School Improvement & Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan provides direction for the District. It guides the District as it establishes goals and priorities for the District and School Improvement Plan.
2023-2028 Strategic Plan
2023-2028 Strategic Plan printable version
Vision: Inspired learning for individual success.
Mission: An exemplary learning community – every student, every day.
Core Values: Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Compassion, Commitment, Respect, Responsibility, Relationships
Strategic Plan Areas of Focus
Instructional Improvement and Innovation
Goal Statement: Mason Public Schools will cultivate an innovative teaching and learning community to improve educational outcomes for all students and prepare them to become active and engaged citizens.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will provide all prekindergarten-12th grade students with instruction and assessments that are aligned to standards, rigorous, and evidence based.
Implementation:
- Ensure horizontal and vertical alignment prekindergarten-12th grade across all instructional areas.
- Provide multiple modes of assessment opportunities that inform instruction.
- Focus on consistent use of evidence based Tier 1 instructional strategies to deepen learning.
- Implement equitable grading practices that measure learning of each standard and separate non-achievement factors from content knowledge.
Objective 2: Mason Public Schools will provide all prekindergarten-12th grade students with experiences that are authentic, relevant, and focused on personalized learning.
Implementation:
- Build partnerships with the community, businesses, alumni, and post-secondary institutions (ex. internships, job shadowing, mentoring, career fairs, etc.).
- Apply learning to real-world situations, issues, and future career pathways.
- Ensure all students and families have equitable access to the various opportunities available to students in order to reach their highest potential and engage as global citizens.
Objective 3: Mason Public Schools will build a collaborative culture based on the premise that we are all learners working toward continued growth and improvement.
Implementation:
- Empower teachers and students to take risks, try new strategies, learn from one another, and embrace challenges, thereby creating a culture of courage and creativity.
- Create a safe and welcoming learning environment where all people feel included, valued, and respected (ex. environment, curriculum materials, extra-curricular/clubs, etc. that are inclusive of all groups of students).
Student Supports
Goal Statement: Mason Public Schools will proactively focus on robust and bold practices that connect students to their learning in order to prioritize and provide a barrier-free, successful education.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will build an intentional culture that generates systems and strategies to increase authentic engagement by promoting positive perspectives toward self and others that will establish healthy relationships.
Implementation:
- Improve access for students and staff to behavioral and social emotional supports at all three tiers.
- Refine systematic Social Emotional Learning programming throughout the district.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program prekindergarten-12th grade, addressing the mental health, social emotional, and personal needs of students.
Objective 2: Mason Public Schools will build structural support systems and strategies that proactively identify and address individual and collective student needs equitably.
Implementation:
- Review and formalize the district’s Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
- Formalize procedures for supporting students, including information for families on how to connect with resources inside and outside of the district, to address various inequities.
Objective 3: Mason Public Schools will build leadership opportunities, cultural awareness, and community partnerships that will provide students and staff with a platform of engagement in 21st century learning.
Implementation:
- Update, develop, and implement media literacy programs throughout the district, prekindergarten-12th grade.
- Understand and support community diversity and culture, including continued equity and inclusion efforts.
- Develop and implement service-based learning environments to increase student engagement and provide students, prekindergarten-12th grade, the opportunity to give back to the community.
Staff Recruitment, Retention, and Development
Goal Statement 1: Mason Public Schools will attract a larger and more diverse candidate pool for positions at Mason Public Schools, develop staff to better serve students and improve the employee experience, and retain talent through efforts to build a system of staff supports.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will build an intentional culture that generates systems and strategies to increase authentic engagement by promoting positive perspectives toward self and others that will establish healthy relationships.
Implementation:
- Improve access for students and staff to behavioral and social emotional supports at all three tiers.
- Refine systematic Social Emotional Learning programming throughout the district.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program prekindergarten-12th grade, addressing the mental health, social emotional, and personal needs of students.
Objective 2: Mason Public Schools will build structural support systems and strategies that proactively identify and address individual and collective student needs equitably.
Implementation:
- Review and formalize the district’s Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
- Formalize procedures for supporting students, including information for families on how to connect with resources inside and outside of the district, to address various inequities.
Objective 3: Mason Public Schools will build leadership opportunities, cultural awareness, and community partnerships that will provide students and staff with a platform of engagement in 21st century learning.
Implementation:
- Update, develop, and implement media literacy programs throughout the district, prekindergarten-12th grade.
- Understand and support community diversity and culture, including continued equity and inclusion efforts.
- Develop and implement service-based learning environments to increase student engagement and provide students, prekindergarten-12th grade, the opportunity to give back to the community.
Goal Statement 2: Mason Public Schools will retain talent through efforts to build a system of staff supports.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will build a culture of mutual support with staff.
Implementation:
- Emphasize and reward a culture of collaboration.
- Explore "Culture Coaching".
- Succeed together (de-emphasize internal competition).
- Operate as a School District, versus a district of schools.
- Develop action plan based on survey feedback.
- Identify areas of emphasis for Nice Job Notes, recognize collaboration.
- Build commonality across buildings/departments regarding positive activities for staff. (spirit days, sunshine committees, sharing ideas across Lead team, etc.)
Goal Statement 3: Mason Public Schools will develop staff to better serve students and improve the employee experience.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will utilize available development opportunities for professional growth of staff members.
Implementation:
- Educate staff on development opportunities.
- Coordinate this effort with department directors and professional development committee.
- Provide a listing of opportunities available to staff.
- Utilize all of the available pathways for credential attainment.
- Maintain a resource list.
- Inform both certified and non-certified staff on the various options to obtain or add a certification.
Objective 2: Mason Public Schools will provide position-specific professional development (PD) for new staff.
Implementation:
- Provide position-specific training plan and training schedule for all non-certified individuals upon hire (retain new teacher program). Include follow-up timeline for supervisors.
- Assign an experienced partner for all new employees.
- Develop a paraprofessional academy/bootcamp.
- Create a job shadow schedule.
- Provide an experienced Aide as a new hire trainer.
- Plan annual PD with the Mason Association of Educational Assistants team.
Facilities and Infrastructure
Goal Statement: Mason Public Schools will continue to modernize our current facilities and plan for future improvements.
Objective 1: Mason Public Schools will be prepared for a bond offering in 2025.
Implementation:
- Update the Facilities Assessment for the district.
- Form a bond committee to determine the scope of work needed.
- Analyze different millage options for potential bond proposals.
- Plan for transportation and maintenance buildings or improvements.
- Engage the district communications team to create and publish community messages surrounding progress towards this specific objective.
Objective 2: Mason Public Schools will address current and future needs to modernize learning spaces to attract staff, students, and families.
Implementation:
- Identify the learning spaces including furniture, furnishings, and equipment, performing arts spaces and athletic facilities to be updated and potential scope of work.
- Prioritize the identified spaces based on impact to student outcomes.
- Determine funding sources to modernize identified learning spaces.
- Generate an action plan to share with district stakeholders and decision makers.
- Engage the district communications team to create and publish community messages surrounding progress towards this specific objective.
Objective 3: Mason Public Schools will create a plan and priorities to enhance safety and security at all campus locations.
Implementation:
- Review and evaluate access control for district buildings including visitor management systems.
- Review the needs for additional camera options in all of our buildings.
- Investigate the traffic patterns at each campus to ensure the current patterns are optimal for stakeholder safety.
- Identify the best utilization of the estimated Section 97 Student Safety Grant funding.
- Note: 2023-24 Funding Estimated at $500,000.
- Engage the district communications team to create and publish community messages surrounding progress toward this specific objective.
School Systems Review MDE Resources
