CLIENT EXAMPLE
Grand Rapids Public Schools
CHALLENGE
Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) serves an urban community with more than 14,000 students representing over 70 countries with more than 75 home languages. Seventy-eight percent of GRPS students are eligible for free or reduced meals. With the arrival of a new superintendent, the Board of Education selected Greenway Strategy Group as its consulting partner to develop a strategic plan with extensive community engagement. It was extremely important to the GRPS Board and community to have deep, authentic and accessible stakeholder involvement in the strategic plan. Toward this end, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation funded additional stakeholder engagement opportunities, as well as a Community Advisory Committee to ensure inclusive engagement in languages and locations across the community.
OUR APPROACH
Analyzed past school district performance and stakeholder input
Conducted focus groups with students, parents, principals, teachers, support service union representatives, student support partners, faith leaders, philanthropists, and business leaders
Worked collaboratively with community organizations to support them to facilitate their own stakeholder input sessions with their constituents
Prepared a detailed presentation of analysis findings which was presented to the public
Community partners and school district staff were included throughout the strategic plan design, including a Design Session with more than 130 participants
After the draft strategic plan framework was reviewed with the Board, conducted additional focus groups and a community-wide survey to solicit feedback on the draft framework and ideas for implementation
Following the approval of the strategic plan framework by the Board of Education, trained and coached Strategy Teams including internal employees and external partners to recommend strategic initiatives by conducting research on effective practices, examining stakeholder input, and reviewing district performance data
Facilitated design of action plans for strategic initiatives to be implemented in the first stage
Created a formal, graphically designed strategic plan report for public release, detailing the process and the strategic plan components
IMPACT
The Board-approved GRPS Strategic Plan sets a new course for the district based on the context of the current academic, social, emotional, public health, and economic environment of its community. The strategic plan is aligned with an equity vision, which will be attained by driving the strategic plan toward a set of priority student outcomes that represent the greatest opportunities to enhance student success.
Leveraging the extensive, community-wide engagement of all stakeholders through the strategic planning process, GRPS saw 75% of voters approve a $305 million bond initiative the November following strategic plan approval. The vast majority of the funds are being deployed to make major renovations to school buildings in an effort to provide optimal learning environments for children throughout the city. This is enabling implementation of the GRPS first-stage strategic plan initiative: To ensure all GPRS schools are valued options for families. Accomplishments include a realignment plan addressing all schools and program options, facility plans for each individual district facility, and a dashboard demonstrating progress across all areas of the strategic plan.