ACCREDITATION AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

The Highest Priority element of the 1995-2000 Long Range Plan under "Academic & Instructional Programs" was dual-track American Montessori Society and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation. Following the visits of the SACS and AMS Visiting Teams in October, 1999, the Montessori School of Raleigh became the first and only school in North Carolina to be granted dual accreditation. The Montessori School of Raleigh is also accredited by The Commission on International and Trans-Regional Accreditation.

THE VALUE OF ACCREDITATION

Regional and national accreditation is based on school improvement which focuses on student performance. To maintain accreditation, each accredited school must conduct a continuing program of educational improvement, meet standards of accreditation, submit annual reports which certify the completion of plans for educational improvement, and be reevaluated by outside teams of professional educators at five-year intervals. Through accreditation, faculty, students, and parents benefit by knowing that teaching conditions in accredited schools meet necessary requirements following the school's stated philosophy and that efforts are continuously made for school improvement. Accreditation promotes the sharing of new ideas and enhances the professional expertise and judgment of the community by examining the institution's purpose and identifying and correcting weakness.. It provides quality assurance for students and parents while providing faculty with an environment that is quality-based, that gives them an opportunity to participate in institutional improvement, and that enhances the learning process. This School Improvement Plan is the result of a yearlong Self Study and is the end result of the entire accreditation process.

THE PROCESS

Self Study began in earnest in the summer of 1998 when the Accreditation Steering Committee identified candidates and appointed three subcommittees to work concurrently over a six-month timeline to describe the school. The School Improvement Plan flowed directly from the Recommended Areas of Improvement of the Self Study, which remains available in its entirety, with all supporting documentation, to the MSR community. Upon accreditation, the Board immediately appointed a Strategic Planning Committee, to provide the strategic, governance, and financial backing by the Board necessary to implement the SIP successfully and, thus, to guarantee the delivery of the finest Montessori educational program to our children today and to succeeding generations.

THE RESULT

On April 11, 2000 the Board of Trustees ratified a five-year strategic plan.

COMPONENTS OF THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND STRATEGIC PLAN:

Academic and Instructional programs

Strategic plan: 2000-2005

• Integrate the School Improvement Plan (SIP) items into the Strategic Plan's timetable (2000-2008) by August, 2000.*

School improvement plan: 2000-2005

OBJECTIVE: School improvement that focuses on enhanced student performance and expanded opportunities for learning.

• Complete Middle School implementation (Ages 12-15, Grades 7-9).
• Develop and communicate a plan defining the appropriate uses of media and new technology in the Montessori instructional program.
• More broadly develop a system to evaluate and utilize expanded instructional resources.
• Make the "Observable Outcomes" survey an ongoing effort.
• Further develop student competencies in Art and Music, specifically enhancing student performance in each while communicating program goals and objectives to constituencies.
• Write a developmentally appropriate interdisciplinary health curriculum that emphasizes wellness and that is fully integrated into the existing Montessori education scope and sequence.

New and Special Programs

•School Improvement Plan: 2000-2005

OBJECTIVE: Enhance Academic & Instructional Programs and create expanded opportunities for learning through the select implementation of a handful of New & Special Programs.

• Within the broader context of an examination of the use of technology within the School administratively and instructionally, complete the implementation of a centralized system for identifying and tracking decentralized book, library, and other material resources within the school.
• With a comparative analysis of results between different levels (i.e., Children's House, Lower Elementary, etc.) develop and/or enhance the program to help students transition successfully from one three-year development cycle to the next.
• Better incorporate community resources into the curriculum by forming or expanding existing partnerships with area libraries, museums, and universities while examining the possibility of expanding Key ("Going Out") experiences regionally and nationally.

Facilities and Equipment

Strategic Plan: 2000 - 2005

• Continue implementation of the Leadmine Road Physical Master Plan, revisiting and updating the plan as necessary to include solving the parking lot issues and replacing any temporary buildings (Encore).*
• Complete Phase I of Middle School.
• Complete implementation of the physical master plan for the middle school campus, including a national training center for Montessori professionals.

•School Improvement Plan: 2000-2005

OBJECTIVE: Provide the Facilities & Equipment necessary for the successful implementation of the Academic & Instructional Programs and the New & Special Programs that will lead to enhanced student performance and expanded opportunities for learning.

