Head of School's Blogs

ISB 2010 Plan

by Bill Gerritz 15 May, 2007

As this year’s accreditation self-study winds down, our planning for the future winds up. Using the results from the self-study, parent surveys, Board of Trustees’ thinking and other sources, we have been drafting ISB 2010. This 3 year strategic plan will serve as a roadmap, guiding ISB to the next level of quality. Unlike such plans in most international schools I know, ours focuses on learning. We have asked the question --- What actions can we take to achieve the ISB Vision and make sure that all students achieve their academic potential?

The plan may seem surprisingly simple. All the basic targets and initiatives fit on one A3 page. However, it contains powerful ideas.   

• We want every student to achieve at least a year’s learning as measured by reliable internal and external assessments.
• We want to systematically recognize students who are unusually able in a subject or topic and make sure they achieve above standard levels.
• We want every student to be able to articulate what they are learning, how it is connected to other learning, and what they need to improve.
• We want students to be environmentally aware and engaged in local action.
• We want to have an evolving list of best teaching practices that are used in every classroom 

These are five of sixteen targets and initiatives in the plan. If you would like to see and critically friend the plan, please e-mail me – billg@isb.ac.th – and I will forward a draft to you.

The plan is also grounded in what we have learned over the past five years about systematic school improvement. One of those lessons involves the idea of evolutionary planning in contrast to the strategic variety.  In a school and community as rich in human capital as ISB,  people have good ideas at the most unpredictable times. Our improvement work is open to these ideas. We do not want to be frozen into a rigid three year plan that prevents us from moving quickly when a good idea surfaces. You could be a source of those ideas.

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