NJASA

From my vantage point as a school leader with several years of experience, one of the most important skills a school leader can possess is the ability to design and implement plans. These plans are the blueprints for transferring your professional goals and objectives into real-live experiences and accomplishments as you prepare the next generation of society.

Weaving throughout the entire planning process is one common thread. If you are thinking data, you are correct! Data is information and information is crucial in any planning process.

As an example when I was an athletic coach, it was imperative to have a game plan. I typically had assistant coaches scout the opposing team to observe their strengths and weaknesses. The information gathered in that exercise was extremely valuable to me as I constructed a game plan for the respective game.

Let’s look at the health profession. Everyone seeks the best possible health care and relies heavily on their health professionals to provide them with an accurate and precise blueprint for their well-being. This same scenario applies to air traffic controllers, financial planners, wedding planners, etc. The list can go on and on into infinity. Again, the common thread of data continues to surface in each field.

In the pedagogical world, everything centers on a plan. Where would school leaders be without the master schedule, the yearly calendar, or the lesson plan?

My game plan as the chief education officer is recognize the culture and environment, utilize the instruments and resources, develop a strategy and analyze the data with the primary objective of informed decision-making at all times and at all levels.

The ultimate play within the game plan is to articulate a clear vision and purpose for the district that identifies students for enrichment and intervention and supports teacher observations and coaching.