How to pick a strategic planning facilitator for school districts.
A strategic plan is only as powerful as its implementation. To create a plan that builds a sense of excitement, propels your work forward, and builds in actionable and measurable steps requires direction from someone who truly understands your organization and its context.
When selecting a strategic planning consultant, it is best to select those who have industry experience. All schools, whether public or independent, live a dual reality. They have to manage finances and watch the bottom line like any business, but while also being viewed by the community as a service organization where only “doing right by the community” matters. Only those of us who have walked that line can truly understand the pressure this places on decision-making processes in education.
While there are many strategic planning generalists in the space, choosing facilitators who are grounded in an understanding of the education world is essential to getting a plan that will actually lead to change.
There are a few key reasons for this:
The stakeholder population for the education sector is expansive and diverse. Identifying those groups and knowing how each fits into the school ecosystem is key, as strategies will need to be used to fit the context of those stakeholder groups.
The ever-changing and ever-growing list of initiatives educators build into their work, as well as the education-specific vocabulary and terminology they work with requires a specific understanding on the part of your change-leadership team. You want a facilitator who is up to date on current education trends, state priorities, and issues in education.
The needs of students and families have changed dramatically over time, and the relationship of student learning to core social values and goals is complex, now more than ever.
Actionable steps for implementation don’t follow business and non-profit sector models. Find a consultant that knows the nuances of school funding and calendar cycles. This will help immensely when it comes to implementation and action planning.
A poorly written strategic plan does more damage than not having any plan at all.
An ineffective strategic plan is not cost neutral. The actual dollars, as well as the time and resources devoted to its creation, will have been wasted if the plan can not be implemented in your context. But perhaps even more importantly, an ineffective plan causes damage to trust for your processes and leadership.
If the consultant you are considering does not have direct connection to the world of education, your plan may not serve your organization. Choose a consultant with experience in your context and watch your strategic plan become a meaningful snapshot of what your values are and how you will manifest them.
Let’s make education better together.
