Strategic Plan

Education in our diocese has changed dramatically over the last twenty years. In the past, all of our schools operated independently from one another, rarely gathering for discussions on best practice or common professional development that was geared towards school goals, rather teacher professional development was
left to the discretion of each individual. Additionally, classroom instruction was viewed as an independent activity between teachers and students with little collaboration between grades.

In 2004, the principals of the Diocese of Kalamazoo asked the Office of Schools if it was possible for the schools to begin to work together on one or more initiatives for the purposes of: building camaraderie among the schools and teachers, saving money through common purchasing and professional development, and engaging
in opportunities to learn ‘best practices’ from one another. The pursuit of each of these initiatives would be under the leadership of the Office of Schools.
Out of that initial conversation, a vision was set for our schools that recognized that affirming and strengthening our Catholic Identity was a priority. In addition to focusing on each school’s strong foundation, rooted in our Catholic faith, it was recognized that purposeful and strategically planned professional development was necessary to foster the continued learning of each of our teachers and administrators, as well as ensuring that the growth and development of each student was nurtured. Each of these initiatives is achieved through collaborative efforts within and across our school communities as we continue to promote
transparency and fully recognize each parent as the primary educator of their child.

Since 2004, our cohort of principals has formed a cohesive team that has:
• Strengthened our Catholic Identity by requiring all primary schools to bring the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program to their schools, as well as working to continually improve our Catechist Certification Program;
• Developed a common professional development plan for all diocesan teachers and administrators based on educational ‘best practices’ as identified by well-known researcher and educational expert, Dr. Robert Marzano;
• Reinforced our accreditation process by aligning it with the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools as published by Lorraine Ozar through Loyola University;
• Continued development of our standards-based curriculum and report cards;
• Enhanced our data analysis skills to better inform teacher instruction and support student learning;
• Implemented a diocesan-wide Student Information System to assist schools in better managing communications and other business practices;
• Established branding and common marketing initiatives to help advance all twenty-one schools;
• Upgraded the teacher and administrator evaluation process with the implementation of Marzano’s Focused Teacher and Administrator Evaluation Model; and
• Assisted our schools in saving thousands of dollars through our common purchasing of programs and textbooks.

The development of this Strategic Plan is the next step in ensuring that our schools remain dynamic communities that are distinctive in their Catholic Identity and devoted in their pursuit of academic excellence and financial stability.