Utilizing Strategic Planning and Performance Metrics to Deliver on Continuous Improvement Efforts in Large Urban School Districts

Abstract

Iteration on the strategic planning process increases systemic coherence, guides continuous improvements and enhances distributed accountability, thereby leading to higher performance throughout an organization. The social covenant of public school systems to provide high-quality educational opportunities for their students, and the potential impact of comprehensive strategic management, requires addressing a core question: How can school systems more effectively utilize strategic planning and management to drive continuous improvement? This capstone applies change management theory to explore how education systems can utilize performance metrics, scorecard structures, and strategic execution to guide and manage their continuous improvement efforts. The case study for this work is Orange County Public Schools (OCPS). Located in Orlando, Florida, OCPS serves over 208,000 students and is the ninth largest school system in the United States. OCPS, like most school districts, has a strategic plan. This capstone examines the work of my strategic project which sought to address both the technical and adaptive aspects of updating an organization’s strategic plan and scorecard metrics. The goal of my strategic project was to provide a model for how to bolster continued engagement in the planning process, thereby increasing alignment and better positioning OCPS to realize their vision of becoming the top producer of successful students in the nation.