2016-2017 Communications Plan
Transcription
2016-2017 Communications Plan
2016-2017 Communications Plan engage v enrich v empower 2016-2017 Communications Plan Rocky View Schools “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 From Compliance to Alliance Rocky View Schools' (RVS) journey towards becoming a 21st C learning organization took root in the 2008 - 2009 school year. After collectively touring RVS’ 37 school sites, RVS' Board of Trustees and Superintendent concluded that the jurisdiction lacked a cohesive vision and road map forward. The jurisdiction's 2007-2010 Three Year Plan mirrored the province’s three goals and appeared to be more of a compliance exercise. Subsequently, schools were not adhering to school education plans, nor were they attentive to their annual results reports. As a result, RVS was operating as a community of schools, rather than a learning community. On April 2, 2007, a comprehensive and collaborative planning process to develop a “made-inRocky View” 2008 - 2011 Three Year Plan was approved by the Board of Trustees. The process saw 200 stakeholders meet for four full days over a 16-month period. In response to the research questions “What would a quality education for every student look like by the year 2011?” and “Based on RVS’ current results, what would we need to do to ensure we arrived there?”, students, parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, and business leaders replied: 1. Schools need to engage students by making what and how they learn relevant to their world. 2. Students need to be taught how to think critically and become self-directed learners. 3. Students need to learn how to understand, connect, and contribute to a global community. The collaborative process concluded in May of 2008, with a 2008 – 2011 Three Year Plan that featured a new mission, vision, and motto, six goals, 21 outcomes, and 79 strategies. Its theme, “Engaging 21st Century Learners”, solidified a shared vision, whereby all members of RVS’ school communities were considered “learners”. Based on the seven essential conditions for 21st C learning, as outlined by the Metiri Group's Dimensions 21 Framework, the plan featured six goals: 1. Learners have their basic and diverse needs met. 2. Learners are competent, qualified, and dedicated. 3. Learners are civic, social, and environmental stewards. 4. Learning opportunities are distinct, continuous, and systematic. 5. Instruction challenges and engages the learner. 6. Learners work in 21st Century learning environments. 1.2 Championing System Thinking To champion a mental model of “system thinking”, School Education Plans (SEP) and School Annual Results Reports (SARR) were aligned to RVS’ new goals, outcomes, and performance measures. This practice continues today through the annual release of RVS' SEP Manual and SARR Manual. In the spirit of continued collaboration, school administrators meet bi-annually with the Associate Superintendent of Schools, Area Directors and other district administrators to review these documents and to discuss their school’s progress, the challenges encountered, the mitigating strategies undertaken, and any divisional assistance required. To build greater capacity in the use of data to improve performance, school-based administrators also are given the opportunity to attend locally-developed professional learning sessions, aimed at providing "Value-Added Approaches to Using Research & Data”. Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 1 1.3 Creating a Cadence of Accountability To strengthen the integrity and effectiveness of RVS’ Education Plans, a local Accountability Framework was developed, which outlined a series of Board reports and consultative activities that helped to demonstrate the jurisdiction’s progress towards achieving its progressive outcomes. The practice has since been refined to outline the delivery of bi-annual accountability reports that roll up to frame the Board’s annual November submission of its Annual Education Results Report. It continues to demand that action plans be developed for each strategy listed in the plan. To measure its success quantitatively, RVS also has implemented annual online satisfaction surveys for students in Gr. 4 – 12, all staff, and parents. Efforts in this area led to the development of RVS’ Accountability Pillar - one that supplements Alberta Education’s APORI pillar. 1.4 Advancing 21st C Learning and Teaching RVS’ second “made in Rocky View Schools” Three Year Education Plan, entitled “Building the Power to Enrich” was reaffirmed in 2011, following a second extensive community consultation plan. The number of goals, outcomes, and performance measures were refined to reflect the work completed, however, the direction and intent remained the same. To deepen stakeholder’s understanding of RVS’ 21st C approach, a matrix outlining RVS’ Second Order Change was developed. As shown in Figure 1, it outlines: Figure 1 - Second Order Change Less • Teacher-directed • Passive, absorbers • Extrinsically motivated • • • • • • Teacher-centered Students learn answers Educator responsibility & accountability Memorizing facts Basic literacy Sequential & controlled environment • • • • Teacher as dispenser of knowledge Teacher as evaluator and judge Student fits the class Students follow a prescribed learning path • • • • Success for some 19th C industrial model Acquiring information Pre/K-12/Post-Secondary • • • • • • Packaged into subjects System-focused Content-focused Prescriptive, sequential Print-based Focused on summative assessment More Learners • Self-directed • Active, creators • Intrinsically motivated Learning • Student-centered • Students grapple with real-world questions • Shared community responsibility & accountability • Developing thinking skills through inquiry & discovery • Multiple literacies • Anytime, any place, any path, any pace Instruction • Teacher as architect of learning, guide & facilitator • Teachers, students, and parents as assessors • Class fits the student • Students define a responsive learning path Schools • Success for all • 21st C ‘engage, enrich, empower’ model • Creating knowledge • Inclusive, equitable access & seamless transition Curriculum & Assessment • Shaped around interdisciplinary learning opportunities • Student-focused • Competency-focused • Flexible, synchronous • Digitally-based • Balanced between formative & summative assessment Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 2 Less • Coding and referrals • Silos of service • Teaching tool • Communication tool • Supports innovative practice • Outside the classroom • A popular choice • • • • • Top down, rule-based Leadership by some Closed decision-making Fiduciary Accountable to bureaucracy More Learning Support Services • Continuum of support • Integrated cross-ministerial supports Technology • Knowledge tool • Discovery pathway Research • Drives innovation & evidenced-based decisions Professional Learning • Embedded inside the culture Teaching Profession • The profession of choice Leadership & Governance • Consensual principle-based • Leadership of many • Collaborative decision-making • Generative, strategic, and fiduciary • Accountable for learning excellence 1.5 A Period of Consolidation In January 2014, a new Superintendent established three new priorities for the jurisdiction: consolidate its current initiatives, focus on bringing them to successful implementations, and ensure that the agenda is sustainable going forward. Through an extensive engagement process that ran from October 7 to November 26, 2014, a new Four Year Education Plan entitled “Empower the Potential emerged, featuring three new goals: learners are successful, learners are engaged, and learners are supported. Outcomes and strategies accompanying the goals focus on balancing literacy/numeracy with 21st C skills, advancing the full implementation of RVS’ Communication of Student Learning initiative and inquiry-based instructional practices, and enhancing services for students with special needs. To advance the successful implementation of these initiatives, a new Area Directors structure was introduced to monitor and evaluate the progress of schools in aligning to the new priorities and goals. During the 2015/16 budget consultation process, approximately $11 million also was reallocated to schools to enhance direct classroom instruction and school-based services. A corresponding impact saw the Communications Department reduced by 1 FTE, resulting in the department’s reduction from 5 FTE to 3 FTE over a two-year period. Communication tactics outlined in this plan, continue to reflect this reduction. 2. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Nine years into Rocky View Schools’ pursuit to become a 21st Century organization, the jurisdiction continues to face communication issues surrounding the public’s understanding and acceptance of 21st Century teaching and learning practices. Amplifying this concern is the popular belief that the foundational skill development of literacy and numeracy are being neglected under this learning framework. Stakeholder expectations that information and teachers be immediately available and/or accessible to address their individual concerns, too, is taxing the capabilities and resources of the system. Effective messaging, communication protocols, and ongoing information related to RVS Four Year Plan, Emergency Response and Communicating with Parents are required to address these issues. The introduction of an integrated web portal also is required to increase the performance of RVS digital tools, increasing the accessibility, and disseminate of information system-wide. Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 3 3. COMMUNICATION PLAN 3.1 Communication Goals Rocky View Schools’ Communications Department exists to: 1. Engage stakeholders in RVS learning environments by disseminating continuous and comprehensive information specific to the jurisdiction’s learning goals and outcomes. 2. Enrich RVS’ credibility by employing communication tactics that are responsive, transparent, and aligned to the jurisdiction’s strategic directions. 3. Empower stakeholders to play a greater role in RVS’ culture by creating opportunities for collaboration and ongoing dialogue. 3.2 Communication Objectives Internal 1. To obtain 90 percent agreement that RVS is a good place to work. 2. To establish communication strategies and tactics to support the implementation of RVS’ 20152019 Four Year Plan. 3. To obtain 90 percent satisfaction among internal stakeholders that RVS has a student-centred focus. External 1. To obtain 90 percent agreement that parents feel informed and can participate in RVS’ decision-making process. 2. To obtain 90 percent agreement among parents that schools build positive relationships with parents and partnerships with the community. 3. To obtain 90 percent satisfaction among parents that the needs of learners drive decisionmaking. 