session and guiding principles established, the final phase of the entry plan was to develop and present to the Board of Education and community the

"Excellence for Education Plan,” the explicit and tactical strategy to improve the achievement of all students, internal operations, reporting and accountability systems.

The "Excellence for Education Plan" also has been designed to actualize and prioritize the levers necessary to deliver a balanced scorecard and an aligned management system that reiterates and executes our core values and mission.

This "Excellence for Education Plan" will become the School System’s essential and critical guiding document for continuous improvement.

Where We Are GoingGoals of the Excellence for Education Plan

Our primary goal at the DeKalb County School System is to transform DeKalb Schools from a system consisting of pockets of high-performance areas into a district-wide School System of Excellence.

The question is: How do we get there? The answer is: we need a plan.

Prior to the Superintendent’s 90-Day Entry Plan, a group of more than 30 representatives from the School System and the DeKalb Community partnered with the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) to draft a new strategic plan for DeKalb Schools.

The months-long strategic planning process, which included feedback from parents, teachers, students and others, identified priorities for the School System and built a framework of action steps for the School System to achieve them.

Parallel to the strategic planning process, on Oct. 31, 2011, the Board of Education approved a Theory of Action for Change for the DeKalb County School System, a mission and philosophy statement that outlines how the new administration plans to improve student success in every part of DeKalb County.

The Theory of Action for Change calls for creating a culture of accountability among School System leadership and employees; pledges to put more authority in the hands of principals who achieve, while offering more support and guidance for schools that need improvement; and outlines finding new and creative ways to recognize and compensate teachers.

The Theory of Action for Change also creates a framework to build a new district-wide curriculum; provide more transparency of School System operations; and improve how the School System communicates with the community, as well as outlining the oversight role of the Board of Education.

A key component of the Theory of Action for change is the School System’s commitment to an Aligned Management System for Continuous Improvement.

An aligned management system will facilitate building a culture of accountability, which provides a means to manage, monitor and measure the School System activities, decisions and performance. It will

also facilitate communication with full transparency about activities and progress to all DeKalb County School System stakeholders.

Each of these efforts, the strategic planning process, the Theory of Action for Change, as well as the 90-Day Entry Plan, have informed and created the Excellence for Education Plan, the overarching document for turning around DeKalb Schools that we are now presenting.

Based on data and feedback from all of these efforts, the Excellence for Education Plan includes five strategic goal areas, priorities that the School System must address to improve student success.

Strategic Goal Areas

1. Student Achievement and Success2. Excellence in Leadership and Personnel3. Operational Effectiveness4. Safe and Orderly Schools5. Engaging stakeholders in partnerships

Student Achievement and Success is our core business, and preparing students for jobs of changing modern economy is engrained in everything we do, from our mission and values to our Theory of Action for Change to the curriculum we design for our classrooms. It is and will always be Job One.

90-Day Entry Plan

Theory of Action for

Change

Strategic Planning Process

Excellence in Leadership means that for students to succeed every classroom must have a leader, every school must have a leader, every position much have a leader. And for our purposes, leadership means an effective professional committed to accountability, customer service and effective execution.

For the School System to achieve Operational Effectiveness, we must be committed to efficiency, accountability and transparency. We must put in place checks and balances that ensure we are efficient stewards of taxpayer money and we are effectively executing our core mission, to ensure student success.

Our schools must be safe and orderly for our students to achieve. We must have discipline standards that are uniform across the School System. Children must have a reliable, safe and orderly environment in which to learn. Parents must be assured that our schools are positive environments for their children to grow. And we must enforce a zero-tolerance for bullying, harassment or intimidation of any kind.

We cannot do this alone. The School System must effectively engage all members of the community to help us advance student success. It is our responsibility to start that conversation, and we are committed to build a permanent communications infrastructure to ensure that we consistently reach and interact with all of our stake holders.

Goal No. 1Student Achievement and Success

OverviewThe work of the Division of Curriculum and Instruction has been restructured to reflect actions that will result in the outcomes for Race To The Top (RT3) related to

1) Recruitment and Retention of Great Teachers and Leaders

2) Implementation of Standards and Assessments

3) Implementation of the Georgia’s Longitudinal Data Systems (LDS) to Inform Instruction; and

4) Turning Around the Lowest Achieving Schools (LAS).

To this end, the new structure will reflect alignment between curriculum, instruction, assessment and professional learning (CIAPL). In addition to a Race To The Top Implementation and Accountability Team, the CIAPL structure will be critical to the development of an aligned curriculum and assessments that meet the needs of all learners and that is taught by effective classroom teachers. In order to achieve high performance in all grade levels and in all schools, quality teaching and learning must take place.

