SLS Strategic Vision Brochure

St. Luke’s School Strategic Vision

Introduction Five years ago, St. Luke’s School adopted its first-ever strategic plan.

That plan has been an important milepost in guiding the efforts of trustees, administration, and faculty since 2005. Over this period, St. Luke’s has proudly achieved sustained levels of improvement in facilities, faculty compensation, richness and breadth of program, financial soundness, diversity, operational quality and—most important of all—student outcomes and the preparation of our graduates for rich and rewarding lives beyond the Hilltop.

With a blend of humility and satisfaction, we prepare to close the book on Strategic Plan 2005 and commit to the challenges and objectives of our new vision. Our overall goal is for St. Luke’s to maintain a strong upward trajectory that will enhance its ability to deliver on its mission to its students and families.

Key elements of the prior plan sought to improve the operational and financial integrity of our school. We have made meaningful progress in achieving these goals, although important unfinished work from the existing plan is incorporated herein. This progress has allowed us to adopt a somewhat different–and in some ways, more strategic–posture in developing the new vision.

St. Luke’s Strategic Vision • 1

Introduction continued

Throughout the synthesis of Strategic Vision 2010, our overriding focus has been on enhancing St. Luke’s School’s ability to deliver the best possible student outcomes, and thereby help position our graduates for success in college, work, and life; in short, to strengthen the educational experience of current and future students. In the course of our work, we identified many things we are doing well and many we want to do better. We developed a strong appreciation for the quality and breadth of our programs, yet discovered many ideas for new initiatives or the expansion of existing ones.

Two points are worth emphasizing at the outset. First, this vision represents a complete team effort on the part of our entire community. Through surveys of parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and prospective families, planning workshops that included parents, faculty, staff, and trustees, and meetings, focus groups, and committees that have involved all of the constituencies of St. Luke’s, we received input, ideas, and feedback from all elements of our community. We have thus worked hard to: 1) ensure that this document faithfully represents the views of our community regarding the strengths of St. Luke’s and the things we can do better; and 2) allow for the very broad, collaborative development of ideas that will serve to improve our school and, hence, our ability to deliver for students.

Second, it came as no surprise that throughout this process a clear and strong consensus was heard that the most compelling attribute of St. Luke’s is our unique culture. It is a culture that: 1) places our children and student outcomes at the center of all that we do; 2) engenders a warm and caring environment; 3) fosters an attitude of mutual respect; and 4) encourages and assists our students in reaching their personal best.

Since this culture distinguishes St. Luke’s School, plays a fundamental role in fulfilling our mission, and represents the type of environment in which we choose to live, work, and play, maintaining and strengthening the School’s culture is a fundamental objective of St. Luke’s and one that we will not compromise. It therefore represents the key underpinning of the strategic initiatives and direction contained in this vision.

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Core Values Identifying the core values of St. Luke’s School assists us in safeguarding and strengthening our culture. It helps ensure that

we are upholding these values in the day-to-day life and operation of the School. In the context of the Strategic Plan, it was important for these values to be in the forefront of our minds so that the long-term strategic goals of the School are imbued with these fundamental principles.

St. Luke’s School Core Values: Love of Learning Good Character Pursuit of Excellence

Throughout the planning process, we found that most people had strong feelings about what defines St. Luke’s, and we found strong and reassuring agreement about four bedrock values. When members of our community read them or hear them they nod knowingly, approvingly, in recognition of something fundamental about the School. From these core values come the St. Luke’s Mission and Motto, Honor Code, and Community Goals for Learning. And from that core come all of our programs-academic and co-curricular--and the basis for all our planning.

As the combination of these four values demonstrates, we seek to define our purposes clearly, while not limiting our hopes for our students. We expect them to develop academic skills and habits of mind that prepare them for admission to the most selective colleges and universities. At the same time, during their time at St. Luke’s we expect they will learn a larger purpose for education, indeed for their lives. Imbued with a LOVE OF LEARNING and a deep understanding of what it means to have GOOD CHARACTER, to PURSUE EXCELLENCE, and to embrace COMMUNITY, St. Luke’s students learn how to make meaning of their lives by making a difference in the lives of others.

