The Latest Strategic Plan

Not to give it away but it's the just about the same draft Strategic Plan as before.  It comes up for Intro at this Wednesday's Board meeting.

It's interesting that the Superintendent, in an interview with the Times, called the early draft of the Strategic Plan "just words" and, well, that looks a lot like what is going to be.

It is astonishing to see after months of working with consultants, online survey input and, of course, the work of the Steering Committee, no real change.  How a draft document can allegedly undergo that type of input/oversight and stay nearly in the same place is a mystery.

Except that it's not.

The consultants? Talked a good game at one Work Session and were never heard from again.

The online survey and community meetings (all done in January in a fairly rushed fashion)?   I do not recall results being tabulated and released.  I just did a check and don't see them at the district so what was said/conveyed to the district and the Board is unknown.

Let's first compare and contrast the last Strategic Plan which was created in 2013 under Superintendent Jose Banda.  I like to think of the new Strategic Plan as "Strategic Plan Unplugged" as compared to the previous one.  It's fairly stripped down.

                                            Old               New
Page length                          30                5

Old Mission Statement:

Seattle Public Schools is committed to ensuring equitable access, closing the opportunity gaps and excellence in education for every student.

New Mission Statement:
Seattle Public Schools is committed to eliminating opportunity gaps to ensure access and provide excellence in education for every student.

Old Vision
Every Seattle Public Schools’ student receives a high-quality, 21st-century education and graduates prepared for college, career and life.

New Vision

Every Seattle Public Schools’ student receives a high-quality, world-class education and graduates prepared for college, career, and community.

(As many of you may know, I abhor the term "world-class" and so am sad to see it inserted into the new Plan.)

Old Core Belief

We believe that the Districtwide commitment to these core beliefs is vital at all levels of the organization and will enable students to succeed and become responsible citizens.

New Core Belief

Gone and replaced by a "Theory of Action"

WHEN WE FOCUS on ensuring racial equity in our educational system, unapologetically address the needs of students of color who are furthest from educational justice, and work to undo the legacies of racism in our educational system... 

While quite the up-to-date wording, it's an awkwardly worded statement.  

The Old SP had this statement about core beliefs which is found nowhere in the new Theory of Action:

We believe it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes to ensure that every child, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, language proficiency, learning style, or disability, achieves to their highest level. 

I think that a pity this is gone because that statement encompasses many students with challenges and, in particular, encompasses many black students who are female and/or may be in Special Education and/or could be an immigrant.

While the new Plan continues to embrace the goals of educational excellence and equity for all students as well as family/community engagement, it also talks - broadly - about operations.

We will manage district operational functions (non-academic/non-instructional; e.g., transportation, nutrition services, student assignment) in a culturally responsive, service-oriented, and cost-effective manner. We will ensure operational teams plan, establish, communicate, and consistently meet high service levels that provide school leaders, students, and families the information and daily experience that allows them to experience a safe and productive day of learning. 

How will they know how that's going? They'll know thru surveys and feedback.

But wait, the district already does that and frankly, the district knows the shortcomings. Hard to understand enrollment process.  Bus system that didn't work for months this school year for many students but especially Sped students and their families.

I appreciate the insertion of "Overall services quality level informed by performance indicators unique to each individual operational function."

However, what those indicators are, when various departments will be informed about them, how often the measurements will be taken and, most importantly, what the accountability measures will be, ah, there's the rub.

What is also troubling is this statement from the new Plan after it explains how the focus on students of color and legacies of racism in the system will lead to:

THEN we will eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps and every student will receive a high-quality, world-class education. 

I'd like to believe that if opportunity/achievement gaps were erased/closed/narrowed that the latter part of that sentence were true.  But the district doesn't explain how they know - for certain -  that the opportunity gap is the sole reason that all kids aren't receiving "a high-quality, world-class education." 

Other differences include this one:

Draft Strategic Plan
Creating healthy, supportive, culturally responsive environments from the classroom to central office

Final Strategic Plan
Delivering high-quality, standards-aligned instruction across all abilities and a continuum of services for learners 

I applaud this one because it at least acknowledges the many challenges that face SPS students.

