Franklin Special District 2024-2029 Strategic Plan: Aspire 2029
Goal Area #1: Academics
By 2029, through intentional strategies, the FSD will improve literacy and math proficiency by 10% and increase student growth in all grade levels as measured by state assessments and district universal screeners.
Strategy 1: Develop academic growth goals guided by essential standards that establish high expectations and rigor for all students.
Tactics:
- Identify essential standards for all grade levels and core subjects.
- Develop common formative assessments and success criteria for all essential standards.
- Provide professional learning for all educators on the essential standards, success criteria, and common formative assessments.
Strategy 2: Strengthen the Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) process through professional learning and innovative teaching strategies.
Tactics:
- All schools will create a guiding coalition. All guiding coalitions will attend a PLC at Work Institute.
- Administrators will monitor and guide the work of the PLC process for continual improvement and innovative teaching practices (including, but not limited to, computer science and district-approved artificial intelligence [AI]).
- Strengthen the PLC process through the achievement of Model PLC at Work recognition for all schools and the district.
Strategy 3: Create an emphasis on K-2 reading and math fluency, 3-8 reading and math proficiency, and district-wide writing expectations through Tier I instruction and academic interventions/enrichments.
Tactics:
- With a committee, develop writing expectations and processes, train teachers, monitor progress, and adjust as needed.
- Provide professional learning focused on identifying skill deficits and enrichment opportunities during the PLC process.
Strategy 4: Improve parent communication and provide parent training on curricula, essential standards, and district instructional materials.
Tactics:
- Provide differentiated parent training on curricula and essential standards.
- Provide a consistent district-wide teacher-to-parent communication platform.
- Create instructional support materials for parents.
Goal Area #2: Belonging/Well-Being
By 2029, the FSD will support each school in creating and implementing a plan that cultivates well-being and belonging (including behavior) - for staff, students, and families - as evidenced by annual reviews of each strategy.
Strategy 1: Plan for school transitions in a way that best creates enthusiasm and alleviates students’ and parents’ questions/concerns.
Tactics:
- Expand and enhance planned opportunities for parents to attend informational meetings, special events, etc. at FIS and FMS.
- Planned opportunities for students to visit FIS and FMS to participate in field trips, student shadowing, special events, etc.
- Educators in feeder schools will provide positive messages and school-created communications about the transition to the next school, create enthusiasm, and relieve students’ and parents’ fears.
Strategy 2: Continue to strengthen and foster district and community partnerships to support student, family, and staff well-being and belonging.
Tactics:
- Schools will incorporate regular communication from social and personal competencies support staff (counselors, social workers, community partners, etc.).
- Schools will engage in professional learning opportunities provided by FSD community partners (Mercy Community Healthcare, Volunteer Behavioral Health, etc.).
Strategy 3: Schools will create, monitor, and support safe, inclusive, and welcoming environments for students.
Tactics:
- Survey students to determine needs and areas of focus (Bloomsights, other surveys, student advisory committees, etc.).
- Schools will identify and consistently enforce behavioral expectations (including lesson completion, tardies, disruptive behavior, etc.).
- Schools will create opportunities that promote student well-being and belonging.
Goal Area #3: Community Presence/Communication
By 2029, the FSD will expand community presence, family engagement, and marketing strategies to create a clear understanding of the district’s purpose, high standards, and exceptional offerings, as evidenced by annual reviews of each strategy.
Strategy 1: Expand our district presence at community events, meetings, and within local organizations.
Tactics:
- Create an events team.
- Connect specific personnel to community events and meetings.
- Involve parents and other stakeholders in district promotion at community events.
Strategy 2: Provide online digital opportunities for students and families to inform, highlight, and engage the community with a structured communications platform.
Tactics:
- Create a community outreach position tasked with creating content (social media, video, etc).
- Develop a digital outreach/marketing plan to create awareness and engagement.
- Develop a training program/schedule for parents and families to fully utilize district digital communications resources.
Strategy 3: Facilitate parent connections to schools and each other.
Tactics:
- Develop a 5-8 Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) across all schools.
- Offer an advisor to work with parent groups.
- Expand offerings outside of school hours.
Strategy 4: Develop a plan to communicate opportunities for parents and families during the transitions between FSD schools as well as high school.
Tactics:
- Communicate in several ways all opportunities for parents and students to learn about upcoming schools by visiting the buildings and meeting with administrators at planned events during the school day and after, as referenced in Strategy 1 of Goal 2.
- Administrators and parent ambassadors will work together to present about the school transition at elementary schools’ “rising fifth-grade” events and other offerings, such as PTO meetings.
- Eighth-grade administrators will develop a formal communication plan with WCS ninth-grade administrators to inform and educate parents about opportunities for scheduling and learning about classes. FSD will create events for students/parents from both middle schools to meet each other and possibly WCS students in the same zone.