Community

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Core Values continued

Leadership Throughout the planning process we also listened carefully to what community members said about their aspirations for St. Luke’s and our students, and we looked carefully at the relationship between those aspirations and the School’s core values.

The combination of core values (timeless tenets) and aspirations (visions, dreams, goals) articulated by community members drew us to the following conclusion: the St. Luke’s community wants the School and its students to be leaders, in fact and in reputation. This desire arises directly from the core value of pursuing excellence, which we have defined as a combination of seeking one’s personal best and having a meaningful impact on someone or something beyond oneself.

The community’s vision of St. Luke’s students as leaders is not a selfish one. Rather, it embodies our core values, motto “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve”, and the many hopes we have for our students, since “leaders”:

1) reach their personal best; 2) have an impact; 3) make a difference in their communities and the world; 4) are effective members of a team; and 5) help those around them to reach their potential.

Several key elements of the overall strategic plan emerged as we considered how to better address this important aspiration of the St. Luke’s community.

(See the Center for Leadership on page 14.)

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Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement is the organizing principle that supports the St. Luke’s core values. The passion to learn and to excel – to improve – has long been a hallmark of the School, and has led to the strengthening of its programs and growth of its reputation in the last decade. Furthermore, it is an ethic we wish to instill in our students, encouraging them to be lifelong learners while assisting them in reaching their personal best and helping to maximize the contributions they make to the world.

Motivation To instill an ethic of “Continuous Improvement” in our students and throughout the School.

Objectives 1. Further inspire our students to embrace a lifelong love of learning and to continue reaching for their personal best.

2. Continue execution on key unfinished elements of Strategic Plan 2005.

3. Adopt a dynamic, iterative approach to strategic planning that will evaluate continuously the strategic goals of St. Luke’s and the School’s progress towards those goals.

The process of thinking strategically about the School’s future has shown us that continuing our momentum – continuing to improve - requires that we develop formally a culture of collaboration and innovation. Such a culture will maximize the talents and passion of the St. Luke’s faculty, thereby improving student performance. And it will ensure that St. Luke’s achieves a leadership position among independent schools while staying true to its timeless core values.

Developing and sustaining such a culture will require us to change many of our habits and re-think the ways in which we have worked together. We should not assume this will be easy. Neither collaboration nor innovation are typical in schools, which historically have valued individual work over group accomplishment, and the sanctity of the individual classroom over inter- and multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Further, most schools resist paradigmatic change due to over-confidence, complacency, or lack of resources (time, financial, human). At St. Luke’s we know we always can do better – and we must, for the sake of our students. We cannot stand on old habits simply because we are used to, and comfortable with them. Our mission, our motto, and our core values require that we constantly do better, and seek better ways to serve our students.

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Continuous Improvement continued Developing and sustaining such a culture will require us tochange many of our habits and re-think the ways in which we have worked together. We should not assumethis will be easy. Neither collaboration nor innovation are typical in schools, which historically havevalued individual work over group accomplishment, and the sanctity of theindividual classroom over inter- and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Further, most schools resist paradigmatic change due to over-confidence, complacency, or lack of resources (time, financial, human). At St. Luke’s we know we always can do better – and we must, for the sake of ourstudents. We cannot stand onold habits simply because we are used to and comfortable with them. Our mission, our motto, and our core values require that we constantly do better, and seek better ways to serve our students.

Therefore, we will commit ourselves to using our resources differently.

Teachers and time are the most valuable resources a school has to offer. And so we will examine our schedule, our processes for professional growth and renewal, and the rich possibilities for grade-level and cross-disciplinary teaching teams to stimulate collaboration and innovation throughout the curriculum. We will use the increasingly rich curriculum maps the faculty has created to identify opportunities to increase collaboration and find more effective teaching methods. We will review our learning goals for our students and strengthen the connection between these goals and programs and curriculum, and evaluate programs and teaching on the basis of those goals. The governance and administration of the School also will emphasize continuous improvement through collaboration and innovation.

