August 27 , 2018 EDCAL 3 |
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A few weeks ago , your ACSA Board members formally adopted our new Strategic Plan . This plan is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work led by a Core Planning Group with the input and guidance of individual members , region leadership , committees and councils , Leadership Assembly , ACSA staff , and the ACSA Board of Directors . The process was facilitated by ACSA ’ s Chief Operating Officer Scarlett Vanyi and consultant Jim Delizia .
Pete Drucker stated , “ People in any organization are always attached to the obsolete – the things that should have worked but did not , the things that once were
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productive and no longer are .”
ACSA is no exception . It is always a great idea to take a moment for reflection , and examine if our current practices are the most effective and efficient methods , or if we could be doing things in a different way . Socrates once said the secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old , but on building the new .
When I reflect on the tremendous evolution ACSA has experienced over the past five years after implementing our previous strategic plan , the shifts that have taken place are remarkable .
As the Core Planning Group engaged members in the process , some recurring themes emerged with regard to the evolution of our organization moving forward . Those themes included :
• Personalized , accessible learning , development and engagement opportunities .
• Connectedness and collaboration ( between individuals and organizations ).
• Proactive leadership ( shaping vs . reacting ).
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• Local impact and the value of ACSA .
• Shared responsibility .
Each of these serve to not only guide the future of our organization , but the impact we hope to have collectively for our students who remain at the center of our work . This is evident in our new Mission Statement :
The Association of California School Administrators is the driving force for an equitable , world-class education system , and the development and support of inspired educational leaders who meet the diverse needs of all California students .
As we operationalize and implement our new strategic plan , the work cannot be realized without each of you . Pete Drucker also stated , “ Strategy is a commodity , execution is an art .”
Several objectives have been identified that will help lay the foundation for the objectives to follow in a natural sequence of events . This process has been made with the input of the Core Planning Group , Leadership Assembly , ACSA staff , and our Board of Directors . ACSA is working
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diligently to develop an action plan , sequencing action steps and determining metrics to measure progress .
Communication of information to members will be critical to a successful implementation . As the first action steps are identified and operationalized , our state Board of Directors and region leaders will play a vital role in communicating this information to our regions , committees and councils to clarify direction , set goals for the year that are in alignment with the plan , share progress and to bring forward issues and challenges that may require Board attention . ACSA is also developing a dashboard to communicate progress toward the goals and corresponding objectives .
ACSA ’ s Strategic Plan is available on our website . In fact , if you haven ’ t visited www . acsa . org lately you will find a whole new look and a tremendous amount of resources . I encourage you to visit the website to see where ACSA is heading in the next five years .
– Holly Edds ACSA President |
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planning process . The group conducted research , facilitated dialogue and drafted foundational language for the plan . They utilized input from regions , as well as committees and councils , in developing a draft Strategic Framework ( mission , values and impact statements and long-term goals ).
Regions were engaged multiple times to facilitate discussion and provide feedback . They utilized tools such as discussion guides and handout forms to provide feedback . In addition , all ACSA members were invited to provide input through an online survey and an interactive forum . A dialogue and work was also done with the ACSA Leadership Assembly . During this entire process , member input and region involvement has been essential to crafting a successful plan .
Tom Teagle , executive director of ACSA Region 18 , said the collaborative process was outstanding .
“ I have been a member of ACSA for 37 years and have been involved with a number of strategic planning processes during that time span ,” Teagle said . “ When you involve an organization as large as ours in a strategic planning process , it is impossible to meet
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everyone ’ s needs and expectations . However , I believe that our ACSA Plan Facilitators Jim Delizia and Chief Operating Officer Scarlett Vanyi did an outstanding job of executing the process , with the desired end result of developing a plan that reflects the input of the majority of stakeholders involved . Hats off to them and everyone else involved in the development of our 2018 Strategic Plan !”
Gonzales noted this collaboration was a key component to the planning process .
“ Throughout this process we kept reaching out to members for input , via our regions , our committees and councils and our Leadership Assembly , as we want this plan to be member-driven ,” Gonzales said . “ It ’ s been a long , thoughtful process , and I think in the end , we have a plan that reflects what our members want ACSA to be .”
First-year focus
Overall , the plan identified 37 milestones to accomplish over the next three years . ACSA will focus on the following nine milestones in Year 1 .
Membership Development and
Support
• Leadership development : A strategy is developed to identify and support personal and professional leadership development
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in a career pathway – from credentialing through retirement .
• Professional development – delivery and reinforcement : ACSA members will have access to a wide range of delivery formats to learn in the manner and pace preferred .
• Member networking and collaboration : Multiple platforms exist to facilitate networking and collaboration among members .
Advocacy and Influence
• ACSA in a leadership role : ACSA is leading a collaborative effort to increase school funding in California .
• Grassroots advocacy and influence : Each region and charter understands the importance of and is fully engaged in local advocacy efforts .
Organizational Development and
Sustainability
• Organizational alignment and accountability : A process is in place to identify on a regular basis shared state , region and charter goals , complementary roles in achieving them , and a system for reporting and accountability .
Clear roles , expectations , operating guidelines and suggested practices are in place for regions and charters .
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Committees and councils are supporting implementation of priorities in the Strategic Plan within their areas of expertise .
• Member outreach and engagement : Recommended approaches for engaging new , existing and retired members are developed and updated regularly with input from regions .
ACSA will be working with member stakeholders preceding and during the upcoming Leadership Assembly in Los Angeles Oct . 11-12 .
“ One of the things that will drive the success of this strategic plan is the unwavering commitment by ACSA leadership and staff to make this a plan for the entire organization ,” Delizia said . “ The outreach to every facet of the membership and the opportunity at each step of the process for regions , committees and councils to provide feedback has generated a set of shared goals and priorities and a strong commitment to work together to achieve them . This is truly a plan by members , for members .”
ACSA ’ s new Strategic Plan will guide the association into the future , poised to best serve all ACSA members . The plan will allow the association to remain vital and relevant .
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