Educate. Inspire. Empower.
STRATEGIC PLAN
A plan for moving from excellent to transformational.
School District of Clayton
What We Believe
Mission Statement
We inspire each student to love learning
and embrace challenge within a rich and
rigorous academic culture.
Vision Statement
Core Values
We develop leaders who shape the world
through independence, creativity and
critical thinking.
We model and promote:
• Excellence by challenging our students and
ourselves to meet the highest expectations of
our community.
• Trust by building relationships based on integrity,
mutual respect and open communication.
• Inclusiveness by valuing individual differences and
the contributions of a diverse student body and staff.
• Innovation by encouraging ideas and practices that
foster adaptability.
• Accountability by aligning our actions and
resources with our stated objectives and
taking responsibility for the outcomes.
School District of Clayton
Our Story
Every strategic plan should be a living document, a travel guide, if you
will, that takes an organization on a journey from good to great. For
a high-achieving school district like Clayton, we don’t just map out a
strategic direction that will take us from good to great, we map out a
direction that will move us from excellent to transformational. Having
strong academic achievement, quality teachers and fiscal responsibility
are givens in our work and will remain constant.To start that journey,
we developed our Profile of a Clayton Graduate. We began with the
end in mind, using the voices of our community, our students and our
alumni to develop a profile of the competencies we want for every
Clayton graduate. We use that profile to shape the direction in
this strategic plan, influence our approach to learning and
challenge the mental models of what our schools should
look like for our students.
About The Plan
School District of Clayton
Our Profile of a Clayton Graduate seeks to develop students who are academically prepared,
aware of themselves and how they can improve the world. From our strategic plan to daily
learning experiences, it shapes everything we do to help students develop these skills on
a journey that starts the day they enter our schools.
• Engages in healthy practices
and relationships
• Practices self-improvement,
advocacy and resilience
• Enjoys life with authenticity,
purpose and happiness
• Sees risks and mistakes
as opportunities
• Asks questions that
help solve problems
• Always seeks to
learn more
• Understands that people
hold differing world views
• Welcomes cultural
differences
• Challenges prejudices and
looks for shared values
• Shows compassion and
understanding of others
• Demonstrates kindness
and respect
• Generates solutions
to complex problems
• Explores possibilities
and challenges the
status quo
• Expresses self
through design, arts,
writing and speaking
• Respects opinions
of others
• Listens carefully
to suggestions
• Uses strong
communication skills
to help shape change
Self-Actualized
Intellectually
Curious
Creative
Thinker
Empathetic
PROFILE OF A
Clayton Graduate
Culturally
Conscious
Collaborative
How We Develop Clayton Graduates
PROFILE
OF A
CLAYTON
GRADUATE
School District of Clayton
We are a District with a growth mindset and a commitment to
continuous improvement. As a nationally-recognized school
district, we can’t be complacent with good or even great. We have
to challenge ourselves to move from excellent to transformational,
to ask ourselves the hard questions and take risks that make us
uncomfortable. We owe nothing less than our best thinking to the
students and families who trust us with their learning. A strategic
plan provides a road map for action that will help answer those
hard questions and push us to take those uncomfortable risks.
It also provides us with bookends that help sharpen our focus
and keep us from getting overloaded with too many ideas or
initiatives.
Why do we need
a strategic plan?
Where will it take us?
Our Theory of Action
The School District of Clayton envisions having graduates who
are self-actualized, intellectually curious, culturally conscious,
empathetic, creative thinkers and collaborative. The journey
to those attributes starts as soon as students enter our schools.
We want to develop students who are not only academically
prepared, but also attuned to their humanity and how they can
improve it.
In order to develop the graduates who possess the attributes we
believe are necessary to have an impact in the world, we need
to provide them with the opportunities they need to develop
those skills identified in our Profile. Not all of the attributes in our
Profile are easily measured, but that doesn’t mean they should
be thought of as soft skills. They are anything but soft - they are
critical. Therefore, you may find objectives or action steps in this
plan that may not seem to directly connect to our Profile of the
Graduate and that’s okay. Whether directly or indirectly, everything
within this plan is a means to an end that has one singular focus:
our learners.
One key aspect of a good
strategic plan is where it is kept,
or, more importantly, where it is
not kept. A strategic plan cannot
be effective if it sits in a three-
ring binder on an office shelf.
Culturally
Conscious
Empathetic
Self-
Actualized
Collaborative
Intellectually
Curious
Creative
Thinker
School District of Clayton
Objectives - Our What
Strategic Goals
Objectives are what would be true (milestones)
if we are moving towards attaining our goals.
