STRATEGIc keyword. PLAN 2015
Because not all great minds think alike
CHARTWELL WAY Introduction
Because Not All Great
“Because not all great minds think alike.” This statement sums up the impetus for the creation of Chartwell School in 1983, starting with just eight students. We operated as a K-8 school in rented facilities for more than two decades, and then built and opened our new green campus at the former Fort Ord in 2006. We added a college preparatory high school program in 2009, and today it, along with our K-8 program, attracts students from throughout California’s Central Coast region and beyond.
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Minds Think Alike This Strategic Plan, while forward looking, remains faithful to our mission, commitments and core values, and sets achievable initiatives in motion. This plan has four core commitments that provide a clear roadmap for the next three to five years and can be updated as we move ahead.
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our MISSION Chartwell School empowers bright students with language-based learning differences, including dyslexia. We do this in grades K-12 by offering them the knowledge, creativity, and skills in self-advocacy and perseverance needed to thrive in college and beyond.
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our VISION Chartwell aspires to show the world that young people with language-based learning differences and diverse learning styles and profiles can be among the most creative, productive and valuable members of any community. We further aim to inspire others to get to know, understand and value these students from very young ages and to help them realize their full potential. We seek to see them develop into confident young people and adults, committed to lifelong learning and equipped with the knowledge, skills and social and emotional competencies to achieve their goals. Our vision of a better educational world for these students includes teachers who are lifelong learners, the adoption of cutting edge research and effective technologies, and being a center of learning for the teaching profession, parents and the community. Our collaborative relationships with individuals, organizations and networks of allied professionals aim to advance the understanding, advocacy and practical delivery of services for the benefit of individuals with learning differences, while partnerships with higher education, business, and others in our region seek to advance the quality of education for all students. Our vision also includes sharing our green campus in ways that inspire our students and many others to appreciate, enjoy and be good stewards of the environment, respecting its beauty and vulnerabilities and using its resources wisely in their future lives and careers.
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our Commitments Commitment to Faculty The faculty are Chartwell’s greatest asset, and we rely on them everyday to reinforce our reputation as a safe and engaging learning community. We will work to recruit, retain and grow teachers capable of building the sort of skills and attitudes in their students that have real equity in the 21st century. Chartwell is known for its faculty’s commitment to mutual support in creating safe, welcoming and inspiring learning environments for our students. Our faculty are also admired for their dedication to continuous learning and improvement. All faculty members are committed to staying informed about the latest, peer-reviewed research on the many facets of the well designed and individualized education that best helps our students succeed.
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Commitment to Curriculum From learning and the brain to social skills, self-advocacy, technology, and effective teaching strategies for students who learn differently, Chartwell translates cutting-edge research into practice in ways that create good learning experiences and outstanding outcomes for our diverse students.
Commitment to the Learning Environment We are committed to a caring school culture that respects each of its members. We will foster their unique talents with curricular and extra-curricular activities that also take advantage of our 60 acre campus. We look forward to developing the facilities needed to serve a larger school population in the lower, middle and high school.
Commitment to Stability Chartwell is committed to sound and stable governance and leadership that instills confidence. Since Chartwell’s robust, contemporary, and individualized education costs more than more traditional approaches, we will seek ways to develop the school in a responsible manner. We will balance upgrades and growth with affordability, delivering excellent value for money invested. 7
our Core Values
Our strategic plan builds on the following
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Learning
Discovery
Collaboration
Chartwell values learning as a lifelong process. We will study and support the positive ways each student acquires skills, experience and judgment and applies them solve problems, persevere, and be creative as he or she matures. We will teach in a manner so that each student will want to learn.
We will encourage and welcome an atmosphere of inquiry, discovery and innovation. We will be flexible, but committed to developing a culture that focuses on how something can be accomplished. We will seek collaborative and innovative solutions to challenges in education.
We value diversity and believe that greater outcomes are achieved by working together toward cooperative solutions. We strive for and nurture productive relationships with diverse communities and stakeholders and partnerships with others who support similar goals.
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core values of Chartwell School.
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Advocacy
Sustainability
We will support each student’s effort to understand and develop her or his learning potential. We will help families develop the knowledge and qualities that make them effective advocates for their children’s best educational interests.
We will make sustainable contributions to the practice of education so that families and communities can benefit from our work for generations to come. We will use the many sustainable aspects of our green campus to teach students to care for and respect the natural environment and to prepare them to use its resources wisely throughout their lives.
