TOGETHER… enabling STUDENT SUCCESS STRATEGIC PLAN 2009-2014 TOGETHER ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS│ STRATEGIC ORIENTATION PLAN 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND THE DIRECTOR GENERAL ................................. 3 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 4 MISSION, VISION AND VALUES ......................................................................................... 5 THE EMSB IN A SNAPSHOT ............................................................................................... 6 EMERGING STRATEGIC ORIENTATIONS ....................................................................... 11 PROMOTE AND FOSTER A CULTURE OF STUDENT SUCCESS .................................. 11 OBJECTIVES BY STRATEGIC ORIENTATIONS .............................................................. 15 Strategic Orientation 1 ........................................................................................................ 16 Strategic Orientation 2 ........................................................................................................ 19 Strategic Orientation 3 ........................................................................................................ 21 Stratetic Orientation 4 ........................................................................................................ 22 MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY ............................................................................ 23 A FINAL WORD .................................................................................................................. 23 ADDENDUM 1 .................................................................................................................... 24 ADDENDUM 2 .................................................................................................................... 29 TOGETHER ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS│ STRATEGIC ORIENTATION PLAN 2 A WORD FROM THE CHAIRMAN AND THE DIRECTOR GENERAL “TOGETHER… ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS” lays out the 2009-2014 strategic plan of the English Montreal School Board (EMSB). To reach our goal, it is imperative that the school board reaches out to all the stakeholders who stand to gain from the achievements of our students. Together with the community, the schools, students and their parents, we can create the type of environment in which students thrive. Student success is the force that drives our actions, whether at school, at home or in the community. All stakeholders are faced with meeting the challenge of helping to develop a healthy context in which our students can develop their skills. The primary responsibility of our schools and centres is to offer quality services in a caring, safe and inclusive learning community to the students and their parents. The Board supports its schools and staff in their efforts. Parents, the community and the students themselves also play integral roles to help develop our students so that they reach their potential and become valuable contributors to society. Student success is a lofty goal that necessitates the participation of everyone so that we can meet the difficult challenges that lie ahead. With the help of students, family, educators, school staff and the community, the EMSB will strive to achieve its goal by actively adopting four strategic orientations: promote and foster a culture of student success, provide a safe, secure, healthy and welcoming environment, build a professional learning community and develop and foster active community relations and partnerships. These orientations form the backbone of the EMSB’s 2009-2014 strategic plan to increase the success rate of our students. The participation of everyone remains the key to their success. Together, we can help students to reach their potential and become valuable members of society. We wish to acknowledge the contribution made by the former Director General, Mr. Antonio Lacroce, in the realization of this Strategic Plan. Angela Mancini Chairman Mario Tirelli Director General TOGETHER ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS│ STRATEGIC ORIENTATION PLAN 3 INTRODUCTION To exercise its functions and powers, every school board must adopt a multi-year strategic plan in order to respect its legal obligations. Our strategic plan builds on the groundwork laid by the strategic plan of the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS). It also includes the five (5) goals that MELS has determined as requirements for the Partnership Agreement between MELS and the school board, required by Bill 88. 1. Increased graduation rates and qualifications before age 20 2. Improved command of the French (and English) language 3. Improved levels of retention in school and academic success among certain target groups, especially among handicapped students or students with learning or adjustment difficulties 4. A healthier and safer school environment 5. An increase in the number of students under 20 years of age enrolled in vocational training Our orientations, objectives and strategies incorporate these five (5) goals. The English Montreal School Board’s strategic plan for 2009-2014 proceeds along the four principal orientations that guided the previous plan. These orientations support our goal of academic success for the young and adult student population. They reflect the EMSB’s mission, vision and values. The strategic plan is the culmination of the EMSB’s analysis of its student success rate, administrative and academic management, environment and ministerial goals. These documents are the fruit of the work done by in-school and board administrators meeting with all stakeholders. This analysis was conducted with the participation and commitment of all the senior and senior executive staff of the school board. First, the directorate general met with all the stakeholders, including the Central Management Advisory Committee (CMAC) and the Management Table, youth sector students, Regional Parents' Committee, adult education and vocational training sector students, union representatives (teachers, professionals, white-collar and blue-collar support staff) as well as commissioners. The strategic orientations were submitted to various groups for consultation. Governing Board members, high school students, adult education and vocational training sector students, professional associations (Association of Montreal School Administrators [AMSA], Association of English Montreal Board Administrators [AEMBA] and Association des cadres scolaires du Québec [ACSQ]), unionized personnel and unions (Montreal Teachers' Association [MTA], Association professionnelle du personnel administratif [APPA], Québec Federation of Labour [QFL] and the Syndicat des professionnelles et professionnels du milieu de l’éducation de Montréal [SPPMEM]) as well as parents responded. Then, the CMAC and the Management Table, along with commissioners, fine-tuned the objectives and strategies, indicators and results sought. This process enabled us to prepare the 2009-2014 Strategic Plan while ensuring coherence between the concerns and issues identified and the orientations and objectives sought. The strategic plan includes a portrait of the EMSB describing the main characteristics of its milieu, mission statement, vision and values as well as the development and choice of strategic orientations and the definition of the objectives, means, results and indicators sought. The participation of all in the various stages of revision and preparation of the strategic plan leads one to believe that the implementation of the 2009-2014 strategic plan will see us Together.. enabling student success. TOGETHER ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS│ STRATEGIC ORIENTATION PLAN 4 MISSION, VISION AND VALUES OUR MISSION OUR VISION OUR VALUES The mission of the EMSB is: “We, the stakeholders (parents, Our goal is to offer quality educational commissioners, staff [teachers, and complementary services which “To support its schools and centres professionals and support staff], respond to the needs of our youth in their efforts to educate students administrators, youth and adult and adult learners: within a caring, safe and inclusive students/learners) of the English learning community”. Montreal School Board are dedicated to being the best that we can be”. To fulfill its mission, the EMSB will: – recognize and value the – we believe the schools’ and diversity of its community; centres’ first responsibility is to – provide all students with the the students/learners and opportunity to develop their parents to whom they provide talents and achieve their services; personal best; – we believe the Board’s first – recognize the skills and responsibility is to support its competencies of its employees schools and centres in their and support their ongoing effort to educate professional development; students/learners within a caring, safe and inclusive – encourage collaboration learning community; among the various educational partners; – we are responsible to our staff, and we must recognize the – use resources effectively and merit of each individual. innovatively to help schools and centres focus on the mission of instruction, socialization and qualifications; – encourage life-long learning and critical thinking. The EMSB mission fosters the development of education and responsible persons who will assume their position as active members of a democratic society. TOGETHER ENABLING STUDENT SUCCESS│ STRATEGIC ORIENTATION PLAN 5 THE EMSB IN A SNAPSHOT OUR TERRITORY, OUR SCHOOLS