Strategic PlanningStrategic planning should be a "focused process that uses a school system's core values, missions, and goals to establish comprehensive action plans to achieve organizational goals" (Marin & Leinbach, 2014). This healthy vision of strategic planning is what all schools should aspire to. However, sometimes strategic planning can be seen as just one more obstacle to overcome in order to get through the year. Developing a Strategic Plan This information was gathered in an interview with Andrea Williams, principal of Theresa Bunker Elementary School. Ms. Williams initially shared with me that developing a strategic plan in this state is done with a goal that the school must achieve throughout the entire school year to be compliant with state regulations. The district offers support to schools in completing these strategic plans. This is more of a systems approach to developing strategic plans for each school in the district. The state provided a tool for developing plans that was not very easy to use. To address the specific needs of the district and each school, the Director of Federal Programs in the district office developed a form or template that was distributed to each school. This module helped streamline the development of a strategic plan and make it more relevant to schools' needs. Phases The phases involved in the process of developing a strategic plan for the school in the district first begin with the district infrastructure receiving information on requirements from the state department of education. The district then relays this information to principals during planning meetings at the end of each school year. These m...... half of the document ...... planning process more relevant to teachers, parents and students there needs to be a better understanding of what this process is. In the reading of this assignment it is stated that some teachers see strategic planning as “something done to them rather than with them” (Marin & Leinbach, 2014). There is not much participation or ownership in the strategic planning process as it is currently implemented in this state. This is an area for improvement in the development of strategic planning. There needs to be more dialogue between administration and faculty about what the plan actually is, how it is developed, and who executes it. It is much more effective when teachers know why they are doing the work and feel more involved in the process. A change in thinking about strategic planning is needed at all levels involved (Marin & Leinbach, 2014).