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Strategic
Planning Overview
Schools, like other organizations, need to
periodically clarify their purpose, determine what
is important to them as an organization, and plan
for the future. It is critical that limited
resources and energies are concentrated towards
school priorities. This, in many ways, is what
strategic planning is all about and is the process
that the school has been undergoing..
The extensive surveys conducted with parents,
teachers, and students late last year and the
ongoing evaluations of all aspects of our school by
staff, students, and parents, has provided us with
the critical information we needed to begin this
process. In 2005, a group made up of school parents,
students, teachers, administrators, and Board of
Advisory members, met together with the school’s
owner, Mr. Abdul Ghafoor. During this time the
participants reviewed and redefined the school’s
core values, the parameters by which the school
defines itself, established a new mission statement,
and agreed upon five key strategic objectives that
will become the school’s focus over the next five
years.
ASK's Mission
Statement
The American School of Kuwait educates the whole
child to become a productive, life-long learner who
thinks critically, acts with integrity, and is
equipped to excel in American higher education.
We believe that the new mission statement promotes a
vision for ASK students to:
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act with integrity
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strive for excellence
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think critically
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It is hoped, that in future years, all ASK students
will recognize, and be recognized by these
qualities, and that the school will truly live its
mission and vision.
What is Strategic Planning?
It’s a systematic way to plan for the future,
consisting of many steps in sequence.
It makes us clarify our purpose in life (our
mission), what constraints we have to work within
(our parameters), and what things are important to
us (our core values)
It presents us with important choices that will
determine how we will achieve our aims, and what
time, people, and money may be needed – this
ultimately determines what we will critically
concentrate on (our strategic objectives)
The choices we make will almost certainly involve
trade-offs between positive and negative outcomes.
ASK's Core Values
What do we care deeply about—together ?
We believe in:
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Educating the whole child.
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Preparing students through a
challenging, integrated academic
program.
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Developing critical thinking.
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Fostering confidence, independence and
self-worth.
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Maintaining a safe, secure and healthy
environment.
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Developing individuals who demonstrate
integrity, respect, responsibility and
accountability.
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Communicating openly for better
understanding.
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Promoting greater awareness,
understanding and appreciation of our
diverse community.
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Pursuing excellence.
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ASK's Parameters
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The school is subject to regulation by
the Government of Kuwait.
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In accordance with Kuwaiti law, the
school is proprietary and school
governance finalizes all major
decisions.
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The school adheres to a sustainable
financial plan based primarily upon
tuition payments.
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The school will respect local culture
without compromising core values.
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The school offers an accredited,
co-educational, Pre-K to Grade 12
program aligned with U.S. standards and
practices.
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The school’s priority is an academic
program of instruction that prepares
students for an American college or
university education.
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All programs must be consistent with the
school’s mission and financially
sustainable, with provision made for
staff resources and professional
development.
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The professional staff will be highly
qualified and committed to the school’s
core values.
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The school does not tolerate behavior
that is unsafe or unethical, or that
interferes in any way with the school’s
mission.
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The school will not retain any employee
or student who impedes the pursuit of
the overall mission or who cannot
subscribe to the school’s core values.
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Strategic
Objectives
What will we focus on and how will we know we are
making progress?
By June 2010
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ASK students will demonstrate improved
academic achievement in English language
skills.
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ASK students will demonstrate
improvement in assuming responsibility,
demonstrating respect, integrity, and
leadership skills.
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ASK will demonstrate improved
communication throughout the school
community.
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ASK will demonstrate improved
integration of technology across all
subject areas.
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ASK will demonstrate improved
facilities.
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For each of these strategic objectives a detailed
action plan has been developed. This will enable us
to map the tasks that need to be completed over the
next five years in order to achieve our objectives
and meet our targets. |
