A Critical Review of ‘the Fall and Rise of Strategic Planning’ by Henry Mintzberg.

NEWSLETTER

www.centerforcsri.org

March 2006

When the PLAN Becomes Part of the PROBLEM

C

ONVENTIONAL WISDOM SAYS that a person

can never plan enough or be too prepared.

Conventional wisdom is often correct. Many successful schools—those that ensure that all students achieve at high levels—follow a detailed and comprehensive school improvement plan like a blueprint. But if this is so, why is it that many other schools that produce equally detailed and comprehensive plans do not achieve these same results? In trying to deal with the complexities of school improvement, schools sometimes find that school plans at best don’t help and, at worst, actually become a part of their problem. This month’s newsletter explores four mistakes common to the school planning process and improvement plans and offers solutions to correct them.

An improvement planning team with the wrong members (and usually too many of them).

MISTAKE #1: When deciding on the composition of a school improvement planning team, many district leaders and principals err on the side of too much inclusion. They invite everyone and anyone with decision-making authority or with a connection to key stakeholder groups to participate. Their motive is good: If all groups are represented and have the opportunity to shape the improvement plan, everyone will support the plan when it’s time to implement it. But including everyone and anyone is a mistake.

Strategically select a school improvement planning team.

SOLUTION: Building a quality team is an important first step in drafting a quality school improvement plan. Filibert (2003) asserts that “careful

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consideration is needed to determine who should be a part of the team and who is willing to look at the present and project into the future.” Leaders need to carefully consider the characteristics of an effective school improvement...