3.2 Target Audiences Rocky View Schools has relationships with many different stakeholder groups, which are referred to as target audiences. For the purposes of this plan audience’s have been segmented into three categories: “primary” - those individuals who influence RVS’ culture; “secondary” - those stakeholders who have a vested interest in RVS; and, “tertiary” - those stakeholders who are observers. Primary: Students (K – 3) Students (4 – 12) School Councils Secondary: Parents/Guardians Professional Affiliations Service Providers Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Tertiary: Non-parent Taxpayers Outside School Boards Federal/Provincial/Municipal Government Page 4 Primary: Support Staff School Administrators Teachers System Administrators Board of Trustees Alberta Education Secondary: Community/Municipal Partners Business Community (small businesses, networking clubs, and service clubs) Traditional Media Social Media Outlets Special Interest Groups Contractors Tertiary: 3.3 Key Messages 3.3.1 Foundational • Mission - To engage all learners through meaningful and challenging experiences, preparing them to understand, adapt, and successfully contribute to our changing global community. • Vision - To inspire a love of learning and community, engaging learners for life. 3.3.2 Internal • Participation and Engagement – Staff participation, engagement, and support are critical to ensure RVS effectively demonstrates and communicates its vision of a 21st C learning organization. • Learning Organization – RVS is a learning organization, which balances literacy, numeracy and 21st C skills. • Learner Centered – For learners to reach their full potential, students must be the centre of all decisions related to learning and teaching. • Shared Responsibility – We are all learners; we commit to shared responsibility and accountability for results achieved. 3.3.3 External • 21st C Learning – Learning needs to be relevant and respond to the diverse interests, needs, and talents of today’s learner. • Access to Learning – Every learner should have fair and reasonable access to educational opportunities regardless of ability, circumstance, location, or cultural background. • Effective Teachers – Teachers are the primary contributors to student success – teachers must be innovative, passionate, and positive about learning and supported by the system to achieve and foster excellence. Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 5 • Strategic Partnerships - Key to RVS success is the concerted efforts of its stakeholders in helping to make the jurisdiction’s vision come alive. 3.4 Strategies 3.4.1 Internal Strategies 1. To align the jurisdiction, its Education Centre departments, and schools to the strategic aims of its Four Year Plans and the accountability requirements of the Ministry of Education. 2. To disseminate continuous and comprehensive information on the jurisdiction’s strategic direction and performance through a wide variety of communication tactics. 3. To develop, promote, and monitor communication standards for all print and digital communication tactics. 4. To work extensively with internal stakeholders to provide high-level communication support for initiatives and operations related to the implementation of the Four Year Plan. 3.4.2 External Strategies 1. To effectively manage Rocky View Schools reputation through a host of media, community, and government relations tactics, and issues management, crisis communication, and emergency response protocols. 2. To disseminate comprehensive information on the jurisdiction’s educational opportunities, accomplishments, challenges, and areas of priority. 3. To determine public attitudes regarding the jurisdiction, providing recommendations on the impact of Board decisions and/or jurisdictional initiatives. 4. To build strong relationships with professional associations, the media, and first responders, serving as the key spokesperson for the jurisdiction on a variety of issues. 3.5.1 Organizational Development Tactics Tactic Superintendent Entry Plan School Annual Results Report Manual Four Year Plan Description Develop a 90-day entry plan for new Superintendent of Schools. Produce a reporting manual that outlines reporting requirements for School Annual Education Results Reports Produce a Four Year Rolling Plan in accordance to Ministry’s “Policy and Requirements for School Board Planning and Results Reporting – Assurance Model” Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Due Date August MRPs Director August Director (Digital) (Abbreviated) September Director Page 6 Four Year Plan Consultation (tentative) Web Portal Development Accountability Meetings Annual Education Results Report Budget Consultation School Education Plan Manual Board Directives Satisfaction Survey Knowledge Centre Forms Review Executive & Director Meetings Incamera/ Planning Meetings Advocacy Meetings Design, present, and implement an engagement strategy for the annual review of RVS’ Four Year Plan Lead web portal committee in the development of a new webportal* Meet with Four Year Plan MRPs to review progress of designated action plans Roll-up accountability reports into AERR in accordance to Ministry’s “Policy and Requirements for School Board Planning and Results Reporting – Assurance Model” Assist Finance Dept. in implementation of annual budget development process, press release, presentation Produce a reporting manual that aligns School Education Plans to Four Year Plan Write, edit, revise Board directives as requested Administer annual RVS satisfaction survey with parents, students, and staff Assist project leads of document management initiative build an online knowledge centre Serve as Project Lead for Business Forms Review and online programming Attend Executive and Director Meetings as slated, preparing Director Reports on branch activities Attend meetings, provide communication counsel Attend Advocacy Meetings, assisting in identification of Board advocacy positions October – January Director September to June October December December Director Superintendent Director/MRPs Director January – April Director March Director Ongoing Director May Director Ongoing Director Ongoing Digital Content Administrator Director Weekly/ Monthly Bi-weekly (Aug. – June) As called Director Director MRP= Most Responsible Person *3.5.1.1Webportal Development Tactic Anonymous Public Sites Description Design, populate, train and rollout of 50 (Board and School) public websites. End Date January 2018 MRPs Communications Staff Intranet Sites Lead design, population, training and rollout of 50 (Board and School intranet sites) Lead design, population, training and rollout of teacher and student sites Lead design, population, training and rollout of Parent Portal Co-lead the design, population, training and rollout of Ecommerce Module January 2018 Webportal Team January 2018 January 2018 January 2018 Webportal Team Webportal Team Director/ Finance Dept. Teacher/Student Sites Parent Portal Ecommerce Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 7 Business Forms Lead the design, population, training and rollout of Business Forms Module January 2018 Professional Learning Co-Lead the design, population, training and rollout of Professional Learning Module Work with Intellimedia to build connectors from ODL database to SRB, PowerSchool, Edulog, Office 365, Infosnap Develop online training materials on the use of Webportal Write procedures related to the function, use and operation of Webportal Run EC Office 365 CofP to build skill levels of key branch staff Develop sharepoint skills of Webportal Team and key branch staff January 2018 ODL Database Training Materials Procedural Development EC Office 365 Training Sharepoint Training May 2017 Director/ Digital Content Manager Director/ Learning Specialist Director/Manager Sharepoint May 2017 / ongoing May 2017 Contractor/ Digital Content Contractor Ongoing Webportal Team Director Ongoing 3.5.2 Internal Tactics Tactic E-newsletters – Admin Plone Websites (Intranet Folders) Crisis Response School Council Resource Guide School Logos Graphic Design Projects 21st Century Board Awards Rocky the Raccoon Campaign Staff Memorandums Description Research, write, publish, and distribute a biweekly e-newsletter for school-based administrators Serve as web master for current internal website folders, updating for new school year; managing content over course of year Assume role of Information Officer under ICS, as well as manage Crisis Phone 24/7, 365 days Produce and distribute School Council Resource Guide Continue to redesign school logos for new webportal – 6 completed in spring 2016 – 18 to go Design, print, distribute graphic design projects, from school viewlets and website banners, to infograms, and brochures Refresh Board’s 21st C Board Award Program Design, publish, distribute, maintain inventory of colouring books (Eng./FR), zipper pulls Draft/Edit memorandums as requested by Superintendent & Associate Superintendent Business and Operations Due Date 2st and 4rd Monday Sept. – June August/ Ongoing MRPs Director Ongoing Director/ Digital Content Administrator Director August Officer Ongoing Officer Ongoing Officer November Officer August Officer Ongoing Director MRP= Most Responsible Person Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 8 3.5.3 External Tactics Tactic E-newsletters – Replay RVS App Description Research, write, publish, and distribute weekly community e-newsletter Push Information/Promote RVS APP Due Date Tuesdays Sept. - June Ongoing Advanced Registration Campaign Opening Day Campaign Design and write content for Ontrack (registration issue); design advertisements and posters; oversee distribution Design and write content for Ontrack (opening day issue); design advertisements and posters; oversee distribution Manage Board contests, i.e. Christmas Card Serve as web-master for RVS & Trustee Website Design, monitor, train, and audit School Websites (annually) Manage all social media tactics, specific to Facebook pages, Twitter Commit to publishing two blogs a week on topics that align with Four Year Plan, beginning September 1. Attend Board Meetings and manage subsequent media requests Schedule groups to attend Board meetings; liaise with groups; create plaques; distribute swag; write content for Board package Support other Departments roll out of public campaigns, i.e., Ward Boundary Review December Board Contests Public Websites School Websites Social Media Blog Site Board Meetings Board Showcases Community Consultation Campaigns Brochures Produce promotional brochures on RVS, Kindergarten, Pre-School, French Immersion, Christian, Food for Thought Displays Design various static and portable displays Fingertips (School Produce pocket size school calendar for Calendars) distribution to all families and staff Media Interview Serve as Board spokesperson and manage media enquiries Media Write and release media releases and Releases/Advisory advisory; host media scrums, press conferences Soundbites Produce a monthly digest of school activity PSAs for distribution to the local press MRP Officer Digital Content Administrator Director/ Officer July Director/ Officer Ongoing Ongoing Officer Director/ Officer Digital Content Administrator Digital Content Administrator Digital Content Administrator Ongoing Ongoing Ongoing Bi-weekly (Aug - June) Bi-weekly (Aug - June) Director Director/ Officer January Director/ Officer August Director/ Officer As required August Officer Officer Ongoing Director Ongoing Director Monthly Officer MRP= Most Responsible Person 4. OPERATING BUDGET $564,036 Rocky View Schools Communications Plan Page 9