Strategic Initiative Planning Checklist for District Leaders
32 Questions to Help Planning Teams Strengthen Plans for Change
Why do some districts make progress on strategic initiatives when most don’t?
Improve the success of your district’s strategic initiatives with our 32-question checklist, which was created to help K-12 teams strengthen their plans for change. Developed from analyzing over 500 district initiatives, this resource offers a straightforward framework to help you apply EAB’s Eight Hallmarks of Successful Strategic Initiatives research. The questions will provide you with a starting point for refining your approach, ensuring clarity, accountability, and impact at every stage of your initiatives.
Use this resource to strengthen your strategic initiative planning and drive more meaningful outcomes in your district. Download the full checklist, or explore each of the eight hallmarks below.
Eight hallmarks of successful strategic initiatives
Expand each component of effective strategic planning to reveal corresponding questions that will help you successfully define, document, and achieve each component.
Shared vision and goals
Have we defined and documented…
- Our objective for this initiative?
- Why we are trying to achieve this objective?
- How will we measure success (key results)?
- How will we achieve those results (strategy components)?
Role and ownership clarity
Have we defined and documented…
- Who is ultimately accountable for the school/district achieving this objective?
- Who is responsible for implementing each component of the strategy?
- Who should be consulted during the development of plans for each component?
- Who should be kept informed of plans and progress?
Hardwired accountability
Have we defined and documented…
- The root cause problems must be addressed to achieve our objective?
- How the components of our strategy address those root cause issues?
- When will we implement each component of the strategy?
- How and when will we communicate plans and progress?
Expectations for standardized practices
Have we defined and documented…
- The non-negotiable expectations for principals/teachers/staff?
- How will we secure buy-in for non-negotiable practices?
- Where will principals/teachers/staff have autonomy/flexibility?
- How will we track the differences in implementation across schools?
Data-informed decisions
Have we defined and documented…
- Which data we need to inform and monitor our strategy?
- How will we gather that data?
- Who needs access to that data?
- How data will be used to inform decisions?
Investment in leadership development
Have we defined and documented…
- What training do administrators need to lead the implementation of our strategy?
- What resources do administrators need to lead the implementation of our strategy?
- What will prevent administrators from leading the implementation of our strategy?
- How will we mitigate those barriers?
Focus on teacher engagement
Have we defined and documented…
- What training do teachers/staff need to implement our strategy?
- How will we secure buy-in from teachers/staff for our strategy?
- What will prevent teachers/staff from implementing our strategy?
- How will we mitigate those barriers?
Forum for sharing and scaling effective innovations
Have we defined and documented…
- Where do we want/need participants to think innovatively during this initiative?
- How will we communicate the need for innovation?
- How will we capture successful practices that meet those needs?
- How will we scale awareness of those successful practices across the district?
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This tool is available through EAB's District Leadership Forum. Complete the form below for immediate access or log in.