TargetsIncreased percentage of students graduating on timeIncreased percentage of students continuing post-secondary educationIncreased percentage meeting standard on CRCT (grades 3-8)

Increased percentage meeting standard on the EOCT for all assessed subjectsIncreased percentage meeting standards on the Georgia Writing Assessment in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11Increased percentage of students meeting the expectations on district formative and summative assessmentsIncreased percentage of students promoted annually

Core Strategies

Strategy No. 1To ensure mastery of Common Core Georgia Performance Standards

Action Steps Develop and implement a district-wide curriculum based on content standards organized into

Curriculum Instructional Guides that include curriculum maps, units of study, sample lesson plans and is aligned to assessment and instructional resources

Develop and implement a system-wide RtI plan that includes tiered interventions Develop and implement promotional criteria that convey high expectations for all learners Develop and implement professional learning plan based upon a system-wide assessment of

professional learning needs for all staff

Strategy No. 2To ensure all graduates are college and career ready

Action Steps Prepare a PreK-12 Programs of Study Guide that includes course descriptions aligned to career

pathways Develop the infrastructure for various instructional delivery modes (e.g. blended learning,

alternative programs)

Strategy No. 3To ensure appropriate supports exist that foster a culture and learning environment in which teachers and students perform at high levels

Action Steps Ensure appropriate resources are available through planning and allocation Provide infrastructure for initiatives to improve school climate

Goal No. 2Excellence in Leadership and Personnel

OverviewIt is incumbent upon the DeKalb County School System to ensure that all schools have effective leadership in place. Therefore, system leaders will utilize measurements to gauge personnel

effectiveness, recruit and train effective leaders and teachers, and provide compensation that reflects recognition and respect for employees.

TargetsEstablish a Teacher Effectiveness Measure ScoreEstablish a Leader Effectiveness Measure ScoreEstablish a District-Wide Evaluation Instrument ScoreEstablish an Auxiliary Staff Evaluation Score

Core Strategies

Strategy No. 1Recruit Leaders in Every Classroom, Every School and Every Position Action Steps

Recruit and retain highly qualified teachers and leaders Establish a job career fair Institute quality and professional hiring and promotion practices

Strategy No. 2Establish Leading-Edge Training & Accountability

Action Steps Professional development Leadership training academy Teacher academy College and university partnerships Conflict of Interest/Commitment Annual Staff Disclosure Form

Strategy No. 3Establish Effective Means to Retain the Best Talent

Action Steps Build evaluation systems Coordinate teacher surveys/administrator surveys Establish college and university partnerships

Strategy No. 3Compensate and Recognize our Human Resources Action Steps

Address compensation for personnel COLA for all employees BTSA reinstatement Recognition and programming for employees Convocation at school opening

Goal No. 3Operational Effectiveness

OverviewThe DeKalb County School System is committed to building a culture of accountability and operational effectiveness and to building an Aligned Management System for DeKalb Schools – a means to manage, monitor and measure School System activities. This Aligned Management System will also improve customer service, improve efficiency and facilitate communication with full transparency about activities and progress to School System stakeholders.

Targets

Execute and implement of a financial Integrity Initiative designed to demonstrate improved efficiencies and cost savingsExecute and implement of a Workplace Safety Initiative designed to demonstrate reduction in workplace safety issuesExecute and implement a Resource Utilization Initiative in order to demonstrate increased efficiencies in technology equipment, energy use and facilities.

Core Strategies

Strategy No. 1To Ensure School System Fiscal Responsibility and Accountability

Action StepsFinancial Integrity Initiative

Develop sound and realistic budgets Establish more flexible budgets to address changes Enforce strong internal controls and monitoring of internal controls through Board policies and

procedures and through ongoing training of staff

Strategy No. 2To ensure safe, nurturing and supportive environments

Action StepsWorkplace Safety Initiative

Provide training to ensure all employees are aware of how to make each workplace environment safer

Wellness Initiative Develop healthy, balanced, and flavorful meals to serve to students daily.

Strategy No. 3To improve resource allocation and support of innovation

Action StepsResource Utilization Initiative

Install and implement the use of evaluation measures for technology throughout the district for usage and student performance data

Improve computer hardware replacement cycle Utilize a utilities management consultant to minimize energy inefficiency Expand the use of the School Teaching and Administrative Resources (STAR) staffing formula for

school staffing Perform an annual facility condition assessment. Student Information System Initiative Utilize the student information system in conjunction with the aligned management system to

make decisions to increase student achievement Monitor attendance data to increase student involvement. Review benchmark data to determine effectiveness of programs and offerings. Align student information system with requirements for compliance

Goal No. 4Safe and Orderly Schools

OverviewIn order for students to function at their academic best in the DeKalb County School System it is imperative that there are safe and orderly schools. This process starts when students are transported to school, transitioning in the hallways, classrooms, rest rooms, cafeteria and transported back home at the end of the school day. During these daily transitions appropriate behavior by students make each day safe and provide an atmosphere conducive for learning.

Targets Reduce aggressive behavior by 10 percent in all DeKalb County Schools (bullying, assaults on students and staff, threats and fighting, among other incidents)

Develop and provide to each student a Right and Responsibility Character Development Handbook that will clearly cite the rules and guidelines of the DeKalb County School System

Strategy No. 1Provide safe school training for staff including safe school audit training.

Action Steps Develop a training model to implement safe school audit process Ensure that all administrators understand the safe school audit process Include the safe school audit process in the Rights and Responsibility Character Development

Handbook

Strategy No. 2

Reduce aggressive behavior across the School System

Action Steps Implement a Character Education Training for students who have violated the Rights and

Responsibility Character Development Handbook Ensure that all students receive a review on the Rights and Responsibility Character

Development Handbook twice a year at the beginning and mid-year.