• Undertake a study of the site master plan for the Leadmine Campus in view of the burgeoning Elementary population, projecting instructional and common space needs, including those for Toddler and After School programs, as well as drama, music, performance, and general gathering space. Once site and building needs are established, undertake a study of the cost of implementation and develop a financing strategy that would be part of the strategic financial plan.

External Affairs and Institutional Advancement

Strategic Plan: 2000 - 2005

• Initiate a Board committee to support and mentor the Executive Director and to provide a link between governance and operations.*
Take a lead in partnership with other Montessori and non-Montessori schools, independent schools, and local universities to share resources and information.*

School Improvement Plan: 2000-2995

OBJECTIVE: Provide the personnel, training, and communication necessary for the successful implementation of the Academic & Instructional Programs and the New & Special Programs that will lead to enhanced student performance and expanded opportunities for learning.

• Undertake an immediate study of teacher compensation (salaries and benefits), an assessment of teacher workplace satisfaction and support, and an evaluation of MSR's position in the competitive marketplace vis-à-vis other area schools, independent schools, and Montessori schools nationally.
• Undertake an immediate study of the feasibility and cost of a teacher-training program.
• Provide staff and faculty increased opportunities for communication and shared decision-making across levels and constituencies.
• Develop a marketing, public relations, and communications plan.
• Create a library of current professional materials and make it available to staff.
• Update and completely revise the Faculty/Staff handbook and produce a separate Personnel Manual.

Management, Finance, and Governance

Strategic Plan: 2000 - 2005

• Begin to make designated line item allocations in support of a cash reserve of 7.5% of the operating budget by the year 2008.*
• Form an outline of a donor cultivation plan and calendar for the Major Gifts Committee.*
• Form a Grandparent's organization to further cultivate the grandparents of the children at MSR.
• Conduct a comparative study of Faculty and Staff Compensation and benefits at other similar Montessori schools as well as at other area independent schools. Create a multi-year competitive compensation proposal by November 1, 2000, including a full review of benefits, and assure that the Strategic Financial Plan is revised accordingly for 2001-2002.
• Conduct an analysis of the optimal size and needs of the non-teaching staff in relation to the increased school size, including maintenance/custodial needs. Begin work to ensure that the needed management rings are completed.
• Identify potential Board members with a focus on supporting the Strategic Plan.*
• Give special attention to profiling the board for:

• Support of Major Gifts Committee with 6 people on the Committee by Spring 2001
• Support of the Head Support Committee to provide appropriate mentors for the Executive Director; and,
• Inclusion of technology expertise on the Board.

• Define the process and procedures by which the Committee on Trustees assures Board succession and include an outline of methods used, such as interview questions and guidelines on appointments through Board Committee work process.
• Create a Board Policy Manual and implement an annual Board self-evaluation.
Develop and implement a Strategic Financial Plan through 2008 to account for such Strategic Planning items as: faculty compensation goals, cash reserve goals, Executive Director retention and succession plans, reduction of debt service to 5% of the 2008 budget, additions to non-teaching staff, if necessary, and provisions for physical plan replacement, renewal, and special maintenance.*
• Maintain Financial Aid program at 9% of budget to enhance funding for socio-economic diversity among the student body.*
• Develop a process in which MSR can build an endowment with a goal of $1 million by 2008.*
• Establish an annual fund goal of 5% of the 2008 budget.
• Establish an endowment utilization policy for the endowment program's interest income. Implement thoughtful planning for endowment management.

School Improvement Plan: 2000 - 2005

OBJECTIVE: Provide the Management, Finance, & Governance necessary for the successful implementation of the Academic & Instructional Programs, the New & Special Programs, and the construction and purchase of required Facilities & Equipment that will lead to enhanced student performance and expanded opportunities for learning.

• Develop a strategic financial plan that includes: a study of accelerated debt reduction, the establishment of endowed funds to assure the long-term financial health and viability of the institution, a fee sensitivity survey, and the commitment of resources to guarantee need-blind admissions and the expansion of the financial aid program.
• Undertake an immediate study of the external environment to determine the short-term and mid-range impact of charter schools, diocesan schools, public magnet schools, and expanding Wake county schools on MSR enrollment.

*- represents items which continue throughout the life of the Strategic Plan (2000-2005)