Strategic Plan
2015
“Nurturing the spirit. Inspiring the mind.” H A RD I N G AC A DE M Y M OT TO
Our Mission
To educate and inspire young people to become thoughtful, creative, lifelong learners and self-disciplined, responsible, caring citizens.
To achieve this purpose, Harding Academy combines a nurturing, supportive environment with a fervent commitment to academic rigor, ethics and leadership education, and opportunities for well-rounded development in the arts, athletics, and service. Central to this mission is the Harding community, an inclusive group of individually valued students, engaged parents, and talented, passionate educators and staff.
Our Vision
Within an inclusive and diverse community of engaged partners, Harding Academy will set the standard for premier K-8 independent schools as we inspire our students’ intellectual development, embrace their balanced, personal growth, and develop well-prepared leaders and positive contributors to our 21st-century society.
Mission Statement
Def ined
Nurturing, Supportive Environment
Ethics and Leadership Education
Harding Academy provides students with a safe
Guided by the principles of Harding’s Community
and encouraging atmosphere that fosters self-
Code, students, faculty, and staff model core ethical
confidence, self-discovery, and high self-esteem.
values including honesty, kindness, and integrity. Students are challenged to develop key leadership
Academic Rigor
skills including self-discipline, accountability,
We maintain the highest academic standards with
and empathy.
a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, curiosity, and effective communication skills.
Harding Community
Students are empowered to explore new ideas
Accomplishing Harding’s mission is fundamentally
and take intellectual risks as they discover their
tied to a faculty valued for its expertise and
individual talents and passions.
commitment and a parent body that is actively involved in the life of the school.
Opportunities for Well-Rounded Development Harding embraces students’ versatility and personal growth by providing broad exposure to the arts, physical education and wellness, athletics, and service learning.
VISION Statement
Def ined
Inclusive and Diverse Community
Balanced Personal Growth
Because our school values diversity and its inherent
Because our school encourages versatility,
role in a comprehensive education, Harding strives
adaptability, and resourcefulness, Harding students
to engage with and build a community that is
experience the visual and performing arts and
reflective of our broader society.
choose their involvement in an array of sports and service opportunities.
Premier K-8 School Based on a commitment to educate the whole
Well-Prepared Leaders
student in intellect, in ethics, and in extracurricular
With a goal to produce graduates who are self-
achievement, Harding serves as a national model
aware, sensitive, productive, and positive, Harding
for the highest quality K-8 independent education.
prepares students to be influential members of the complex society in which they live.
Intellectual Development With an expectation that our students will become active, informed, high-performing citizens, Harding’s educational experience provides essential knowledge and skills and supports an innovative approach to problem solving.
GOALS Strategic Plan 2015
PROGRAM
DIVERSITY
Harding Academy will continue to
We will engage with and continue
be a leader in K–8 education and
to build a community that is
will be defined by its challenging
reflective of our broader society
and developmentally appropriate
in terms of race, nationality,
integration of academics, arts,
ethnicity, religion, gender, family
athletics, wellness, and character
structure, native language, and
development.
socio-economic level.
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FINANCE
GOVERNANCE
MARKETING
We will continue to manage the
Harding Academy will continue to
We will continue to successfully
financial resources of Harding
maintain and prove sustainable
position Harding Academy as the
Academy to favorably position
an effective governance model to
school of choice for families in the
our school and sustain its long-
ensure that each trustee and the
Nashville area and as a national
term growth.
head of school are engaged keepers
leader in K–8 education.
of the mission and guardians of the school’s core values.
STRATEGIES Strategic Plan 2015
PROGRAM • Continue to offer a strong and innovative academic program that balances the arts, humanities, sciences, mathematics, and wellness to prepare students for the demands of high school and meet the needs of each student. • Continue to be the school of choice for highly qualified faculty and have the structures in place to ensure professional growth. • Continue to focus on the moral, emotional, and social needs of our students as they become positive leaders and ethical citizens. • Continue to prepare students to be contributing citizens in a diverse, 21st-century society. • Continue to embrace and refine opportunities for active involvement by parents, alumni, and friends.
DIVERSITY • Review institutional practices to determine consistency with the overarching goal. • Promote the theme of diversity through highimpact activities that broaden the students’ perspective and understanding. • Increase diversity in the composition of our student body, faculty and staff, and Board of Trustees.
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FINANCE
• Continue to develop and maintain sustainable financial policies around balanced budgeting. • Continue to strengthen our culture of philanthropy. • Continue to strive to maximize our enrollment without compromising standards. • Continue to develop and implement alternative income streams.
Governance • Ensure that Harding Academy achieves established best practice in board governance. • Continue a formal evaluation process, for both the Board of Trustees and the head of school that measures effectiveness in attaining the mission and strategic goals of the school. • Seek to continuously improve trustee skills distribution, diversity composition, and succession planning through a formalized board nomination process.
MARKETING • Further develop a formal marketing plan that is reviewed and updated annually and guides the school in achieving its strategic goals. • Further analyze current and best practices with a focus on both internal and external communications. • Further define and communicate the benefits of the independent K–8 educational model.