North Shore Board of Ed. adopts strategic five-year plan

On Sept. 13, the North Shore School District Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo’s strategic five-year plan.
“Our big drivers are social emotional learning, building a more contemporary teaching and learning environment, and looking at achievement gaps to improve equity and diversity,” Giarrizzo said. “These are adaptive, high yield and high impact goals that demonstrate our forward-thinking and focus on the growth and evolution of our future.”
Each goal will be achieved through an implementation of clear action steps over the next five years. During the summer three planning teams were formed to develop these actionable steps, which will be accomplished in the short-term, in subsequent years, and on an on-going basis.

Teaching and Learning

The district plans to create a K-12 Curriculum Council to serve as a research and development group and ensure the North Shore curriculum remains current, purposeful and challenging. A subcommittee focusing on Contemporary Instruction will also be created to research innovative instructional practices that deepen student learning, foster engagement, and develop their skills.
In subsequent years, the district will enhance its instructional approaches to elicit student voice and empower them to drive their own learning environment. The planning team will also research how to best structure class time as a means to advance student discovery. The on-going goals for teaching and learning are to foster a culture where growth is the center of learning and promote North Shore as a leader in education.

Equity for All Learners
To ensure equity in the short-term, North Shore plans to develop and implement a K-12 anti-bias training program, and through hiring practices, increase the number of diverse role models for students and staff at all levels in the district.
In subsequent years, the district aims to close achievement gaps for all sub-groups across all domains of student growth and development. The district will also be a continuous proponent of environments that inspire a diverse student body, and develop an awareness and understanding of the host of attitudes, values, beliefs and experiences of the North Shore community.

Social-Emotional Learning
By 2019, the district plans to establish a multidisciplinary K-12 team to oversee the identification, development and support of social-emotional wellness, and develop approaches to address at-risk students and behaviors. Administrators will also ensure students’ social-emotional needs inform instructional and academic matters related to setting calendars and planning events.
In subsequent years, the SEL team will identify applicable research-based strategies to improve students’ well-being and increase opportunities for all students to engage in purposeful play, discovery, and productive struggle. Overall, the district will work to promote a school culture that is safe, nurturing, and aspirational.

Giarrizzo will host a town hall on Oct. 15, at 7 p.m., in the high school library to present the strategic plan.