Draft Strategic Plan

Educational justice requires safe learning environments, curriculum that incorporates a student’s life experiences and culture, and instruction delivered by high-quality, culturally competent educators. Many students from certain ethnicities have not historically experienced equitable opportunities for all or part of their educational journey (including African and African American, Asian Pacific Islander, LatinX, and Native students). These students are our priority.

Final Strategic Plan

To achieve educational justice, SPS strives to provide safe learning environments, curriculum that incorporates a student’s life experiences and culture, and instruction delivered by high-quality, culturally responsive educators. Unfortunately, many students from certain ethnicities have not historically experienced equitable opportunities for all or part of their educational journey (including African and African American, Asian Pacific Islander and Pacific Islander, LatinX, and Native students). These students are our priority – with an intentional focus on African American males. 

The biggest difference between the draft Strategic Plan and the final Strategic Plan is the insertion of this:

Our Theory of Action is guided by the principles of “Targeted Universalism.” Our universal goal is every Seattle Public Schools’ student receives a high-quality, world-class education and graduates prepared for college, career, and community. Targeted Universalism holds that targeted and differentiated efforts are required to meet the needs of specific student populations, so every student meets the universal goal. By focusing on students of color who are furthest from educational justice, especially African American males, we will make the greatest progress toward our collective vision. 

Some of this work echoes to former Superintendent Nyland's Eliminating Opportunity Gaps. 

We are using Targeted Universalism as our approach to eliminating opportunity gaps. In its simplest definition, targeted universalism alters the usual approach of universal strategies (policies, practices, and procedures that make no distinctions among student’s status) to achieve universal goals (improved student academic achievement), and instead suggests we use targeted strategies to reach universal goals. 

I've written on Targeted Universalism before. But I did write about steps necessary to carry it out:

5 Steps: 

1. Articulate a particular goal based upon a robust understanding and analysis of the problem at hand 2. Assess difference of general population from universal goal 3. Assess particular geographies and population segments 
divergence from goal 4. Assess barriers to achieving the goal for each group/geography 5. Craft targeted processes to each group to reach universal goal

I'm not sure I see this in the new Strategic Plan. As well,

Back to John Powell and his basic question that could be asked for Seattle’s proposal:

Important questions about My Brother’s Keeper have been raised. Even those who undoubtedly care about men and boys of color have questioned, “But why this group and not others?” Some may acknowledge that there is a strong case that black boys need focused support, but also ask, “What about girls and women of color?” We can continue to add to that line of questioning, “What about white girls and women? What about the disabled? What about any group that through no fault of their own find themselves struggling to stay in their homes, afford higher education or keep their families on track?”
These are important and legitimate questions, and they deserve to be answered. The government, in using its resources—including its moral authority—has an obligation to all of its members, not just to some. When it focuses on some and not all, we need an explanation as to why. What must inform our policies is not equal treatment, but equal concern for all groups and individuals. A plan that focuses on everyone, without recognizing that different groups are in unique situations and need responses appropriate to their position, will fail at delivering equal concern or effective outcomes.

It will be interesting to see how the district answers many of these questions.   As well, how they will find/allocate resources as Oakland SD, the most notable district using Targeted Universalism, had many funders for their plan.

Here's the second paragraph connected to Targeted Universalism in the new Strategic Plan:

We believe that an intentional focus on African American males will ultimately benefit every student. We will create new systems and structures that will ultimately be used to better meet the needs of students throughout SPS. We will also learn how to develop and provide differentiated efforts to meet the needs of specific populations, allowing us to better serve the needs of additional student populations. 

New systems and structures? Heard that before. Shiny words that parents have heard before don't mean much.

As well, gone is any mention of Pre-K. Is that because of the growth of the City's Pre-K program, both in and out of SPS? Hard to say.

One last huge difference? The old Strategic Plan gives actual stated measurements to assess if there is gap-closing and what initiatives will be used. The new Plan is broad-brush statements that depend on very strict measures, most of which are singly and solely testing outcomes.