An important element of continuous improvement is persistence in the pursuit of our objectives. To this end, a number of important goals remain uncompleted from Strategic Plan 2005, and we renew our commitment to these objectives and incorporate them as essential elements of the new plan. For example, we have made meaningful strides in implementing our Diversity Plan, but all acknowledge the need for continued progress. In addition, execution on the Facilities Master Plan is necessary. Advancement of the Facilities Master Plan will enhance the educational experiences and opportunities available to St. Luke’s students, and ensure that the school’s competitive position in the marketplace remains on a strong upward path.

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Implementation 1. More deeply encourage a culture of innovation and collaboration at St. Luke’s.

2. Maintain focus on improving faculty compensation, benefits, and professional development.

3. Commence execution of facilities master plan approved by Board of Trustees; continue work to create distinct middle and upper schools.

4. Extend implementation of Diversity Plan adopted by Board of Trustees.

5. Further strengthen financial soundness of the School and continue increasing philanthropic contributions to St. Luke’s to support annual operations and spur necessary further growth in endowment.

6. More closely track the performance of St. Luke’s graduates in college and beyond, in order to make the most relevant, longterm measurement of our students’ outcomes.

7. Apply environmentally-conscious strategies to building initiatives and operations.

8. Charge the Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees with an annual review of our strategic objectives and performance against them.

9. Ensure that our ongoing marketing efforts are clearly articulating the strengths and successes of St. Luke’s to area communities.

Collaboration & Innovation As we moved deeply into the strategic planning process and solicited input and ideas from across St. Luke’s, it became clear that many in the community wish to see more innovation in our curriculum. A widely-held

Motivation To define and deliver the best student outcomes and equip our students with the skills they will need for college, work, and citizenship. To constantly improve, innovate, and inspire lifelong learners and socially responsible citizens of the world.

Objectives 1. Increase collaboration on the part of both teachers and students.

2. Teach “leadership skills.”

3. Encourage risk-taking, exploration, and questioning.

4. Explore the development of additional distinguishing signature programs.

view emerged that we could take bolder steps to improve our course of study, thus moving St. Luke’s to an even higher educational level. As we pursued these discussions further, most agreed, however, that: 1) our existing curriculum and academic results are strong; 2) curricular innovation does not imply educational “fads” or “gimmicks,” for which we have no appetite; and 3) any potential changes must not sacrifice academic rigor.

An important starting point was the thoughtful consideration of what critical skills we believe our students must acquire from a St. Luke’s education. This allowed us to analyze how well our existing curriculum develops these skills, and how any prospective changes to the curriculum might improve our ability to do so. There was strong consensus among faculty and parents as to the critical competencies and abilities that students must possess when they leave St. Luke’s. These include the abilities to think creatively and critically, to ask the right questions, to solve problems, to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, to collaborate and work effectively in teams, to be curious and open minded, to take initiative, and to be able to access and analyze information. These skills are emphasized in the St. Luke’s Community Goals for Learning.

A common criticism of contemporary education is that there is too much focus on acquisition of content and facts, without due attention to the ability to utilize this knowledge in problem solving and analysis. Much of this criticism is driven by the focus on standardized testing (for example, AP tests), which tends to place a strong emphasis on content over analysis. As an independent school, St. Luke’s is free from the yoke of standardized tests outside of college entrance exams and Advanced Placement tests. We therefore have the ability to think actively about the balance between skills and content. At the same time, however, we will not sacrifice the importance of content.

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Collaboration & Innovation continued

Implementation St. Luke’s has a strong philosophical conviction that innovations in curriculum seeking to improve the development of key skills in our students cannot compromise the delivery of content. Indeed, students’ acquisition of knowledge and ability to use this knowledge are important elements of our Community Goals for Learning.

1. Explore/pursue additional signature programs (e.g., enrichment term, capstone projects, public speaking/leadership skills, subject/discipline concentrations).

We reached four primary conclusions regarding curriculum. First, we need to create a stronger focus on collaboration: learning to work more effectively together and in teams. This is a key element of success in one’s working life, where individual and organizational performance is strengthened by learning from and leveraging the complementary strengths and abilities of all team members. Engendering a culture of collaboration extends beyond students to teachers. Engaging in further teamwork holds significant promise for professional development and powerful benefits from further integration and internal reinforcement of our curricular initiatives. Second, there has long been agreement in our community on the need to encourage our students to engage in intellectual exploration and risk-taking. We believe this is an area where there is meaningful scope for improvement. Given the natural focus on grades and college admissions, encouraging students to explore new topics or to dive more deeply into others can be difficult. We want to find ways to accomplish this while strengthening students’ college preparation and enhancing their path to selective college admissions.

