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Strategic Plan

Successful Strategic Planning Secures Future Accomplishments

The City of Newark and the Newark Unified School District jointly embarked on the development and implementation of a Strategic Plan in 1999. The focus of this inter-agency agreement was to develop a collaborative culture among all stakeholders in the community to support the successful education of every learner in Newark.

The strategic planning process developed a vision and mission that committed the community to securing a world-class education for every student. The Strategic Plan identified five key goal areas, which supported the accomplishment of the vision and mission. These were:   

Goal One       Ensure quality communication among all stakeholders
Goal Two   Attract, retain, empower, develop, and inspire high quality teachers, administrators, and staff. 
Goal Three   Establish and implement academic and ethical standards of excellence at each grade level and/or course and hold  teachers, administrators, staff, students, and parents/guardians accountable for those standards.  
Goal Four   Create and enhance community partnerships to provide educational resources and opportunities.  
Goal Five   Improve the schools structurally, aesthetically and technologically in order to provide a conducive learning  environment.   Committees comprised of leaders from the city government and agencies, the school district and the community participated in authoring action items for each goal and worked to secure the completion of the actions in order to accomplish the goals. As a result of this work, many outcomes have become institutionalized in both agencies. Outstanding outcomes that are still thriving today are:  
   
  • The NEST and After School Program
  • A strong relationship between the Newark Unified School District and the Newark Chamber of Commerce, as evidenced by the State of the Schools address, the Newark Business Education Round Table, and the superintendent’s regular article in the Voice of Business
  • The formation of the Newark Education Foundation to support the music program in the elementary schools
  • Joint school-to-career activities such as the Newark Memorial High School Career Fair, the Job Shadowing Program between the city and the school district and the Tri-City Job Fair
  • Advocacy for a safe community through the Law Enforcement Partnership and PEP (Personal Emergency Preparedness) Program
  • Joint funding for the School Resource Officer positions at the secondary schools and the D.A.R.E. and G.R.E.A.T. programs at the elementary and middle school levels
  • The implementation of best practices in instruction, assessment and teaching and learning through the leadership of the Newark Unified School District.
  • Coordination of the strategic plans anchored in the district’s Local Education Plan and site based Single Plans for Student Achievement
  • A professional learning community which is focused on Data Driven Dialogue using assessment data to inform strategic planning and decisions that support continuous improvement in student performance

The Strategic Planning process resulted in recommendations for the on-going development of programs and a dedication of resources that would further develop partnerships that the plan both modeled and laid the groundwork for. A focus on parental involvement, supporting at risk youth with academic and social interventions, building partnerships with Ohlone College, and embracing the technological applications for teaching and learning were all recommended by the Strategic Planning committee. The leadership of the Newark Unified School District has actualized these.   As a result of the Strategic Planning Process a culture of collaboration has been established between the City of Newark, the Newark Unified School District and the community. The success of each of the plan’s goals and actions that have now become initiatives in our schools is a result of the interdependency and collective talent of all the agencies involved. The goals of the original Strategic Plan are now embedded in the best practices of the City of Newark and the Newark Unified School District and continue to shape their planning processes.   The leadership of the city and the school district are committed to promoting the development of cooperative leadership amongst all constituents, and in a culture of collaboration securing world-class accomplishment for the children of Newark.

 

Kevin E. Harrigan

Superintendent of Schools