Aug. 5, 2013
Develop a framework that holds schools • accountable for their performance and central office accountable for providing support to schools. Develop a highly differentiated 3-Tier • Accountability Support Model in order to provide both freedoms and flexibilities and interventions and supports to schools. Redesign progress report in a manner that compliments the • North Carolina School Report Card. Create a cross-functional committee consisting of • community stakeholders, principals, teachers, and students to develop the platform for communicating school performance.
Provide funding for an in-depth report on • the status of African-American males in CMS. Revise the CMS disciplinary policy on • discretionary discipline processes. Begin a planning phase to open a K-12 • African-American male school during the 2015-2016 school year. Recruit a diverse teaching force for CMS • schools.
Recognize choice for families should begin • with their home school. Recommend that student selection to • attend one of the alternative offerings or magnet programs should be made to address a specific need or talent of a student, not as an escape from an assigned home school that is perceived as undesirable. Partner with the school community to fully • understand the needs, goals and concerns of its members. The connections must be with those who reside in and are a part of the community in its entirety. The community must have a stake in the school’s success.
• Regularly monitor and annually report on persistent gaps to increase accountability and intensify our focus on elimination of achievement gaps • Confront low expectations, stereotypes and mindsets that some students cannot achieve high standards • Invest in expanding the capacity of teachers and school leaders to envision and implement effective instructional strategies for differentiation in reading, literacy and mathematics • Identify proven models for capturing and redeploying time during the school day for remediation for struggling students and acceleration for higher-performing students • Increase student access to rigorous and relevant course work
Create a governance model that is • sustainable over time. Raise funds from appropriate • resources to support the objectives of the revised CMS Strategic Plan. Partner with the superintendent to • present appropriate communication to funders that clearly states the funding needs and priorities and supports a clear connection to the CMS Strategic Plan objectives.
Ensure that every student graduates • college- and career-ready, by collaborating with the business community to provide work-based learning opportunities for middle and high school students. Advance the concept of college- and • career-readiness for students in K-12, by developing an alliance of post-secondary institutions, parents, and members of the business community to develop and support work-based learning and create relevant applications of classroom learning. Support character development that • enhances 21st century soft skills in order for students to be college and career ready upon receiving a high school diploma.
The first phase of work for this task force was launched in advance of the others to meet a state timeline. Phase two is under way. We have included the recommendations of the Teacher Compensation Task Force which completed its proposal in April 2013 on a teacher- compensation model. We’ve also included the recommendations of the teacher working teams which completed their recommendations in June 2012 on multiple measures of teacher performance.
Create a work environment in • CMS that promotes quality customer service and contributes to career growth for all employees at all levels. Improve the quality of the • communication in the district so that all staff members feel recognized for their successes and have meaningful feedback to improve performance.
Adopt the recommended cultural • competence guiding principles and incorporate these principles into the CMS mission, policies and priorities to positively affect the performance and experience of students, staff, the organization, and the public. Establish a Cultural Competency • Council, comprised of the superintendent and executive staff from all departments Increase staffing to sustain • comprehensive efforts in cultural competency.
Ensure every child in Mecklenburg County • is school ready upon kindergarten entry. Utilize findings from an independent evaluation of Bright Beginnings Pre-K program to inform model improvements, increase access to pre-kindergarten, and develop family and student supports to maintain gains realized by early learning experiences and programs. Create an independent advisory council to elevate community-wide • school readiness, increase community engagement and investment opportunities, advocate in support of early care and education, and advance best practices that can be scaled up across the community.
Develop blended learning models that • promote learning, enrichment and healthy development of the whole child. Create blended staffing patterns to • bridge the academic needs of students and strengthen the school- day curriculum. Support policy changes that create • more collaboration between schools and existing extended-learning programs around shared resources.
• Provide four Talent Development positions at Learning Immersion Talent Development magnet schools so that all Learning Immersion-Talent Development magnet schools have a full time Talent Development position • Increase Talent Development teacher allotment to allow for additional days of service at elementary schools • Develop a clear, concise communication plan with stakeholders • Increase focus on secondary-level service delivery • Provide more intentional school-based support as key area of focus.
Create a one-stop portal to enable access by • district employees to programs and services provided by area colleges and universities as a key component of college- and career- awareness and preparation. Develop a data-sharing protocol between • CMS and higher education partners to facilitate collaboration. Create and fund a dedicated position that would facilitate the • development and monitoring of partnerships to enhance effectiveness and sustainability Establish a clear process and accountability protocol that will • enable the effective evaluation of partnerships, thereby increasing the sustainability of high-quality partnerships.
Develop a specific • communication plan to address the learning needs of English language learners Establish an ongoing English • Language Learner Advisory Council to address learning gaps and needs for our English language learners Develop a community outreach • plan to engage organizations and agencies to support English language learners and their families
Create a CMS ombudsman position at • the district level. Establish process to assist families in • navigating how to get issues resolved/questions answered in a timely manner Conduct and publish periodic customer • service assessments of each schoolhouse and district department. Develop a format for families to hear • updates, ask questions, voice concerns and understand issues regarding the local schoolhouse as well as district issues.
Use the new created partnership • definition to identify levels of partnerships, concepts, expectations, checklist and requirements. Enhance the existing technology • platform to allow for web-based partner registration, matching of school needs, internal/external communication, and reporting matrix (i.e. scorecards, outcomes, etc.). Increase staffing to serve as the liaison • between the schools and community partners.
Create project-initiation process to • prioritize projects, assign appropriate support levels and create awareness of project cycle and deliverables for each phase Create Project Management Office • to provide support and govern projects Simplify the Capital Needs • Assessment process and include more input from multiple stakeholders throughout the process
Attract and retain the best teaching • staff possible. Determine the professional • trajectories of highly qualified teachers, and recommend needed supports and opportunities for all teachers to excel in meeting the needs of students Identify the necessary resources for • attracting the most talented people to work in CMS and to continue their careers with CMS.
Expand the CMS Communications • team to support comprehensive communications strategies and to reach targeted audiences — employees, media, community members, parents, students, potential students/parents. Create CMS ambassador groups • reflective of key parents, students, staff, business leaders, faith community, non-profits, partner agencies, and others. Invest more resources in CMSTV. •
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