2. Re-examine the use of time by teachers and students, on both a daily and yearly basis, to ensure teacher collaboration in developing innovative and integrated curriculum, opportunities for student exploration/risk-taking, and occasions to reduce unneeded stress without sacrificing educational objectives.

Third, throughout this process the community voiced a strong desire to expand and build on our many successful signature programs, such as 8th grade declamations, community service, and our global initiatives. This prospect is exciting, since such programs may be the best vehicles to fulfill some of our other objectives with respect to curriculum. For example, a number of the potential new signature programs mentioned herein, which we intend to discuss and consider further, may assist St. Luke’s in encouraging intellectual and academic exploration and provide additional opportunities for collaboration and teamwork.

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3. Re-think the teacher-student dynamic with a view to increasing the amount of student collaboration in the classroom by: a) providing professional development opportunities to educate teachers about appropriate strategies and techniques; b) redesigning classroom spaces to facilitate collaboration; and c) developing assessments to determine the success of initiatives in this area.

4. Integrate public speaking and other leadership skills into the MS and US curriculum, whether as part of the existing course of study or with stand-alone elective or required courses.

Collaboration & Innovation continued

The Community Goals for Learning represent many of the critical skills that will assist our students in achieving success.

Fourth, change is not easy and most organizations have a propensity to resist it.

We recognize, therefore, that the change and innovation contemplated throughout the Strategic Plan will require hard work, patience, and persistence in order to succeed.

In addition to the objectives above, we discussed at the outset the desire expressed by many in our community that St. Luke’s place a greater emphasis on leadership. This was accompanied by an even stronger call that we do more to develop in our students many of the skills commonly associated with leadership, such as public speaking, presentation, and other communications skills, since these are also important abilities for success in life. Throughout the plan we have identified potential initiatives that can help to achieve this goal, as well as ways that we can nurture these skills within our existing programs.

A key thrust of the Strategic Vision is to improve the ability of the St. Luke’s curriculum to deliver these skills.

St. Luke’s School Community Goals for Learning: Key Elements Thinking Dispositions Curiosity

Finally, throughout the many discussion forums we conducted in developing this plan, many expressed some concern about the degree of stress under which our students operate, and the many substantial demands they face. We recognize that some level of stress is healthy, in that it encourages our students to achieve and prepares them to deal with the stress and challenges they will face later in life. Furthermore, we will not be able to alter the realities of the contemporary world and the college admissions process, which are significant sources of this stress. We will nonetheless endeavor to reduce unnecessary sources of stress where possible, and commit that initiatives implemented pursuant to this plan will be undertaken to achieve balance in our students’ lives.

Open-mindedness Seeking truth and understanding Reflection Integrity

Core Competencies and Abilities Thinking critically and creatively Communicating effectively Demonstrating character and social responsibility Growing and maturing on a personal level

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Motivation To harness effectively the power of technology to improve

Transformational Technology

A. student learning and skills, and

Technology use and resources have become pervasive at St. Luke’s.

B. administrative efficiency, communications, and marketing.

Objectives 1. Make technology a transformational tool for great teaching.

2. Ensure students have the skills to use technology effectively to enhance research, collaboration, problem-solving, analysis, creativity, and other vital academic skills.

3. As a matter of academic excellence and community values, reinforce the appropriate use and limits of technology.

4. Ensure that St. Luke’s is a leader in the use of technology in its administration and marketing.

Skilled teachers employ cutting edge hardware and software to enhance collaboration and deepen student learning, Academic Technology Coordinators support and inspire teachers at all levels, and the school community is continuously strengthened by advanced technological communications and data management tools.[1] Our strength and reputation as a “technology forward” school have come about as a result of implementing the Technology building block in Strategic Plan 2005.

