The New York City Community Schools Strategic Plan gives an insight into the Mayor’s educational agenda for school-going children. The vision is to achieve an equitable educational system through the expansion of community schools as the main strategy. This was informed by the existing achievement gap, especially among young people. As such, the expansion of the community schools and the creation of an enabling environment by the Department of Education will give the young people unlimited opportunities to learn and establish themselves as respectable members of the community. The expansion initiative is an extension of the Department of Education’s framework for Great Schools. According to the strategic plan, the administration aims to develop the next generation of Community Schools and put in place systems and structures that will address the issue of inequality in education in ways that foster sustainability. An assessment of the strategic plan reveals the unique way of its delivery, although all the basic elements that make up a proper strategic plan are included in the document.
An analysis of the New York City Community Schools Strategic Plan shows that all the basic elements of a strategic plan are included. Through the community schools’ expansion program, the New York City Department of Education, in conjunction with the Mayor, envisions the creation of an equitable education system that will help close the achievement gap in the community. Under the program, students will receive strong induction during the initial stages of learning, coupled with robust engagement and continuous improvement. To enable this agenda the office of the Mayor has a target of building 100 community schools, implementing strategies to advance the goals, and offering support to the existing community schools for the next several years. However, the vision and mission statements in the strategic plan are not highlighted systematically. Instead, they are included in the executive summary section.
Another noticeable feature of the strategic plan under subject is that the key enablers to the vision and mission have distinct strategies. In other words, the larger New York City Community Schools Strategic Plan contains other mini-strategies including funding, capacity building, and system building strategies. Each of the mini-strategy is set to achieve specific objectives that contribute to the attainment of the expansion goal. Action plans for the highlighted objectives of the strategic plan are clearly stipulated, the party responsible for each action and a projected timeframe for implementation is also provided. From this, one could deduce that the organization’s strategic goals are clearly stipulated in the plan. In addition, the objectives to achieve these goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic, and time-bound (Bryson, 2011), indicating a high level of preciseness and pragmatism.
Although the delivery structure of the New York City Community Schools Strategic Plan appears to go against the conventional approach of delivery, all basic elements of a strategic plan are included therein. These include the vision, objectives, action plans, and control and measure mechanisms. Notably, the language used to explain various components of the plan including the vision, goals, and objectives is not only friendly but also relatable in every aspect thus fostering inclusivity and harmony in itself. Therefore, for this reason, I feel confident that I could explain to any member of the general public about the New City’s Department in regards to its role in society, purpose, and future direction.
References
Bryson, John, M. (2011). Strategic planning for public and NPOs: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organization achievement. John Wiley and Sons.
New York City Department of Education. New York City community schools strategic plan.