The Process
During the 2017-18 school year, more than 7,000 parents, community members, students and staff came together to develop a strategic plan to elevate student success in the Five Star District for years to come. The new strategic plan was approved by the Board of Education fall 2018.
Watch the video of the process! (English with Spanish subtitles)
Read about the journey from process to plan to funding proposal: English | Spanish
Stage I
In Fall 2017, more than 3,000 people and over 50 schools participated in the first phase which focused on building upon what is working well in our schools and the district. Participants used a storytelling process to listen and learn from one another about a time when the Five Star District and our schools “did right” by a student. This process allowed participants to collectively determine common strengths of the district that will shape our work and culture moving forward. The sessions also allowed participants to envision new ideas to achieve hopes and dreams for the future.
The ELEVATE engagement sessions in fall 2017 have been an exciting time to hear from staff, students, parents and community members through interactive storytelling, dreaming and planning.
- Read a letter from Superintendent Chris Gdowski about the experience this fall going through the ELEVATE process and some of the themes we are hearing from the Five Star community on stories and strengths of the district.
- View a photo gallery of the events across the district.
- Read stories from the fall sessions that determined our strengths
- Tell Your Own Story: Share your own strength story about a teacher, colleague, student or community!
Stage II
- After hearing feedback from staff and community from throughout the district, the Core Team read all of the data received and began to "make-meaning" of the findings. They organized the data to be used in an online survey for the community to help prioritize needs.
- In Spring 2018, we asked for the community's input through an online survey to help prioritize focus areas and strategies developed from the fall feedback. Over 3,700 people participated in the survey.
Stage III
On April 5, 2018, we hosted "The Summit" where over 230 parents, students, staff and community members came together to continue our meaning-making by analyzing the findings from the fall and defining strategies and tactics within the six focus areas while continuing to build on our strengths. The event was a huge success thanks to all the participants who "clipped in" to "let out some slack" to allow our students to climb even further by commiting to remain engaged in the community work of ensuring we ELEVATE student success for years to come.
Learn more about the Summit - were you there?
- See a photo collage of the ELEVATE Summit Photo Booth - are you pictured?
- See the handout for the event with details on the strengths and focus areas: English | Spanish
- Or view the powerpoint presentation from the event (English only)
- A special thanks to our sponsors:
Core Team
Behind the scenes is our Core Team. Made up of half staff members and half community members, the Core Team helps plan engagement sessions, work through the data and lead the work ensuring that all stakeholders have a voice in developing our community-driven plan.
Board Approval
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On August 15, 2018, the Adams 12 Five Star Schools Board of Education officially approved the new plan to elevate student success for years to come. |
The Plan
Read or download the full strategic plan.
Questions
Contact Raquel Williams for questions on ELEVATE process and dates.