Technology holds a prominent place in the continuing strategy of St. Luke’s. As part of the new strategic plan, the School commits itself to a “complete approach” in the application of technology towards fulfillment of its Mission. This holistic philosophy means: 1) teachers will actively use technology as a powerful tool in the education of their students; 2) we will develop strong technological proficiency in St. Luke’s students, which they will employ both at St. Luke’s and to meet challenges in college and beyond; 3) St. Luke’s students will acquire a keen sensitivity to the power of technology, including its proper and ethical use; 4) St. Luke’s students will learn to appreciate when the application of technological tools supports an intellectual endeavor, and when it can impede the same by “crowding out” other important cognitive processes such as reflection, deep creative thought, or discussion and debate; 5) technology will be further employed to strengthen and support the operation, management, and administration of the School; and 6) consistent with the core value of Community, we will explore ways that, within St. Luke’s families, parents and students can share expertise to increase everyone’s technological fluency and develop a common facility with its use.

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Transformational Technology continued

Implementation In addition and as with all its programs, St. Luke’s is equally committed to maintain a thoughtful, purposeful approach to the adoption of technology. Technology will be a tool for the School’s great teachers - not the reverse. As we have studied and researched the use of technology in schools, we have seen too many succumb to the “technology of the moment,” or rush to accommodate the judgment of the marketplace that the latest hardware or idea is a shorthand for educational best practices.

While we aggressively employ and train teachers to use technology that clearly enhances student learning, we remain skeptical of technology that lacks such persuasive evidence. Such is the case with regard to 1:1 laptop programs (that equip each student with a school-provided machine), which we have studied for years and examined closely again in this planning cycle.

Although we remain open to considering further evidence, we are not yet persuaded that students’ learning is improved enough by these programs to justify the resources required of families and schools to support them.

The quality and commitment of the teacher remains far and away the most important driver of student learning. Therefore, our priority remains to hire and develop the finest teachers. That is where we put the majority of our time and resources. At the same time, we commit ourselves to providing teachers and students with the technological resources (hardware, software, and-importantly--training) that have the biggest impact on teaching and learning.

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1. Enhance faculty training and development in the use of technology tools to improve our ability to achieve educational and curricular objectives, and to develop the critical skills in the Community Goals for Learning.

2. Execute the Information and Media Literacy Standards.

3. Establish a standing technology committee to guide and support the achievement of technology objectives.

4. Continue to develop events and workshops that help bridge the gap between parent and student awareness, understanding, and proficiency in using technology.

Motivation To provide a strong and sustainable financial foundation for St. Luke’s, thus: 1. safeguarding the school for future generations;

Financial Soundness

2. providing resources for program improvement/expansion needed to fulfill our mission;

Over the past five years, St. Luke’s has developed a long-term, strategic approach to its financial management and decision-making.

3. furnishing the wherewithal necessary to retain a great faculty and attract a talented and diverse student body; and 4. supporting the ability to execute the facilities master plan.

Objectives 1. Strengthen the financial profile of St. Luke’s to safeguard long-term stability and growth.

Our priorities have been to provide the financial strength to fuel advances in our programs and facilities, while ensuring adequate financial safety for the school. Thus, the framework in which we evaluate our financial decisions takes into account their impact over a long time horizon, in the context of trends in revenues, expenses, and strategic priorities. This approach has allowed us to sustain a strong financial profile and the School’s forward momentum in a difficult economic environment, including maintaining faculty salaries in the top quartile of Fairchester schools and holding gains in the financial aid budget as a percentage of total revenues.

Our ongoing strategic objectives regarding financial management and profile strongly reflect the St. Luke’s ethic of continuous improvement. We will maintain a long-term strategic approach for planning and decision-making, utilizing financial models and an established set of base projections, while extending such a framework to other areas where key objectives and financial considerations intersect (such as financial aid). In addition, we will undertake to periodically review our financial policies and controls.

2. Maximize community participation in annual, endowment, and capital fundraising.

3. Continue to pursue a disciplined and strategic approach to financial management.

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Financial Soundness continued

Implementation 1. Sustain a strong focus on further increases in endowment, which are necessary to safeguard St. Luke’s School’s financial position and to enable aspirational growth in programs and facilities.