Objectives are concrete, measurable and indicate
if we are achieving our goals. Achievement of all
objectives related to a goal does not necessarily
mean achievement of that goal; it often represents
completion of one phase of work that will continue
with the formulation of additional objectives and
action plans (evergreen model). The objectives
provide clear direction and are reasonable in
respect to timeline and scope. District personnel
are responsible for developing and implementing
specific and coherent action steps to reach the
objectives.
Strategic Goals are broad, overarching key areas of focus identified as priorities to achieve
our mission and vision. The Goals represent the aspirations that the District intends
to realize under a specific strategic direction. Strategic Goals reflect our “big picture”
thinking and are bold, yet attainable.
Measures of Success are the targets
and measures that will be used to
determine if the District is successful
in achieving its objectives. A data
dashboard will indicate movement
towards the objectives and inform
the refinement of the strategic plan
if needed. They will also be used for
monitoring and reporting progress
toward the achievement of objectives.
Measures of Success
Our Learners
We use the term “learners”
throughout this document.
It’s important to know exactly
what we mean when we refer
to learners. We define learners
as all individuals in the school
system, which includes students,
staff and parents.
School District of Clayton
We will know we have achieved this goal when ...
Culturally
Conscious
Empathetic
Self-
Actualized
Collaborative
OBJECTIVES:
a. School is a safe place for all learners to
thrive nomatter their identity or ability
Measurement: Panorama-positive feelings
survey data
b. Discipline disparities among students are
reduced.
Measurement: Three-year analysis of
referrals and suspensions
c. The District is a learning community where
our learners feel connected to others
Measurement: Panorama-sense of
belonging
d. The diversity of Clayton’s teaching staff
reflects the racial diversity of its students
Measurement: Staff and student
demographics
A place for everyone...
GOAL #1
We will ensure all
learners, regardless
of their identity, feel
safe and valued.
e. The District’s commitment to becoming an
equitable, anti-bias and anti-racist learning
community is reflected in the actions of our
students, teachers, administrators and the Board.
Measurement: Panorama-diversity and inclusion
survey data
f. Clayton students have a strong sense of self
efficacy.
Measurement: Panorama-self-efficacy survey
data
g. Every student has someone within the school
they consider a trusted adult who they can go to
when needed.
Measurement: Panorama- supportive
relationships survey data
Meeting these objectives will ensure
Clayton graduates are:
School District of Clayton
We will know we have achieved this goal when ...
OBJECTIVES:
a. Teaching and learning experiences will
empower learners while also ensuring academic
growth for all students
Measurement:
Student achievement data
b. Barriers to and disparities in equitable
educational opportunities and access to
programming are eliminated for students.
Measurement: Student achievement data and
program participation
c. Our students see historically accurate
representations where our learning community’s
cultures are celebrated and reflected in curricula
and materials.
Measurement:
Equity audits
...to grow as learners...
Meeting these objectives will ensure
Clayton graduates are:
Culturally
Conscious
Intellectually
Curious
Creative
Thinker
GOAL #2
We will commit to the
educational growth of
our learners through an
equitable, personalized
and individualized
learning experience.
School District of Clayton
We will know we have achieved this goal when...
OBJECTIVES:
a. Students demonstrate belief in self and
engage in self-improvement and advocacy.
Measurement: Panorama self-management
and social awareness survey data
b. Students demonstrate kindness, compassion
and respect of others by engaging in the
District designed social/emotional learning
curriculum
Measurement: Panorama self-management
and social awareness survey data
c. Students and staff incorporate habits and
practices that foster lifelong wellness
Measurement: Missouri State Student
Survey
d. Students make anti-oppressive choices and
use their gifts and talents to build a more
inclusive community.
Measurement: Panorama sense of belonging
survey data
...in head and heart.
GOAL #3
We will be dedicated
to the personal
growth of our
learners in their
social, emotional and
physical well-being.
Meeting these objectives will ensure
Clayton graduates are:
Empathetic
Self-
Actualized
Collaborative
School District of Clayton
10
Allocating Resources
The School District of Clayton will optimize and
align resources to ensure we meet stated goals and
objectives. To ensure we have both the fiscal and
human capital needed, we will use an organizational
planning model that causes us to annually review
our alignment of strategic goals and finances.
We will build our annual budget based on an
organizational structure focused on instruction,
human resources, capital improvement, programs
and financial sustainability. We will use our growth
data to determine if the way we are allocating
resources is having the impact we expect.
Funding Sources
Well excuted strategic planning will rely on various
educational funding sources. The School District
of Clayton carefully allocates funding from sources
such as local property tax along with various grants.
Implementation
RESOURCES & FUNDING
Implementation requires
careful planning and proper
resource allocation to
eachieve the most significant
degree of student success
and growth.