June 29th Retreat Agenda:
-----Welcome-----
Storytelling: a story on listening to the sound of the cricket
-----Icebreaker-----
Share four things about yourself that most would not know; three true and one a untruth expressed as truth. Colleagues determine the fact from the fiction. Here is an example about myself.
I met Celine Dion in Las Vegas after winning back stage passes to her final December 19th concert several years ago.
I hold a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do; trained with a TKD Master who also trained with Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2 and 3.
I boarded the Space Shuttle Endeavor weeks prior to a scheduled lift off; this is the same shuttle to soon be retired after one last and final mission.
I aspire to travel the world, so I enrolled in a year-long certification course to be a travel agent through Penn Foster.
-----Purpose-----
1. Initiating Action
2. Collaborating on Action
3. Monitoring for Action
-----Norms-----
See Quotes by Wilfred Peterson
-----Traditions and Seasonal Events-----
Developed for your department is a calendar that may be accessed via mobile cell phones, computer and/or palm pilot. We will add the departments events to the calendar.
Step 1: Explore relevant factors, variables and contexts.
Step 2: Arrange relevant factors, variables, and contexts in relational order.
Step 3: Evaluate our knowledge base.
-----Negotiable/Non-Negotiable Events-----
To determine the negotiable versus non-negotiable events, consider the three questions:
a. Does the event impact teaching and learning as evidenced by student learning gains?
b. Is the event something the department can influence?
c. Is the event something the department is deeply concerned about?
Analytic Discourse
Results of the SWOT Analysis for the retreat.
-----Strengths-----
The strength of the department is the dedication that each staff person has to the program or programs that he or she runs.
Another strength is that, with budget cuts, schools need community support (money and time) more than ever.
Everyone has high content knowledge of his/her job.
Department has name recognition among audiences in schools.
Programs are generally associated with positive school experiences.
We are getting very good at doing things with less and less resources.
People know that can they can count on our department in a crisis (H1N1, Hurricanes)
Staff members are all talented, extremely capable, self-motivated people.
The department touches every aspect of the school system in one way or another. We are very connected.
We have continued you develop our respective offices and programs despite the educational economic collapse.
The Superintendent’s Screening Committee and PI keeps us connected with the Board members and Superintendent’s office.
Ability to get the job done, no matter the challenge.
Lots of expertise and experience.
We all have a sense of humor!
We contribute to student achievement through all of our programs.
-----Weaknesses-----
Most of our programs are dependent on school personnel to implement.
The more school budgets/staffs are cut, the less time they have to implement our programs.
Communication with schools and community has been drastically reduced to accommodate loss of clerical and support dollars and overwork of school staff.
We don’t enjoy high levels of support from Area Superintendents.
Our budget keeps shrinking to the point where we will need a bake sale.
District Departments don’t know what we do.
We don’t generally coordinate delivery of program services into schools.
All staff members run their respective programs and offices but their pay grades vary.
Some staff members are frustrated.
Morale for some staff members is low.
Budget is cut dramatically for 2010-2011.
Less money to do the same work with fewer staff.
The number of staff has reduced over the past 5 years.
Continuity of service is tenuous when someone is out because everyone is maxed.
Every year doing more with less. This has gotten to the point where just staying afloat is challenging.
Data systems require time and money to be brought to the desired standards. We do not have the time or the money to attack the issue.
We don’t do enough to market our department or programs.
Making meaningful measures (measures that matter) is difficult.
Many people still see the department’s primary role as planning events.
We work in silos.
Lack of support staff.
Fail to “toot our own horn.”
Don’t have a cohesive department plan.
-----Opportunities-----
To streamline programs.
Focus on what works.
Work better as a team.
If we can come up with three or four ways for schools to earn a significant amount of money without much effort, i.e. the sports ticket idea, it would further demonstrate our worth in dollars and help insulate us from additional cuts.
We can take advantage of the budget crisis to 1. make a case for the importance of our programs, & 2. make changes to our programs.
We could get our constituencies to advocate for increased emphasis on these programs.
We can use collaboration with other departments (school Improvement, Health Ed, Grants, Area offices) as a lever to increase program awareness.
We can offer business and other organizational partners greater recognition to improve their bottom line.
Schools are desperate for help and need our support.
Schools need more partnerships, more involvement with parents and more volunteers.
Any marketing or branding of our department (aside from events) will likely yield results.
The reduction of money will force us to do business differently if we are to survive.
-----Threats-----
We cannot cut any more of the budget or loose any more staff without cutting out programs.
We have already trimmed down how/what we provide schools to accommodate having no support staff assistance and little budget.
For example, we used to send schools and outside folks (volunteers, partners, mentors) information by both US mail and email to accommodate both styles. Now all communication is electronic and some people, even school staff, still do not read email.
Increasing deficits in funding could eliminate one of more programs in the future.
Everyone knows their area, but no one knows basic info about other areas.
We have no bench strength in the department.
A poor economy could dry up sponsor support.
Charter schools market themselves better than we do. Private schools as well. We lose students and the parent involvement that comes with those parents.
Less money means less Web site updates and revisions. Staying current and relevant will be harder.
Loss of more staff has resulted in things getting missed, more stress and lower morale.
Not seen for what we do or provide to schools.
Budget cuts.
How will we use data to overcome biases, perceptions and assumptions?
No comments:
Post a Comment