Our 5 Pillars...
provide a coherent, strong foundation for our practices, programs and processes. The pillars clearly define our priorities for the future.
Community Focused
It takes a village to raise a child, and SPS recognizes that partnerships with families, community leaders and family-focused organizations are critical to our success. We embrace the potential and opportunities that are offered by the vibrant Stamford business community. SPS continues to expand its partnership with community based organizations, city and state officials, and business leaders as part of a STRIVE together collective impact initiative—Stamford Cradle to Career (SC2C). Under the leadership of the United Way of Western Connecticut, the overarching goal of SC2C is to collectively align community resources to ensure educational success for all Stamford children and families regardless of income, race or circumstance.
Goal
Priorities
- Provide regular opportunities and improve strategies to collect community input on district-wide decisions.
- Create a deeper level of engagement and improve relationships with families who feel disconnected from SPS, including our economically disadvantaged students — those who are eligible for the federal free or reduced lunch program, who are English language (EL) learners, or who live in public housing.
- Improve strategies that support an authentic parent and community voice.
- Review, assess and improve internal information flow.
Measuring Our Progress
- Community Input - Number of meetings held and opportunities for the community to provide input into in upcoming district-level decisions
- Cultural Engagement - Increase in collaborative approach to planning meetings and events that include participation by families who feel disconnected from SPS, including non-English speakers, alternate learners and struggling families.
- Parent Perception - Percent of parents who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Staff Perception - Percent of staff who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Student Perception - Percent of students who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
Examples from the 2022-2023 School Year:
- Superintendent's Community Conversations
- OFCE community engagement events
- SPS Budget Listening Sessions
- SPS Staff Communications Portal (in development)
- SC2C Community Task Force
- SPS Authentic Voice Project
Culture of Inclusion
SPS strives to provide equitable opportunities for all students. We work collectively to support students, staff and community partners to maximize the depth and scope of opportunities we offer while minimizing the achievement and opportunity gaps that exist among various student groups.
Goal
Priorities
- Focus resources on recruiting and retaining highly qualified teaching staff with a focus on minority recruitment
- Prioritize staff involvement in the decision making process.
- Retain the current +/-10% integration standard of the district, with a goal of all schools being representative of the demographic makeup of the district.
- Implement new approaches to promoting our magnet school programs, with a goal to increase the representation within the pool of applicants.
- Find new ways to bring attention to student and staff accomplishments.
- Celebrate diversity beyond ethnicity, including learning style, educational pathways and student interests.
Measuring Our Progress
- Human Resources - Increase percentage of new hires that represent our student body
- Parent Perception - Percent of parents who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Staff Perception - Percent of staff who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Student Perception - Percent of students who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Student Data - all school buildings achieve the +/-10% integration standard of the district.
- Magnet Lottery Application - Application profiles align with the +/11-% integration standard of the district.
Examples from the 2022-2023 School Year:
- Changes being implemented in response to 2022 Spring School Climate Survey Data (presentation)
- Superintendent's Community Conversation Series
- BOE Student Advisories
- OFCE community engagement events
- SPS Budget Listening Sessions
- SPS Staff Communications Portal (in development)
- SC2C Community Task Force
- SPS Authentic Voice Project
- LGBTQ+ Collaborative
Operational Excellence
As a large, urban school district SPS faces an evolving and unique set of opportunities and challenges. SPS will make decisions guided by our mission, goals and data, not emotions or public pressure. SPS will apply the approach to all aspects of our school systems, including staff, facilities. budgets and culture. Our goal is to equitably allocate resources to provide a world-class educational experience for each student.
Goal
Priorities
- In support of school safety, work to ensure effective and efficient use of all spaces.
- Focus resources on recruiting and retaining highly qualified teaching staff with a focus on minority recruitment.
- Define a long term plan for staffing strategy, with focus on the impact on the operating budget.
- Develop a comprehensive plan for long term care and upkeep of all facilities, including fields and school grounds.
- Reimagine school media centers for greatest impact.
- Evaluate financial implications of Food Service program CEP, and analyze long-term efficacy.
- Revise board policies to provide clear direction for the educational program and operational functions and to clarify expectations regarding responsibilities, organizational coordination and decision making.
- Integrate policies, procedures and standards across the district to maximize efficiency.
- Incorporate cost-benefit analysis in the district’s budgeting processes to guarantee full alignment of district resources to curricular goals and strategic priorities.
- Adopt a mechanism to measure equity of allocation of resources across schools and student populations.
- Conduct a cost analysis to consider altering High School start times.
