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MSR Strategic Plan

LMC Admin Building A

In two years The Montessori School of Raleigh (MSR) will celebrate its 50th anniversary. We have grown from a small, one-classroom Children’s House program housed in the basement of an apartment building in 1974, to a preschool through Upper School program, serving over 400 students with two campuses and two educational philosophies—Montessori and International Baccalaureate (IB). With our recent surge in enrollment, now is the perfect time for us to embark on a strategic plan.

Strategic planning is a critically important endeavor for any institution that has as its main objectives longevity and quality of program. As one of the Triangle’s premier learning institutions and a leader in Montessori education, we are dedicated to fostering a love of learning while actively improving the student experience.

As we establish a framework for MSR’s next 50 years by way of strategic planning, the plan will allow the institution to:

  • Address change in the independent-school landscape
  • Examine the school’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)
  • Reaffirm our identity, mission, vision, and core values
  • Lay the foundation for long-term financial planning
The process
Walking past Upper School cubbies

The Strategic Planning Committee of MSR’s Board of Trustees has set an ambitious schedule for the plan. Our goal is to complete the strategic planning process during the 2022-2023 academic school year so we may begin to implement the plan at the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

MSR will be assisted in this process by ACIES Strategies, a national consulting firm with expertise in the unique challenges and nuances of independent schools. The process will include opportunities for all of MSR's stakeholders to share their valuable perspectives and insights via a variety of channels including online surveys and in-person focus groups.

When completed, the strategic plan will be more than just an ambitious checklist. Developing and implementing the plan is our declaration of a commitment to our students’ success, to MSR as a first-choice learning institution, and to our community’s collective stewardship of this amazing school.

I look forward to keeping the community abreast of our progress.

Monica Rodriguez

Monica Rodriguez
Head of School

 

 

 

Timeline

Spring 2022

  • Strategic Planning Committee Chair and members identified

Fall 2022

  • ACIES Strategies, a national consulting firm, secured as consultant for MSR strategic planning.
  • Stakeholders identified and calendar set for stakeholder focus groups, meetings, etc.
    • Current MSR families, current MSR employees, alumni, past MSR trustees/heads of school

Winter 2023

  • Implement stakeholder in-person and virtual focus groups, conduct surveys, etc.
  • Review and analyze stakeholder feedback

Spring 2023

  • First draft of strategic plan provided to the MSR Board of Trustees for review and feedback
  • Final review and approval of the strategic plan by the Board of Trustees

Summer 2023

  • MSR Leadership Team develops strategies for implementation of strategic plan, setting priorities for the coming school year

Fall 2023

  • Strategic plan implementation gets underway at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.

Developing and implementing the plan is our declaration of a commitment to our students’ success, to MSR as a first-choice learning institution, and to our community’s collective stewardship of this amazing school.

Strategic Planning Committee

Lisa Lowe-Hall
MSR Trustee & Committee Chair

Charles Bayless
MSR Trustee

James T. Ham
MSR Trustee

Monica Rodriguez
MSR Head of School

Elizabeth Keadle
MSR Chief of Staff

Laura Novia
MSR Director of Marketing & Communications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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