Strategic Plan question

So, I'm reading the final report from Kinsey and Company, and I can't help noticing this:

C. Central Office
An effective and well-organized Central Office is key to a high-functioning and highperforming school district. Simple and efficient processes free time for instructional and Central Office staff to focus on programs that drive student achievement and attainment. As part of its effort to support SPS and its vision, the Central Office will focus on two goals: becoming efficient, effective, and customer friendly; and implementing a rigorous program evaluation to determine what works. The Central Office strategies for the next five years support attainment of these goals:
• Establish and implement tight financial and resource planning processes
• Build clear, coherent interfaces between IT and District decision-making processes
• Build an HR function that is best-in-class among peer districts


To which I can only say "Huh?!?"

How do these strategies in any way apply to the stated goals? How will they help the central office become efficient, effective and customer friendly? How will they help the District implement performance management? Where is there a strategy for making the District customer friendly? What does an improved HR function have to do with either of the goals?

What am I missing here? Someone help me out with this.

Comments

dan dempsey said…
Dear Mr Mas,

Now you know why Large Urban School districts rarely make progress much less significant academic progress.

The hiring of consultants is easy. Rational thought is far more difficult.

Do you suppose "The Economists" rather poor review of McKinsey's work as Educational Consultants was in fact correct.

Help me out here.

Dan
4/8/08, 5:33 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, gr...
Read more

Education News Roundup

From the ever-amusing Washington Policy Center : Vouchers are Pell Grants for students under 18.  Vouchers are no different than Pell Grants or GI benefits, except the money goes to the families of students younger than age 18.  Except they are. Pell Grants were created to help needy students and that's not really the goal of the voucher program.  The Pell grant website does have a couple of great studies on why low-income students drop out before finishing their higher ed and what makes a difference.
Read more