1. Study and Planning -- This phase will typically last at least one year. Each school in the planning phase will receive an allocation based upon enrollment for study and planning. Activities will include: developing a leadership team to assist with planning, releasing small groups to plan the process or do research, analyzing data, developing a school profile and goals, serving on a writing team, working with consultants, and visiting programs and sites. The final activity of this phase will be to write/revise a school strategic plan. Guidelines for the plan are found in board policy 2004.
2. Implementation -- This phase will last for four years. Once approved, schools will spend their allocation to implement the plan they have devised.
3. Special Projects -- This phase will occur after buildings complete at least one year of implementation. Funding will be available through a competitive process.

It is important to realize that these phases may not necessarily align with the beginning and ending of school year calendars.

The goal of the strategic planning process and grant allocations for year one is to develop the capacity of each school in the district to redesign itself as a continuous improvement model, defined by the Seven Attributes of a High Achievement School. In practical terms this means three things:

1. Design a support mechanism for continual improvement in teaching and learning for all students.
2. Develop a consensus concerning the factors that are limiting achievement for students as well as the practices in your building that are making a difference or could make a difference.
3. Devise a plan that will result in higher achievement for all students.

Schools should avoid the temptation to create an action plan before studying both data and research-based solutions. If you start with a preconceived solution, you will not be open to new possibilities. Instead, schools should:

• Identify a baseline of data that will be useful as a gauge for determining continuous improvement over the next five years.
• Consider carefully the factors that impede student learning.
• Explore a number of possible solutions that can be supported by research or evidence.

The degree of strategic plan implementation and development vary across the district. In recognition of these differences, three timelines are described that outline the steps and activities that site/planning teams follow in meeting the requirements of the strategic planning process. Buildings will use the timeline as a guide for completing the needs assessment, school profile, and strategic plan. A more aggressive timeline is provided for Phase Two schools that are already implementing coaching models.

Each site administrator, in collaboration with the assigned supervisor, will determine the timeline that best matches the current status of the site strategic plan. There are checkpoints (ü ) throughout the process to indicate when site administrators should check with their supervisors on the progress and proposed content. Throughout the process, a variety of support will be available including:

• Assistance for planning, facilitation, and development of the strategic plan by the Grant Coordinator and consultants.
• Resources for guiding site’s strategic planning processes.
• A list of questions to guide analysis based on the Seven Attributes.
• Research articles, Best Practices for Instruction and Assessment models, and a list of possible sites to visit.

Each site will receive a planning allocation and a stipend for lead teachers and site evaluators to assist with planning activities. The allocation is to be used to allow the planning team to complete the needs assessment and to develop the strategic plan outcomes, target objectives, and strategies. In addition, the allocation can be used to pay for a smaller group to wordsmith the work of the planning teams and to produce the documents.

1. Funds will be used to fund a job-embedded process of professional development by supporting the training and ability for lead teachers to work along side staff members.
2. Funding will only be used to support activities identified in the building’s strategic plan for improvement.
3. Building allocations will not be used for equipment.
4. Other building funds can be blended and used to support activities during the implementation phase.
5. Funding can only be used to support activities that directly lead to District Strategic Plan Goals and Gates Grant Outcomes.

Each site will receive an allocation based upon student enrollment. The formula will be $170.00 per FTE based on the October 2001 enrollment count. The formula will be distributed during years two-five of the grant period. (For example, School A's FTE on 10/1/01 = 500. 500 x $170.00 = $85,000.00. $85,000.00 will be distributed over the grant period to School A.) To receive the allocation, the strategic plan must be reviewed and approved by the District Advisory Committee and The Gates Grant Steering Committee. The process for approval is outlined in Section V--Process for Examining the Grant Applications.

Sites will submit a one-page budget outline and timeline on how the grant funding and other resources will be used to meet their identified goals and strategies. Buildings should consider blending other resources of both money and time in this effort. The budget outline should include use of state allocations, building budget, early release days, Learning Improvement Days, and building based in-service days. PPI funds may also be included as a resource if staff has made some group decisions regarding the use of these monies.

Grant money will also be available to support special needs or projects identified by a site or level. These additional funds will be awarded through a competitive process. Each site or level will need to submit a separate one-page application that outlines the project, the budget, and how the project will enhance goal attainment. Further information will be provided about the process. Additional grant money will also be allocated based on needs of a particular site. The needs between buildings, as well as the needs within buildings, will vary over the period of the grant as each site works to respond to its own unique set of conditions and activities. The Advisory Committee will work with sites to determine additional allocations that will assist them in reaching their strategic plan goals.

