Strategic Plan

On behalf of the Durango School District 9-R Board of Education, the Superintendent, and all who shared in the task of developing our future direction, we are pleased to present our Strategic Plan for achieving educational excellence for all, which was adopted in June 2009.

This Strategic Plan will guide our work over the next several years, providing us with a roadmap to follow that will ensure our future efforts provide a quality education for all students through improved communication; refining partnerships; ensuring that curriculum development incorporates 21st Century learning opportunities; addressing the need for meaningful, relevant, and authentic learning; identifying community based character attributes; and establishing ways to attract and retain highly qualified staff and provide leadership opportunities for those within our district.

This plan appropriately places student achievement at the center of our goals and strategies for improvement working collaboratively to chart our course and accomplish our mission to support “A COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION.”

As a district, we are dedicated to ensuring the successful completion of each Action Plan and we welcome your suggestions and contributions to the effort.

Keith Owen, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools

Mission Statement

The mission of Durango School District 9-R, an innovative educational system committed to excellence, is to ensure each student develops the skills and attributes for lifelong learning and has the ability to compete and contribute in the global community, by guaranteeing equitable educational opportunities in a safe and healthy environment.

Ends

Literacy

All students read with understanding, speak clearly and persuasively, listen, and write directly and creatively to learn from and communicate with others.

Mathematics

All students employ mathematical concepts and tools to analyze options, solve real-life challenges, and systematically pursue new levels of understanding and connection.

Science

All students use scientific processes to find connections within the natural universe and develop insightful solutions to advance quality of life and a sustainable world environment.

Social Science

All students are prepared to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of our culturally diverse, democratic republic in an interdependent world.

World Languages

All students listen to, speak, read, and write in a second language to better understand and communicate with people from other cultures.

Arts

All students use visual arts, music, drama, and/or dance as a source of personal and cultural expression and communication.

Health & Physical Fitness

All students understand the components of good health and engage in physical activity to develop healthful and rewarding lifestyles.

Life Skills

All students demonstrate skills and practices that allow them to achieve personally fulfilling lives.

• Identify and develop personal interests, set and achieve personal goals and apply academic and career planning strategies to gain satisfying employment or life work
• Use technology to locate, organize, evaluate, and communicate information
• Demonstrate understanding of responsible consumerism and personal money management

Character Attributes

Students will demonstrate understanding and commitment toward modeling the following character attributes throughout our educational system.

• Caring - To demonstrate concern, interest, courtesy, and compassion for yourself and others.
• Civic Engagement - To be civically engaged is to contribute to community or society.
• Confidence - To believe in one’s own abilities and potential.
• Expressive - To share ideas, opinions, and feelings through creative, effective, and appropriate communication.
• Inquisitive - To be curious and eager for knowledge and experience.
• Open-Mindedness - To be receptive to ideas and cultures with flexibility, fairness and reflection.
• Perseverance - To pursue a goal in spite of obstacles and challenges.
• Respect - To consider and demonstrate regard for yourself, others, and the environment.
• Responsibility - To make decisions with honor and sincerity, and to be accountable for one’s own ideas, actions, and consequences.
• Trustworthy - To be honest and dependable.

Results Monitoring

• Jump to Results Monitoring document

Action Plan Links

The following links jump to the appropriate section of the Strategic Plan PDF document:

Strategy 1

We will improve internal and external communicaton with all our students, families, employees, and community members to build trust, transparency, and collaboration to best fulfill our mission.

• Action Plans for Strategy 1

Strategy 2

We will expand community partnerships and collaborative relationships to best achieve our strategic objectives.

• Action Plans for Strategy 2

Strategy 3

We will design and deliver district-wide curricula and assessments, based on “standards of excellence” that integrate 21st Century skills across disciplines.

• Action Plans for Strategy 3

Strategy 4

We will fully engage every student in meaningful, relevant, authentic learning experiences.

• Action Plans for Strategy 4

Strategy 5

In partnership with our families and community, we will identify and assess the character attributes that help individuals compete and contribute in society; we will mentor and model those attributes throughout our educational system.

• Action Plans for Strategy 5

Strategy 6

We will invest in our employees and develop leadership capacity by attracting, retaining, supporting, developing, and effectively evaluating our staff.

• Action Plans for Strategy 6

Strategy 7

We will strategically organize our educational system to secure and align resources, personnel, and time to best achieve our mission and objectives.

• Action Plans for Strategy 7

Strategic Planning Documents

Title	Updated	Document
Results Monitoring	03/06/2012	Results Monitoring 2011-12.pdf
Strategic Plan 2010-11	10/08/2010	strategic_plan.pdf
Strategic Plan 2011-12	02/16/2012	2011-12 Strategic Plan - Web Version.pdf
Strategic Plan Update from the March 2010 Communicator	10/08/2010	strategic_plan_update_march_2010.pdf