Highline Public Schools Strategic Plan

Team members also presented the draft Instructional Focus to their colleagues at each school as part of the "reality check" process to solicit input and feedback from teachers and staff at each school site. The school-based reality check sessions gave all Highline teachers an opportunity to comment on and help shape the strategic plan and the Instructional Focus. Cambodian, Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese. Additionally, families and community members were actively encouraged to provide input and feedback through an online forum connected to the district website. Student Voice Theme #1: Rethink the concept of school and focus on individualized learning We held three separate focus group sessions with a representative group of students from each level: elementary, middle school, and high school. In total, approximately 40 students participated. The sessions with the students covered themes such as safety; clean learning environments; high expectations and academic rigor; support and encouragement of caring adults at home and school; opportunities for extracurricular and co-curricular activities; and readiness for college and career. Central Office Departments We held several sessions with central office departments, including facilities, teaching and learning, transportation, human resources, nutrition services, technology, business/finance, and communications. Each department shared its perspective about the working drafts from the Core Planning Team and Instructional Focus Team. In addition, each department identified specific strategies it could implement to support the emerging strategic plan recommendations. By providing opportunities for meaningful engagement of Highline's diverse stakeholders, the outcomes of the strategic planning process reflect the aspirations and priorities of not just central office staff, but the broader Highline community. This broad-based engagement and stakeholder voice strengthens the likelihood of everyone's commitment to follow through on the goals and strategies set forth in the communitywide strategic plan. Family and Community Engagement Over 450 Highline parents, community members, faith leaders, and business people came together to offer their perspectives and experience regarding student success. We used a comprehensive outreach strategy to engage a broad cross-section of our community, in order to ensure representation across the communities and stakeholder groups that we serve. We held three major community forums, as well as small group discussions targeted to specific communities, across the district to engage families and community. Imago LLC, led by Angela Powell, facilitated those community conversations. To maximize participation, we provided childcare, dinner, and translation in 6 The following four primary themes surfaced from these multiple conversations. "I'd like to see teachers having more control over the curriculum they use, so children receive an excellent and worthwhile education." "I want to see the schools take a team approach to educating my child." "Find the smart in every student." Community members have a strong belief in their young people. Many believe that if we create flexible, highly-individualized teaching models that hold high expectations, students will thrive. Smaller schools, l ow student/teacher ratios, refraining from teaching to tests, and competency-based learning are all indicators of this individualized approach. Many community members believe it is important to: • Shift how schools operate, to include universal free preschool, full-day kindergarten, and year-round education or access to summer school as an enrichment opportunity for everyone; • Make sure that the many cultures within Highline are adequately represented in the curriculum and that culturally-based learning styles are respected; • Have fully-developed, innovative approaches to the different learning needs of students (including the Special Education and Challenge programs); and • Give teachers more flexibility and freedom to choose teaching strategies that respond to the individual needs of students, enabling them to identify challenges early and respond quickly. Theme #2: Invest in the idea that education is everyone's business "The teachers at my school work with community organizations to help coordinate and meet the needs of students. It's working." "When teachers are willing to partner with parents, it allows them to get to know each child and provide for individual needs."

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