2021-22 Strategic Goals

With one year in the current strategic plan remaining, school leaders and the Strategic Plan Steering Committee identified key areas of focus for the 2021-22 school year. Each goal falls within and furthers one of the plan's four original priorities – elevate learning and teaching excellence, support faculty quality and engagement, strengthen culture and community, and achieve financial sustainability. 

 

Elevate Learning & Teaching Excellence

  • Define the distinctive educational philosophy of Spartanburg Day School for all members of the community and uphold it in daily life by:
     
    • creating a distinctive educational philosophy to guide the academic and co-curricular programs of SDS
    • studying the role for curriculum coordination for all divisions
       
  • Examine curricular cohesion and divisional alignment guided by the school's educational philosophy by:
     
    • creating a cycle for curricular alignment and review
    • providing resources, faculty professional development and support to ensure best practices for the use of technology for learners of all ages
    • creating a strategic facilities master plan
    • emphasizing and elevating student wellness in program decisions
    • introducing programs and opportunities through athletics to enhance the student experience
    • examine the college counseling program to optimize resources and enhance the student and parent experience

Support Faculty Quality & Engagement

  • Support, develop and retain faculty members who are committed to creating meaningful learning experiences within a collaborative culture by:
     
    • studying faculty compensation to provide data for goal setting
    • using data from faculty feedback to support quality and engagement
    • connecting faculty professional growth and evaluation to current and future program needs
    • creating a "portrait of a faculty" to pair with the school's "portrait of a graduate"
    • aligning faculty professional development priorities and funding with strategic initiatives
       
  • Recruit and hire faculty members who are committed to exemplary teaching practices and contributing to the life of the school by:
     
    • documenting a system based on best practices for faculty recruitment
    • further enhancing the faculty hiring and onboarding process

Strengthen Culture & Community

  • Utilize intentional strategies to enhance the culture and experience for all constituents by:
    • continuing survey cycles to improve the student, faculty and parent experience
    • creating programs for faculty and student wellness
       
  • Establish program support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for faculty, students, parents and alumni by:
     
    • using survey and focus group feedback to create a baseline for DEI work at SDS
    • identifying funding for DEI faculty professional development, DEI programming and a coordinator for DEI initiatives
       
  • Leverage the talents and commitment of the Parents' Community to support culture and community at SDS
     
  • Focus on internal communications to enhance engagement and connectivity by:
     
    • studying the organization reporting structures to improve communication and workflow
    • using survey feedback to improve internal communication

Achieve Financial Sustainability

  • Utilize a strategic enrollment management process by:
     
    • elevating net tuition revenue trends and implement best practices to maximize use of financial aid and to maximize financial sustainability.
    • identifying the maximum physical capacity for current facilities
       
  • Heighten focus on student retention by:
     
    • being more strategic in engaging with students and families
    • using survey feedback to improve student retention
    • tracking retention for trends
       
  • Inspire greater charitable giving by:
     
    • increasing endowment holdings to $35 million
    • emphasizing and cultivating planned giving
    • maintaining an Annual Fund goal of $500,000 or more
       
  • Pursue strategic initiatives by:
     
    • studying the preschool market and current capacity of SDS preschool program
    • exploring new revenue strategies (i.e. summer programs, VISTAS...)
    • maximizing strategic partnerships (international student program, college partnerships...)