While substantial progress has been made in strengthening the financial position of the school, we recognize the need for continued momentum in this regard. Further growth in endowment resources remains a strong priority. Despite meaningful progress over the past planning cycle, significant continued growth in our endowments are required to realize our aspirations for the School and to further buttress its financial soundness. It is also important that the philanthropic base of support continue to expand across the annual fund, endowments, and capital campaigns. Advancement of the history and accomplishments of the School and its graduates will engender lifelong ties to the St. Luke’s community, while making clear that our support of today’s St. Luke’s students is an investment in their futures and in the world they will go forth to lead. This advancement will also build financial support by further enhancing the reputation of the school.

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2. Continue utilization of long-term financial models for planning and decision-making.

3. Charge appropriate committees of the Board (e.g., Financial Affairs, Governance) with periodic review of financial policies.

4. Pursue identified opportunities to increase sources of revenue not related to tuition or philanthropy.

5. Execute our marketing and positioning plan to further burnish the reputation of, and demand for, a St. Luke’s education in our target communities.

Motivation To define and elevate the concept of leadership within the School in order to teach our students to become leaders.

To improve the School’s capacity to undertake key new initiatives and to support/strengthen existing programs.

Objectives 1. Provide staffing and internal resources to undertake new initiatives and signature programs.

St. Luke’s School Center for Leadership As part of the implementation of Strategic Plan 2010, we will inaugurate the St. Luke’s School Center for Leadership. The Center will be a staffed and resourced organizational unit within the School that will support key existing programs and enable us to establish certain new programs that have been identified as priorities by the strategic planning process. The Center will have three primary objectives.

First, the Center for Leadership will provide the means and ability, on an operational level, to investigate and implement many of the excellent program ideas that have surfaced throughout the planning process. A key shortcoming of many such planning exercises is that superb new ideas are raised, but lack of resources or time makes it unlikely that they will be adequately analyzed or implemented. Ensuring our ability to set these ideas in motion, through the Center for Leadership, will itself be a key differentiator for St. Luke’s and allow us to advance many of the objectives outlined in this plan. It is one important way for us to put action behind the words “Continuous Improvement.”

2. Furnish additional support to faculty and staff, creating the ability to expand or enhance existing programs.

3. Establish a vehicle to focus delivery of a leadership skills curriculum to students.

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St. Luke’s School Center for Leadership continued

Implementation Second, the Center for Leadership will provide important support for the faculty in expanding and broadening existing key initiatives, as well as an important resource to assist in implementing innovations in the curriculum that are developed and championed by the faculty. For example, the community has expressed a strong endorsement of our global education initiatives, as well as an emphatic desire to see these initiatives expanded. The Center for Leadership will provide the means to accomplish this – and other – objectives.

Finally, the Center for Leadership will be a critical vehicle to assist in elevating the concept of Leadership within the School. The Center will take responsibility, working in concert with the faculty and administration, for implementing programs or curricula that help develop “leadership skills” in our students.

Acknowledgements This plan represents a complete team effort on the part of our entire community. Through meetings, surveys, workshops, committees, and focus groups, we received tremendous input and ideas from all constituencies (parents, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and prospective families). We have worked hard to ensure that the Strategic Vision faithfully represents the views of our community regarding the strengths of St. Luke’s and what we can do better. At the same time, it allows for the very broad, collaborative development of ideas that will serve to improve our school and hence our ability to deliver on our mission to prepare students for a lifelong commitment to learning and social responsibility.

Crafted and written by the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, co-chaired by Trustee Peter N. Goettler and Head of School Mark C. Davis, and approved by the 2009-2010 Board of Trustees.

Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.

Photography by Desirée Smock, Designed by Peapod Design, New Canaan CT St. Luke's Strategic Vision • Published 2010

1. Create and staff the St. Luke’s School Center for Leadership.

2. Within the Center for Leadership, expand global education initiatives, create an expanded community service program and opportunities, and develop programs to teach leadership skills.

3. Explore potential additional Center for Leadership programs (e.g., speaker series, internship opportunities, summer programs, enrichment term, others).

4. Support the faculty and staff in developing and implementing innovations in the curriculum.