Volume 26, Issue 16 3
Stonewall Tellegraph
Strategic Plan 2017 This is the school system’s roadmap for how Fulton County Schools aims to improve student achievement over the next five years. Three goals serve as the district’s measure for long-term student success, which is that students will graduate on time and be ready for college or the workforce. • Graduation Rate – 90% of Fulton students will graduate on time • College Readiness – 85% of Fulton’s seniors will be eligible for admission to a University System of Georgia college or university • Career Readiness – 100% of Fulton's graduates will be work-ready certified “These are big goals, but they are attainable,” said Superintendent Avossa. “Our strategic plan is focused on improving outcomes for all students, and the only way to do this is to set measurable goals and put supports in place to help our students and staff to reach them.” To that end, as part of its “Building Our Future” strategic planning initiative, the school system will focus on five key areas – instruction, people, technology, effective schools and resources – to drive improvement. • Instruction – Students will be engaged in learning that enables them to reach their full potential for college and career readiness • People – Fulton County Schools will attract and retain the most talented and effective employees in K-12 education • Technology – Students, parents, teachers and administrators will have the tools and information they need to accelerate learning
Counselor’s Corner Improve Your Discipline “Use Consequences for Misbehavior” Having consequences for misbehavior helps children learn to behave. Consequences provide structure and help children know where they stand. Consequences are most effective when you: • Pose them in a manner. Say, “Yes, you can go play as soon as you finish cleaning your room.” Avoid saying, “No, you can’t play because you haven’t cleaned your room.” • Focus on the behavior you want, rather then the consequences. You don’t always need to tell your child what the consequence is. Knowing the consequence may actually encourage his/ her to weigh his/her options at times. • Get your child to come up with the consequence. This beats just imposing it. For example, what should happen if your child fights with a sibling? By being involved, a child feels more ownership for the result. This encourages him/her to take more responsibility for his/her behavior. If your child doesn’t come up with a suitable consequence at first, keep asking, “What else?”
• Effective Schools – School leadership will be collaborative and will balance innovation with accountability • Resources – Student needs will be supported with efficient and effective allocation of staff, instructional materials and equipment.
The strategic plan will guide the system’s direction over the next five years and is the result of many conversations with the school board, teachers and school leaders as well as engagement with parents and the community. The plan is posted at www.fultonschools.org/StrategicPlan2017.
Source: Marvin Marshall, Discipline without Stress
Robin Elder School Counselor