LeadingReading block in every schoolDone · January 2026
Lagging
Measures
Leading and lagging measures
Pair the yearly result with the work that should move it, so you see trouble early.
Planning resources · K-12
Strategic Plans people can see working.
Short, practical guides for superintendents, cabinet and board members: setting goals, choosing measures, running the work, and reporting it to your community.
Guides
- The planning cycle · 2
- Goals · 1
- Measures · 3
- Running the work · 2
- Reporting · 1
Average daily attendance94.6%Looks healthy
Chronically absent13%About 1 in 8 students
Measures
Attendance: two numbers, two stories
Average daily attendance can look healthy while one student in eight is chronically absent.
The planning cycle
From listening sessions to a board vote
What happens in the year before a Strategic Plan is adopted, and who belongs in the room.
Goal 1Every Student Known and Supported
Goal 2Learning That Prepares Every Graduate
Goal 3Great People in Every Role
Goal 4Responsible Stewardship
Goals
Fewer, sharper goals
Four goals families can repeat beat eleven they can't. How to cut and combine.
Measures
A measure families can read
One number, a starting point, a goal line and one sentence of context.
Running the work
90-day action cycles
Turn a five-year strategy into three short sprints, each with an owner and a measure.
Running the work
Small tests before big rollouts
Try a change in two schools, study it, then decide. Plan, Do, Study, Act.
82%Students who belongOn target
70%K–2 readingOn target
91.2%Graduation rateOn target
91%Teacher retentionOn target
Reporting
A public scorecard people trust
Show the misses next to the wins, and say when each number was last updated.
The planning cycle
Starting from a portrait of a graduate
Use the traits your community wants for graduates to choose your goals.
Northfield Public Schools is a fictional demo district. See it live (opens in a new tab).
See every example on a live Strategic Plan.
Click through Northfield's four goals and 24 measures. No sign-up.
Guides draw on published work from the District Management Group, Attendance Works, the Carnegie Foundation, the Alliance for Excellent Education and state education agencies. Each guide lists its sources.