School Year Resolutions: Have You Made Yours?

Most people jot out New Year’s resolutions in January. School leaders make their lists in July.

From student achievement to parent and staff engagement, everybody on your team should have at least one big-ticket aspirational goal circled at the top of their to-do list.

To help, we huddled with our editors to create this roundup of school-year resolutions by department, with links to practical examples for each.

Build trust and get community buy-in for your strategic vision

At the Isaac School District (Ariz.), school leaders asked the community for feedback.

Give students a voice in what and how they learn

In Manassas City (Va.), administrators set up an online portal for students to ask questions, share ideas and seek advice.

Provide a safe way for students to report physical and social-emotional threats

After Parkland, the team at Klein ISD (Texas) created a secure place where students and parents could get important safety news, ask questions and report threats.

Make the district a top destination for families (reverse enrollment declines)

At Alief ISD (Texas), administrators used two-way communication and exceptional customer service to woo families back–and it worked.

Reply to every parent inquiry in the first week of school (no, really)

At the Richmond County School System (Ga.), transportation officials received more than 1,000 parent inquiries in the first week of school–and answered all of them.

Be more transparent with teachers and staff

At the Fort Bend Independent School District (Texas), teachers and staff have 24/7 access to a branded HR portal, where they can ask questions and seek professional advice.

Improve staff efficiency by responding faster to questions and IT tickets

At the Fall River Public Schools (Mass.), IT administrators set up an online portal to keep classes and instructors up and running.

Get parents and community members to back your spending plan

At Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.), administrators issued a community-wide “call to action” around the district’s latest budget proposal–and parents and others are weighing in.

As you soak in the last weeks of summer, have you made your school year resolutions? Tell us in the comments. Want to see how K12 Insight and Let’s Talk! can you help keep your resolutions? Get a free demo.