Keystone Oaks School District

In the summer of 2017, the Administrative Team, consisting of the Superintendent’s Executive Council and the building principals, began a book study of Total Leader 2.0: Leading in the Age of Empowerment, by Charles Schwahn and William Spady (2010). During this study, the administrators had the opportunity to reflect on their leadership skills and learned how to apply those skills to an organization that was moving in the direction of empowerment and defining what personalized learning means for the Keystone Oaks School District. This same book was used for a book study with the Teacher Leadership Team during the 2018/2019 school year.
 

During the 2018/2019 school year, the Administrative Team participated in a book study of Inevitable: Mass Customized Learning in the Age of Empowerment, by Charles Schwahn and Beatrice McGarvey. The Administrative Team focused on using leadership skills to move the school district from one that has continued to operate in the Industrial Age to one that is student-focused and involves customized-learning, personalized-learning, competency-based learning, and project-based learning.
 

In addition, the Administrative Team spent a full day in July 2019 with Mr. Thomas Murray, the Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education, located in Washington, DC. Mr. Murray worked with the Administrative Team to begin the redesign process of the learning experiences in the District, which is a foundation of this Strategic Plan.
 

The focus of this Strategic Plan is on the District’s greatest asset, the students. From the Mission Statement, Core Values, Guiding Principles, and Visions for Learning, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Technology, Personnel, Leadership, and Stakeholders, it is the District’s goal to provide an education to all students that is personalized, competency-based, and provides opportunities for students to grow through real experiences that will allow every student to be:

• A well-balanced person.
• A self-directed, life-long learner. 
• A caring, compassionate person.
• A civic-minded person. 
• A responsible global citizen.
• A quality producer and resource manager.
• A culturally aware person.

The priorities of the District are to:

• Ensure that all students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets for a healthy and prosperous future beyond Keystone Oaks. 
• Provide engaging interactions that are based on mastery and growth. 
• Tailor learning for every students’ strengths, needs, and interests, including empowering student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn. 
• Provide accountability systems for continuous improvement to achieve equity and excellence, empowering all with multiple, balanced measures and processes. 
• Build systems of assessments to certify student mastery of knowledge and skills and provide timely feedback on where students are in their learning. 
• Develop educator capacity by providing professional development for a new generation of learning.
• Build leadership capacity for creating and sustaining change for personalized and project-based learning. 
• Create innovative learning designs and multiple pathways for students to learn. 

It is the District’s goal, that through this Strategic Plan, all graduates of the Keystone Oaks School District will have definable skills as they walk through the doors of our schools and continue with their life beyond Keystone Oaks. Those characteristics are represented in the Word Cloud, our Portrait of a Graduate.

Mission Statement: 
Excellence in engaging, empowering, and enriching today for tomorrow's expectations
 
Core Values:

• Communication: Expressing, receiving, and sharing information
• Empathy: Acknowledging the perspective, emotions, and experiences of all stakeholders
• Global Competence: Responding to and understanding diverse cultural practices and world viewpoints
• Imagination: Envisioning creative and innovative ways to take risks and solve problems
• Integrity: Making ethical choices and doing the right thing regardless of personal gain
• Learning: Acquiring, processing,a nd retaining information for life-long use
• Motivation: Achieving goals through personal drive
• Ownership: Having pride and taking responsibility for one's actions and their outcomes
• Passion: Sparking the emtional connection that ignites one's purpose
• Work: Being accountable and persevering 

Beliefs & Guiding Principals 

Students:

• Learn when their instructional, social, and emotional needs are addressed. 
• Participate in relevant, rigorous, and authentic learning experiences. 
• Respect themselves, adults, peers, and their school environment. 
• Engage in furutre-focused and interdisciplinary learning. 
• Exhibit curiosity and explore individual learning interests. 
• Demonstrate growth and/or mastery while advancing their learning. 
• Experience learning through diverse environments. 
• Participate in challenging experiences. 

Teachers: 

• Are life-long learners who prepare through continuous, meaningful professional development. 
• Enhance instruction using students' needs and interests. 
• Encourage self-reflection and questioning. 
• Maintain high expectations. 
• Develop a positive rapport with all stakeholders. 
• Embrace innovation, experimentation, and risk-taking. 
• Support students' academic, social and emotional well-being. 
• Build knowledge, skills, community, and connections. 

Learning Communities:

• Take risks and share successes. 
• Invest in common goals. 
• Align policies and practices. 
• Provide real-world experiences. 
• Encourage new and diverse ideas. 
• Collaborate to support students' academic, social, and emotional well-being. 
• Embrace innovation, experimentation, and growth. 
• Demonstrate patience and understanding while implementing policies and practices.