- Increase access and efficiencies within our transportation system, with a focus on addressing factors contributing to absenteeism rates.
Measuring Our Progress
- Human Resources - Increase percentage of new hires that represent our student body
- Human Resources - maintain and increase staff retention levels
- Staff Perception - Percent of staff who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Finance - establish a direct link between department goals and budget priorities.
- Transportation - increase in eligible students taking advantage of transportation and improve on-time rates.
Examples from the 2022-2023 School Year:
- Long-term Facilities Plan
- Technology Plan Committee
- Long-term Staffing Committee
- Superintendent's Community Conversation Series
Strong Curriculum
TEACHING & LEARNING is central to everything we do. The goal of our curriculum and instructional practices is to prepare students for success in an ever-changing global society. We will move every student forward from where they start, including high-achieving and struggling students. We will identify and implement national and international best practices in education. And, because we recognize that “one size does not fit all,” we will offer differentiated instruction and provide a continuum of instructional support for each student.
Goal
Priorities
- Prioritize mastery learning (skills vs. memorization) with a focus on outcome measures in the areas of English Language Arts/Reading, Math, STEM, Social Studies, The Arts, Attendance, Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Social Emotional Learning and Service Learning.
- Update, refine, and implement a comprehensive curriculum management system that coordinates and prioritizes all curriculum management functions and tasks in the district.
- Re-envision secondary programming by creating alternative options, e.g., BPL, Twilight, Remote Learning.
- Develop a comprehensive plan for implementing K-5 gifted and talented/ enrichment programs.
- Increase access and reach of the Acceleration Academy, developed to address learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Increase the number of students joining and persisting in our music programs, elementary through high school.
- Create more real world experiences in the community rather than the classroom.
Measuring Our Progress
- Professional Development - positive feedback from staff on differentiated offerings.
- Student Achievement - Increase in percent of students in grades K-5 demonstrating growth on BOY to EOY on mclass DIBELS reading assessments.
- Student Achievement - Increase the number of cohort students, who have attended SPS K-3, that are reading at and above grade level.
- Student Achievement - Increase the number of cohort students, who have attended SPS K-3, that are at and above grade level in math.
- Student Achievement -Increase in the percent of students in grades 6-12 passing their core ELA class.
- Student Achievement -Increase in the percent of students on-track to graduate.
- Student Achievement - Increase in number of students participating in internships, apprenticeships and hands-on learning experiences.
Examples from the 2022-2023 School Year:
- Grading Practices Committee
- RISE Network
- Review available student performance data quarterly to monitor growth among student groups.
- Review, create an action plan and implement recommendations from the 2022 curriculum audit (Full Report).
- Music Department Visioning Collaborative
- Career Connected Learning Opportunities
Student Centered
By putting the student at the center of all decisions, and empower them with a voice to influence the same, SPS will fulfill our vision to CHALLENGE, INSPIRE and PREPARE all students to be productive contributing members of society.
Goal
Priorities
- Implement evidenced-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs at all schools.
- Develop and implement a comprehensive district-wide SEL student assessment system.
- Strengthen adult SEL competencies and capacity through quality SEL professional development.
- Decrease the number of chronically absent students by the majority of grades and student groups by June 2023.
- Focus on supporting transition years (K, 6th, 9th).
- Ensure that all alternate learners, including English language (EL) learners and students with disabilities, have access to evidence-based, high-quality instruction.
- Prioritize (and communicate) efforts in support of the health and safety of our students, including extraordinary efforts related to pandemic recovery.
- Continue to grow career pathways.
- Expand to include K-12
- Help support students socially and emotionally at every age.
- Continue to encourage and celebrate student voice, advocacy and opportunity.
Measuring Our Progress
- Professional Development - increase SEL PD offerings.
- Professional Development - positive feedback from staff on SEL PD sessions.
- SEL Assessment System - widespread adoption of SEL Assessment System among all schools
- SEL Assessment- Percent of students rated positively on DESSA
Parent Perception - Percent of parents who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey - Staff Perception - Percent of students who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Student Perception - Percent of students who respond positively on the 2023 School Climate Survey
- Student Achievement -Increase in the percent of students on-track to graduate.
- Student Achievement -Decrease in achievement gaps among student groups.
- Student Achievement - Decrease in number of students chronically absent by grade and student groups.
Examples from the 2022-2023 School Year:
- District Attendance Teams
- Adoption of Aperture/DESSA SEL Assessment System (14 schools by 2023/ all schools by 2024)
- Vita Health & Wellness