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OUR GOALS
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GOAL #1 We will continue to develop our curriculum and integrate it more fully across all grades. An integrated curriculum is critical as many of our students will be at different stages in their various subjects (for example, grade 3 in writing and grade 4 in math). We will emphasize strong foundational skills combined with rich and diverse experiences that guide students to actively explore and extend their abilities. In addition, we will work to develop skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, empathy, analysis, problem solving and self-awareness.
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Action Items
1 Increase funding in faculty professional development that will enable them to access cutting-edge research on language-based learning differences, social-emotional learning, working memory and executive function
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Recruit new faculty, whenever possible, from schools of education with recognized expertise in literacy as well as an understanding of the importance of social-emotional learning that prepares their graduates to work with students with language-based learning differences
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Ensure we have a K-12 curriculum that is contemporary, clearly mapped, organized, vertically integrated and designed using the best research available
Continue to recruit, retain and grow outstanding teachers, with knowledge of their subject areas, a passion for teaching students with learning differences, and a desire for continuous improvement
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3 Hire a Dean of Academics (responsible for our curriculum and for the collection and analysis of data from student testing) who will work with teachers to better understand and build on each student’s strengths and to inform classroom instructional practices to overcome difficulties
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Employ new and emerging technologies to support, enhance and extend student learning, including subject knowledge, social-emotional learning, executive function, and good character
GOAL #2 We will invest in growing our K-12 enrollment. We will continue to update and add detail to our analysis of the need for the services we provide, using this to determine the need for and to provide additional facilities. Chartwell originally based its curriculum on its students transiting back to a traditional classroom in 2 to 4 years. We have learned that many students benefit from continuing at Chartwell through high school. We will continue to develop our curriculum to provide an integrated education for those who continue at Chartwell as well those whose educational needs are best served by transitioning to a mainstream classroom. 14
Action Items
1 Review our tuition structure and financial aid policies to better promote student tenures that maximize the likelihood that a student will be able to achieve his or her educational potential
2 Expand after-school experiences in sports, science, and the arts, areas where many dyslexic students excel
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Explore the feasibility of busing and homestay boarding in the near term, and eventually, a Chartwell boarding program, to allow more out-of-area students to attend
Leverage our parents and alumni to increase community awareness of the value of a Chartwell education and the importance of obtaining the type of expert help and intervention we can provide
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Because Not All Great Minds Think Alike
GOAL #3 We will be proactive in communicating the value of the Chartwell difference clearly and in detail to enrolled and prospective families and the wider community. Chartwell is an undeniable success with ambitious plans to get even better. We will continue to be attractive to the best students, faculty and donors by being intentional and creative in how we present the Chartwell story. We will emphasize our research, innovation and accomplishments to boost recognition for Chartwell as a center of excellence in California and the United States. 16
Action Items
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Develop a comprehensive media plan to continue to raise public awareness of the many ways that Chartwell helps students who learn differently succeed
Integrate the lower, middle and high school in our communications, emphasizing their common elements and strengths as well as their unique attributes
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Redevelop our website and explore communication alliances with groups with similar values and goals
Strengthen existing alliances and build new relationships with other professionals to encourage early identification and referrals for students with language-based learning differences
Renewing adding our accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges according to schedule and add accreditation by the California Association of Independant Schools
Continue to solicit parent feedback and explore a “Parent Ambassador Program�
goal #4 We will increase the capacity of our Board of Trustees and Advancement Department to develop and sustain Chartwell as a center of excellence in the near term and for decades to come.
Chartwell is well established in the cohort of independent schools that serve students with language-based learning differences, both in California and the United States. We will build on this foundation by combining education expertise, alumni engagement, endowment growth and outreach to students and teachers beyond our school. We will commit necessary resources to ensure prosperity and leadership in our field for the 50th year and beyond. 18
Action Items
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Continue to nurture our relationships with former trustees and others who can assist with advancing Chartwell’s mission
Strategically expand our boards size and composition
Cultivate new relationships with people and organizations who share and support our vision and core values
Optimize our current investment and debt management strategies
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Commit ourselves to continuing learning, evaluation, and improvement in our governance, management and advancement practices and activities
Continue to strengthen our annual fundraising and build our endowment for long-term stewardship and support
2511 Numa Watson Road Seaside, CA 93955 831.394.3468 chartwell.org