Central Okanagan Public Schools 2021-2026 Strategic Plan
Vision
Together We Learn
Purpose
To educate students in a safe, inclusive, equitable, and inspirational learning environment where each learner develops the attributes and competencies to flourish in a global community.
Overarching Goal
Our learners will develop foundational skills and core curricular competencies so that they can be empowered to follow their passions and strengths and thrive holistically as resilient and engaged global citizens.
Equity and Excellence in Learning
We believe equity empowers each learner to thrive holistically. We also believe that each learner achieves excellence in learning when they have the confidence and competencies to pursue their passions and strengths. We will achieve this through:
Inclusive Learning Cultures
- Value the unique identities and diverse contributions of each learner.
- Build supportive, culturally relevant learning environments that create belonging, well-being, inclusivity, safety, and community.
- Engage family and community as integral partners in the creation of meaningful, purposeful, and relational learning.
Intentional Design of Learning
- Reflect the belief that each learner is capable, competent, and full of curiosity.
- Empower each learner and co-create experiences from their questions, passions, and interests.
- Design learning experiences grounded in powerful learning principles (e.g., First Peoples Principles of Learning, OECD Principles of Learning, Equity in Action for Truth and Reconciliation) to foster the holistic development of each learner's competencies.
Collaborative Professionalism
- Implement effective job-embedded professional learning opportunities.
- Utilize inquiry approaches to build cultures of reflective and culturally responsive practices.
- Cultivate networks that foster shared understandings in order to grow our collective efficacy and adaptive expertise.
Transformative Leadership
We believe in an ever-changing world, transformative leadership is a powerful catalyst for continuous improvement and growth that positively impacts our system, each school community, and ultimately each learner. We will achieve this through:
Coherence around powerful transformative leadership
- Create shared understanding around powerful teaching and learning so that innovative and sustainable learning environments can continue to be built.
- Use evidence and research to guide decisions, routines and practices that support all learners.
- Embed Indigenous ways of learning and knowing.
Leaders' agency as learners
- Connect leaders to reflective professional learning that responds to the needs of their community.
- Use inquiry to support continuous professional learning that responds to the needs of all leaders and learners.
- Understand how our values and beliefs impact our mindsets, routines and practices as leaders.
Collaborative leadership networks
- Connect leaders within an inclusive culture of trust, inquiry, innovation, and exploration.
- Share new learning from research and practice to deepen collective understanding and knowledge.
- Establish systems to set goals, examine progress, and analyze learning targets for continuous improvement and growth.
Family and Community Engagement
We honour the knowledge and experience that families and the community bring to our schools. By partnering together to improve student learning, opportunities for deep and meaningful engagement will emerge that supports, enriches, and nurtures each child in our care from cradle to career. We will achieve this through:
Authentic and generative family and community engagement
- Focus on student learning and school improvement through relational trust.
- Engage families early and often as partners alongside the school, strengthening the school and family's capacity to support their child's education and growth at any age.
- Ensure opportunities to guide and provide mutual input on important decisions and planning.
Value added community partnerships
- Nurture culturally responsive, reciprocal relationships over time, benefitting each child, each school, and the greater community.
- Co-create opportunities to enrich student learning out in the community and alongside educators in schools.
- Build collective efficacy with organizations to enhance student supports and wraparound services.
Assurance in Public Education
- Develop a welcoming culture built on relationships, mutual trust, openness, and transparency.
- Effectively communicate with families and partners.
System Wellbeing
We believe in sustainable practices that provide support to each learner today without compromising or reducing the ability to support each of our learners in the future. Moving forward, in a culture of growth, innovation, engagement and wellness, ensures that we can adapt to changing environments while continuously supporting each of our learners. We will achieve this through:
Innovative and sustainable operating practices
- Utilize environmentally sustainable practices.
- Empower a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
- Support equitable access to sustainable, inspirational learning opportunities. A culture of staff wellness and engagement
- Ensure a culture of health and safety.
- Implement wellness initiatives for all staff.
- Increase staff engagement by empowering employees and fostering supportive relationships.
Effective use of District resources
- Allocate resources, equitably, to ensure the greatest impact to student learning.
- Achieve optimal value from District resources.
- Advocate for predictable, sustainable, and sufficient funding.
Glossary
Adaptive Expertise
Constantly seeking new learning and understanding, actively exploring alternative solutions, thinking evaluatively and checking impact, and welcoming different perspectives.
Co-creation
A form of collaborative innovation: ideas are shared, developed and improved together.
Collective Efficacy
A shared belief that we can positively influence student outcomes and improve student learning each day through collective actions. Collective efficacy is evident when everyone sees themselves as part of a team working for students.
Core Competencies
Sets of intellectual, personal, and social and emotional proficiencies that all students need to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Along with literacy and numeracy foundations, they are central to British Columbia's K-12 curriculum and assessment system and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens. The BC Ministry of Education core competencies are: Communication, Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Positive Personal & Cultural Identity, Personal Awareness & Responsibility, and Social Responsibility.
Culturally Responsive
Research-based approach that makes meaningful connections between what students learn in school and their culture. Being culturally responsive encourages students to feel a sense of belonging and helps create a safe place where they feel respected, heard, and empowered.
Job-embedded professional development
To provide authentic, contextualized opportunities for staff to engage in inquiry learning that is grounded in day-to-day practice and is designed to enhance practices with the intent of improving performance.
Learning agency
The capacity to set a goal, reflect, and act responsibly to effect change. It is about acting rather than being acted upon; shaping rather than being shaped; and making responsible decisions and choices rather than accepting those determined by others. (oecd.com)
Thrive Holistically
Each learner is nurtured to be cultural, confident, and courageous.