The 2016-2021 Strategic Plan involved hundreds of members of the Norwood School community: current and past parents, trustees, teachers, staff, administrators, students, and alumni. Over the course of a year, through committee meetings, surveys, focus groups, and small working groups, the Strategic Planning Committee received tremendous input, ideas, and inspiration from community members. This information was instrumental in identifying and building consensus around four key strategic priorities: Program, Image, Campus, and Ensuring Our Future.
Throughout the deeply reflective process, the Strategic Planning Committee was guided by Kathleen Hanson, a senior consultant and principal at one of the nation’s leading consulting firms, Marts & Lundy. With more than 20 years of experience working with independent schools, Kathy was instrumental in helping the committee identify an accurate picture of the School’s challenges and opportunities, resulting in the development of an integrated, achievable plan with measurable goals and strategies.
We were fortunate that the timing of the new Strategic Plan dovetailed perfectly with Norwood’s 10-year reaccreditation with the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS). The rigorous and intensive self-study required by the reaccreditation – an 18-month process completed in March 2016 – provided an ideal opportunity for the School to reflect deeply and critically on strengths, challenges, and priorities for the future. Our AIMS reaccreditation work contributed valuable information and data throughout the strategic planning process.
For nearly two years, Norwood has been engaged in a highly collaborative and broadly inclusive examination of every aspect of school life. The resulting plan is a living, evolving document that is both aspirational and practical, and designed to adapt to new challenges and changing needs in our dynamic world while always focusing on our most important asset – the children attending our school. The Board of Trustees approved the 2016-2021 Strategic Plan on April 18, 2016.