Focusing on Strengths
Source/Author: Mike Murphy, Headmaster
February 11, 2016
On Friday, February 12, the Shorecrest faculty and staff will be working on curriculum and operational development. One of our tasks will be to identify the areas we want to improve or develop in the coming years. We will be using feedback we received this fall from parents, trustees, students, and from faculty and staff as an important source of information to guide our decisions.
There is a theory in human development that is supported by the application of regression analysis that states that attitudes and performance improve when a school or organization works to strengthen its area of strengths. Jim Collins, in his highly acclaimed book “Good to Great,” noted that successful organizations know their strengths and focus on them. (Those who have read the book may recall the Hedgehog Concept.)
Over 90% of the Shorecrest parents who responded to the survey identified the following five areas as strengths related to attitudes that should be the continued priorities for the good of our students:
- Values and Character Development
- Support for Academic Achievement
- Positive School Spirit
- Caring Environment
- Equal Opportunity
Parents then identified the following areas of performance to be the most important strengths of the school:
- Academic Departments
- Academic Program
- Academic Services
- Student Development
- Community Service
While school improvement plans often focus just on weaknesses and areas of concern, our faculty and staff will be reminded that the ten areas noted by our parents are factors that separate Shorecrest from other schools in the community and warrant our continued focus.
Parents and other community members noted continued interest in our development of diversity efforts and the expansion of global education experiences.
We believe in continuous improvement. We will examine our strengths and the areas parents and professionals want us to develop. As we develop our plans for the accreditation teams that will visit in a year, we will be sharing with our community the exciting developments that will provide our students with the skills, ability and motivation to thrive in school and their other areas of interest now and into the future.
Cheers!
Mike
