Leonia Public Schools

Objectives:

1. Implement targeted programs and training around cultural, social, and civic education to promote inclusivity and equity across all grade levels and classrooms.
2. Increased staff and student engagement in diversity initiatives, with measurable improvements in school climate and student perceptions of inclusivity.
3. Build a strong structure for ongoing conversations with stakeholder groups about diversity, inclusion, and educational practices across all buildings in the district.

Steps to Complete:

• Review existing curriculum and programs to evaluate representation and inclusivity, including LMS advisory lessons.
• Develop student-facing lessons and activities that reflect diverse cultures, histories, and perspectives.
• Create professional development focused on cultural competency, anti-bias education, and social-emotional learning, and launch teacher training sessions and integrate inclusive content into existing curriculum.
• Collect feedback, identify areas for improvement, and make annual updates based on findings, and share outcomes with the school community for transparency.
• Introduce programs, clubs, events, and campaigns that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across the district.
• Actively involve staff and students through leadership opportunities, incentives, and integration into school culture.
• Use surveys, focus groups, and climate assessments to gather data on participation and perceptions of inclusivity.
• Analyze results, share findings with stakeholders, and adjust initiatives to better support engagement and equity goals.
• Establish quarterly meetings for administrators and department heads to discuss diversity-related goals, progress, and challenges at each school building.
• Create a digital platform for cross-building communication where educators can share best practices, resources, and success stories related to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Develop partnerships with community organizations to bring in guest speakers, workshops, and cultural events that enhance students' awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures.
• Share information with stakeholders.

Artifacts:

• Coming soon.

Objectives:

1. Improve district communication to improve community relations and support each family.
2. Revise and clarify the district’s mission and vision to reflect core values, community goals, and build a strong, recognizable brand identity.
3. Foster engagement through alumni relations, partnerships with local organizations and collaboration
4. Strengthen relationships between Leonia and Edgewater school communities.
5. Streamline student onboarding and registration processes to enhance the family experience.

Steps to Complete:

• Develop a comprehensive communication plan for families that is accessible for families and the community.
• Develop dedicated personnel roles for communication, public relations, and community outreach to ensure brand consistency and effective engagement.
• Develop supporting documents (ie. videos, FAQs) on how parents can access Parent Square, Genesis, and other major parent facing resources.
• Purchase program for surveys that provides stronger data analysis opportunities than current surveys.
• Revise and clarify the district’s mission and vision to reflect core values, community goals, and build a strong, recognizable brand identity.
• Use feedback from students, staff, and community to revise the district's mission, vision, and brand.
• Develop dedicated personnel roles for communication, public relations, and community outreach to ensure brand consistency and effective engagement.
• Develop a consistent and cohesive district-wide branding strategy, including a unified logo, colors, and messaging to enhance visibility and community pride.
• Develop brand guidelines for staff and supporting organizations.
• Conduct outreach to alumni and partners.
• Gather interest in collaboration and support they can provide.
• Create alumni and partnership databases that are sustainable and consistently updated.
• Share newsletters and information to alumni and partnerships to showcase the work happening in the district.
• Create engagement opportunities between Leonia and Edgewater central office administrators, quarterly.
• Create engagement opportunities between Leonia and Edgewater school administrators, at least two times per year.
• Create engagement opportunities between Leonia and Edgewater school staff.
• Create engagement opportunities between Leonia and Edgewater students and families.
• Create an easy-to-use online portal where parents and guardians can complete all necessary forms, submit required documents, and track the progress of their registration. 
• Provide a clear and consistent registration process for families, including who is responsible for onboarding parents on various tasks.
• Update website to provide families with a straightforward, step-by-step guide on how to complete the registration process, including instructional video, infographic, and FAQ.
• Provide a dashboard that tracks the registration progress for each student. Families can view what has been completed and what is pending, helping them stay on top of the registration process.

Artifacts:

• Coming soon.

Objectives:

1. Recruit an excellent teaching force that supports the needs of the student body.
2. Provide support to new staff to ensure development and retention of new staff members.
3. Retain an excellent teaching force that supports the needs of the student body.
4. Gather constant feedback from district staff to continuously improve district and school practices to recruit and retain high quality staff.

Steps to Complete:

• Establish a transparent and effective hiring process that includes on-boarding and mentorship for new educators.
• Modernize platform for recruitment and hiring, that allows for reporting of trends to identify areas for improvement.
• Conduct an in-depth comparative analysis of district staffing levels, compensation, and benefits relative to similar districts.
• Identify areas of improvement from analysis in compensation and benefits to maintain competitiveness and attract top talent.
• Enhance and re-envision the New Staff Orientation to provide essential information, resources, and training, ensuring a smooth transition into our district.
• Expand resources and materials for new staff (may include helpful documents, peer to peer videos).
• Evaluate models for mentorship from local, district and private sector to revise district mentoring plan.
• Refine and implement a “Buddy” Program for new staff.
• Maintain employee recognition and appreciation programs that celebrate the dedication and diligence of our staff members.
• Provide funding for teachers to attend relevant external conferences, workshops, and professional learning communities (PLCs) focused.
• Develop a "Teacher Academy" program that offers ongoing PD workshops, that offers financial incentives or recognition for teachers who complete advanced PD programs aligned with the district goals.
• Schedule dedicated professional time to support and retain high quality staff.
• Develop a stay and exit survey to gather feedback from existing staff and staff exiting the organization.
• Create protocols for how to administer stay/exit surveys.
• Execute plans for stay /exit surveys.
• Recommended operational changes to central administration based on outcomes.

Artifacts:

• Coming soon.

Objectives:

1. Implement a clear and concise district-wide cell phone policy.

Steps to Complete:

• Conduct stakeholder discussions to ensure that policies reflect community values.
• Provide clear language to include expectations and include all smart technologies that may impact our schools, including cell phones, smart watches, smart glasses, AirPods, headphones, etc.
• Implement a clear and consistent policy that balances technology use with student engagement, discipline, and learning objectives, while also remaining developmentally appropriate for the various student populations.
• Share policy with all stakeholder groups, in a variety of ways-Parent Square post, updated handbook language, on website, etc.

Artifacts:

• Coming soon.