Strategy No. 3Utilize Resource Officers and Campus Supervisors efficiently.

Action Steps Provide in-services on how to complete on investigations in a timely manner (5 days) unless

there are mitigating circumstances Conduct in-services on how to complete safe school audits and recognize aggressive behavior

during transition Train campus supervisors to conduct random metal detectors scans

Goal No. 5Engaging Stakeholders

OverviewThe DeKalb County School System is an integral part of our larger community, but in order to truly be partners in education, DeKalb Schools must effectively engage and communicate with all of our stake holders, from parents and teachers to business and faith leaders to students, taxpayers and citizens. Teachers, staff, parents, citizens and others in the community should have a higher level of satisfaction and engagement with the School System.

TargetsHigher level of satisfaction among teachers, staff and other employees (demonstrated by narrative surveys)Higher level of satisfaction among parents and citizens (demonstrated by narrative surveys)Improved balance of media coverage regarding the School System (based on measures of media coverage)Improved online conversation surrounding the School System (based on tonality measure of online conversation)

Core Strategies

Strategy No. 1To increase internal stakeholder satisfaction and involvement

Action Steps

Build a strategic messaging platform of four key messages that clearly articulate the School System’s vision and mission

Build a robust, diverse set of channels to communicate DeKalb Schools Messages including: Offer internal engagement opportunities through ongoing employee forums with School System

leadership:

Strategy No. 2To increase external stakeholder satisfaction and involvement

Action Steps Build a strategic messaging platform of four key messages that clearly articulate the School

System’s vision and mission Build a robust, diverse set of channels to communicate DeKalb Schools Messages including: Offer internal engagement opportunities through ongoing employee forums with School System

leadership Actively broadcast positive coverage of School System news, achievement and events Ongoing leadership speaking engagements, visibility and appearances

Strategy No. 3To ensure alignment, communication and efficiency among and between schools and/or departments

Action Steps Reconstruct a DeKalb Schools organizational chart that clearly defines roles within departments Encourage the creation of cross functional teams to address School System business

Moving ForwardA Blueprint for Success

Year OneJust the Beginning

Welcome to a New Day in DeKalb!

I would like to thank the DeKalb County Board of Education, the people of DeKalb Schools and everyone in our community for their support, guidance and inspiration during our first 90 Days.

It is truly great being in DeKalb County. There’s warmth here that’s not just from the temperature! It comes from the people of this community, people who have welcomed us with open arms, and we are thankful and grateful. The show of support is proof that we can come together for the success of our students.

I’m here to tell you that it’s a new day in DeKalb. And yes, there’s a new superintendent. But it isn't about me. It’s about WE, and what WE can do working together for our students. And we are committed to make this one of the best School Systems in the country.

That is what this Excellence for Education Plan is about. It is our framework for analyzing where we are, pinpointing the most critical areas for improvement and providing clear courses of action, all based on the single mission of advancing student success.

Next year and in the years ahead, our annual Excellence for Education Plan will provide a report card tracking our progress. But in this, our inaugural year, I wanted to share the philosophy behind our mission, vision and strategic plan for bringing about system-wide excellence.

In the coming weeks and months, you will hear me speak about the five goals we have set out in this plan:

No. 1 is that students come first. Before all other considerations, students come first. As a School System, we have too often been distracted by the issues of adults. We must and we will refocus our efforts, attention and resources back to where they belong, to the classroom.

In addition, we are committed to bringing leadership to every part of the School System. Our children deserve and should expect leaders in every classroom, in every building, in every position in DeKalb Schools. And we will ensure that they get it.

We further pledge that as a School System we will hold ourselves accountable – from the principal’s office to the central office. The community should know and trust that their School System is accountable, professional and transparent, and aligned to a public scorecard that tracks our progress.

Our schools will be clean, orderly and, above all, safe. It almost goes without saying, but we want everyone in the community to understand that we will do everything in our power to ensure the school buildings our children enter will be safe, secure and respectful environments that encourage kindness, self-esteem, success and growth.

Lastly, we can't do this alone. I’ve been in education long enough to know that what we do, even on our best days, is just one part of the equation. Much of the example, the inspiration, the true education of our children, happens in the home, in church, in the community.

So, it’s going to take all of us to dramatically improve student success. But as your School System we will do our part to engage, communicate and bring everyone in the DeKalb Community together for the sake of our children.

The work we have to do is not easy. But as my father says, “that’s why it’s called work.” We have big challenges, but we’re looking forward and not behind. And we are committed to building a School System that is singularly focused on success for all of our children.

Thank you, in advance, for your help in transforming our School System. Our children are looking for us to lead. They’re looking to us for support. They're looking for us to engage. Our success depends on their success.

We’re striving for Victory in Every Classroom. And working together, I know we can achieve it.

Thank you, bless you and I look forward to working with each and every one of you.

Dr. Cheryl L.H. AtkinsonSuperintendent