The planning process is just as important as the plan
Many strategic plans can look the same on paper, but the process and approach to creating your plan can have a profound difference on your district teams and broader community.
We support districts across the country to build and execute an inclusive, responsive, and effective strategic planning process that fosters alignment, builds trust, and establishes a strong leadership tone and tenure. Districts choose to work with use because:
We adapt for the context of your community and evolve as we learn.
Our processes lead to sustained change.
Trusted By Districts Just Like Yours
What to Expect When Working With Us
Robust Community Engagement
We help you develop and deploy a variety of community engagement tactics to accurately assess pain points through town halls, focus groups, empathy interviews, and more. We analyze the data for you to anchor your decision-making.
Ongoing Communications Support
We support you in the creation of multiple communications efforts along the way to keep the community abreast of your progress.
Committee Selection & Effective Decisions
We make sure the decisions happen with the right people, at the right time, and in the right way.
Student-Driven Data
We offer a research validated suite of surveys to capture data, including indicators of student achievement and teacher effectiveness.
Professionally Branded Plans
We design final strategic plans that are as dynamic and diverse as the communities you serve and represent.
Implementation Guidance
We help you identify immediate next steps and offer long term implementation support to ensure your plan is executed with integrity.
Realize Real Change
Our clients love working with us because we bring expertise, care, and insights. We focus on engaging your students, staff, and community in ways that not only build the strongest plan possible but also provide the momentum and buy-in needed to implement the plan successfully.
Our Responsive Approach
The problem with most strategic plans is that they often are created but rarely referenced, can be inaccessible, and inactionable. We help you move from a traditional approach to a responsive strategic planning process.
Why We're Different
Many strategic plans can look the same on paper, but the process and approach to creating your plan can have a profound difference on your district teams and broader community.
We offer a wide range of tools for engaging the community and assessing areas of need.
Beyond a single survey, we support districts with strategies like: focus groups, town halls, and empathy interviews to capture a wide array of data and include a variety of voices. We analyze the data for you, so you can focus on envisioning a path forward.
Our team uses research-based measures tied to student performance and teacher effectiveness.
We are the exclusive provider of Tripod Surveys – one of the only research-based surveys that actually ties to student performance and teacher effectiveness. Our surveys get you closer to understanding what’s happening down to the classroom level and make a difference where it really matters - at the student level.
We help you determine the right people for each step of the process.
Our approach to community engagement goes several steps beyond surveys, in that we also work with district leaders to determine who are the right people to have on various teams throughout the process. We help you determine who should be in the room and who needs to know what.
We help you develop community trust through multiple touchpoints and intentional messaging.
Many strategic planning providers offer the design of the plan as the primary form of communication with your staff and broader community. Instead of working in silos and communicating once your plan is complete, we work with districts to develop multiple touchpoints for visibility into the process. We help you craft intentional messaging and think about the timing and format of each update.
We offer implementation support to ensure your vision is executed with fidelity and integrity.
Our work does not end with a published plan. We work with you to identify immediate next steps and offer implementation support to ensure your vision is executed with fidelity and integrity.
Our Strategic Planning Process
Plan and Align
Start by understanding existing strategic planning beliefs and processes to align on goals, roles, and structure.
Foundations
Engage with your community to assess strengths and capabilities while identifying room for growth.
Design
Define a vision and a set of initiatives that prioritize what matters most to your community; create a communication plan.
Launch
Develop metrics to monitor progress so that you know when you are achieving your goals and when you need to pivot.
“Working with Education Elements, the big piece for us, is they are helping us with a national lens. It’s very easy to do the work when you’re looking at your own work. But we need someone else to look at what else is going on in the world and the country.”
Scott Feder
Superintendent
South Brunswinnnck School District, NJ
Strategic Planning for Incoming District Leaders
As leadership transitions take place, learn how our unique approach to strategic planning can support incoming leaders by starting their tenure at a new district with active engagement, a dynamic vision, and a culture of trust.
Building Trust Through Strategic Planning
Tensions are high within districts across the country. Learn how strategic planning can foster trust, repair relationships, and re-engage both internal teams and the broader community.
Budget Planning & Addressing Efficiencies Through District Strategy
Districts nationwide are navigating financial challenges: from the ending of ESSER funding to tax and budget cuts. Learn how we can help your district design for change with strategies to navigate budgetary shifts.
Examples of Strategic Planning in Schools
Below you'll find a sampling of recent strategic plans we have supported through our customized, responsive approach to strategic planning.
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Michigan City Strategic Plan
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Verona Area School District Strategic Plan
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MSD Wayne Strategic Plan
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Falls Church City Public Schools Strategic Plan
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Hendrick Hudson Central School District Strategic Plan
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Arkport Central School District Strategic Plan
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Northwest Allen County Schools Strategic Plan
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Rocky Point Union Free School District Strategic Plan
Strategic Planning Resources
WHITE PAPER
Strategic Planning Prioritization Guide
GUIDE
A Comprehensive Strategic Planning Guide
BLOG
The 4 Biggest Questions You Need to Ask Before You Start Strategic Planning
Video
Strategic Planning in South Brunswick School District