The Gwinnett County Board of Education approved on July 21 the district’s new five-year strategic plan. Named “Our Blueprint for the Future: Building the Bridge from Empathy to Excellence,” this plan incorporates feedback that Gwinnett County Public Schools Superintendent Calvin J. Watts gathered during his 2021 Look, Listen and Learn Tour.
The Blueprint identifies key strategic priorities that the district will foster in its classrooms and operations, such as empathy, equity, effectiveness and excellence.
In a press release, Gwinnett County Public Schools officials claim that empathy is the gateway to equity. According to the school district, equity ensures that every child has what they need to reach their full potential. When equity is combined with effectiveness, the district will achieve excellence.
When combined with various departments’ operational management plans, the Blueprint will define the high-level goals and objectives the district hopes to accomplish. The operational management plans will be tailored to create specific initiatives that are in line with the Blueprint.
“It is important that as we implement Our Blueprint for the Future, our divisions and departments that support our schools and teachers are aligned to our strategic priorities and goals to maximize the desired outcomes for each and every student in GCPS,” Watts said in a press release.
Another important component of Gwinnett County Public Schools’ strategic plan is the Portrait of a Graduate. The district’s design team identified six competencies that Gwinnett County students should possess once they graduate.
Students should display qualities of adaptability, cooperative leadership, resourcefulness, empathy, critical thinking and communication.
The 160-person design team met virtually over a four month period to identify the hopes, dreams and aspirations that Gwinnett County Public Schools has for its children.
The school district also asked its students for their opinions on the strategic plan. In a video called “Do I Belong,” students and faculty shared their gratitude for the school system.
One Dacula High School employee said she appreciated meetings between the leadership team and the school’s principal. She said great change can happen when people’s opinions are valued.
Leadership at Gwinnett County Public Schools is being re-organized as well. The school district will continue to update its executive leadership website page with changes.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2022/7/1120540/gwinnett-county-public-schools-updates-its-five-year-plan