Funds will also support the schools' efforts related to grant outcomes for technology and the use of data. The District will assist sites in determining their ability to provide student access to computers and to deliver appropriate staff training prior to deployment of the equipment. Funding will be allocated to bring each building up to the level of a 4:1 ratio of students to computers. In addition, this funding will support each building’s efforts in two areas: 1) to improve parent communication using technology; and 2) to use data in assessing student progress and planning for instruction and program improvement in an ongoing manner.

Schools will want to engage in a wide variety of research and study activities in order to achieve the desired consensus for reinventing school. No two schools will undertake the planning and study task in the same manner. These are the types of activities schools have been asked to identify in their 2000-2001 Student Learning/School Improvement Plan.

In the planning phase, schools are encouraged to:

1. Understand what the Seven Attributes look like in a real school setting. Methods for accomplishing this might include:

• Bringing in speakers.
• Reading and discussing books and research that focus upon a particular attribute.
• Setting up a videoconference with another school regarding one of the attributes.
• Examining the Seven Attributes survey instrument in great detail.
• Doing the activity "Describing What the Seven Attributes Would Look Like in My School."

• Traveling to other schools.
• Planning grant or other funding can be used to support these activities, including compensation for staff to accomplish this work outside regular school hours.

2. Understand the evaluation design and the additional work that will be required of the Site Evaluator. (Please see Evaluation--Site Evaluator Job Description.) The grant provides funding for a small stipend to cover the additional workload.

3. Identify the factors that inhibit high achievement for all students. Methods for accomplishing this might include:

• Focus team meetings in which your school's achievement data is examined for trends.
• Team meetings and study groups that gather and analyze data concerning attendance data and discipline data.
• Analyze school climate questionnaires to find out how students perceive the school’s environment.
• Look at the results of other schools who have undertaken a similar analysis.
• Look at the attributes of Personalized Learning and Respect and Responsibility so that all aspects of a child’s school experience are considered.
• Interview a cross section of students who have gone on to middle school/high school/post high school/college. What do they believe would have better prepared them?
• Work with a consultant to help the staff conduct a system-wide analysis.
• Organize reading and study groups to learn about topics such as coaching, reading instruction practices, or assessment theories supported by research.
• Meet with staff from the elementary/middle/high schools from which your students feed.
• Communicate with staff who work in schools that have been identified as "high achieving."

4. Investigate new models for teaching and learning, including new organizational structures. Methods for accomplishing this might include bringing in consultants to conduct workshops, videoconferencing with other schools, participating in on-line staff development activities, reading and study groups. (The Essential Schools Model, Comprehensive School Reform Models – NWREL)

5. Learn more about the Gates Teacher Leadership Project (TLP) by arranging for presentations from District TLP teachers. Increase staff capacity to implement District programs and curriculum (Core Understandings and Common Practices for Literacy) by increasing on-site, job-embedded staff development support mechanisms. Meet with several nearby schools to explore the possibility of jointly funding a technical support position. The following activities might occur either as part of the planning phase or as part of the implementation phase:

• Professional development to learn new instructional approaches. Grant funding can provide stipends for conducting or attending such training.
• Professional development to learn new technology skills.

In addition to activities that may be identified by your building’s Strategic Plan, there are a few requirements for schools receiving planning grant funding. To the extent that these activities require financial support, they are to be supported by each school’s planning grant allocation. All schools must:

1. Create a Distributed Leadership Team/Planning Team to guide the school’s study and planning. This team will consist of:

• Staff representing various organizational units within the building,
• Parent and/or community members who communicate regularly with those stakeholders may be included,
• Administrative staff,
• Student representation is also a possibility.

2. Solicit community and staff participation that is widespread. The Distributed Leadership Team/Planning Team guides the planning and study, and all stakeholders participate in the various study and planning activities described in the Strategic Plan and in this application.
3. Read and understand:

• Strategic Planning Process Handbook,
• Gates Foundation evaluation requirements. (See Evaluation Process for Strategic Planning and Implementation Document.)

4. Participate in all District initiatives.
5. Complete all District and Foundation evaluation activities. (See Evaluation Process for Strategic Planning and Implementation Document and next items.)
6. Complete a series of focus questions/data analysis activities that will contribute to a data-supported picture of the school in terms of the Seven Attributes. Directions are included in Section II--Conducting a Needs Assessment and Section III--Developing a School Profile.
7. Use the Strategic Planning Process template to describe the major ways that technology is currently deployed in your building to support teaching and learning.
8. Have all classified and certificated instructional staff complete an instructional technology skill audit using the Mankato.
9. Participate in appropriate technical assistance (or other) workshops designed to further the goals of the District Grant. (One such workshop will be offered in January to assist buildings with the Analysis Process and Development of a School Profile. Workshops will continue to be offered to assist with Strategic Plan writing)