• Acceleration Schools Strategic Plan

  • LINK:  Strategic Plan Summary  | Spanish 

    Strategic Plan SummaryCCSD believes that education is the great equalizer to level the playing field for students by advancing opportunity and access for every student in Acceleration Schools.  Zip Codes should not dictate the success of students. Closing the achievement gaps between demographic groups by providing the necessary resources and coordinated support from each central office department is imperative.  By using the turnaround framework, Charleston County School District will excel and sustain improvements in our 14 Acceleration Schools. 

    School systems must create conditions that enable and inspire teachers and students to achieve their full potential.  When we fail to educate and dramatically change the trajectory and performance of students in high-need schools, we then need to assess our efforts.  Our purpose is to disrupt existing practices in high need schools to ensure sustainable success.  To achieve lasting change, we must redesign how we support schools and commit to collaboration with schools and the community to solve our most critical challenges.  

    Acceleration Schools has adopted a turnaround model that is research-based and focuses on interrupting systemic barriers to equity. Our strategic plan is focused on 4 major levers that guide our investment of resources, time, and innovative interventions for the benefit of children and schools: Turnaround Leadership, Talent Development; Instructional Infrastructure; and Climate and Culture. 

    School turnaround is hard work; it is not a linear process with defined steps that guarantee positive results.  Nor are there any magic bullets or step by step process that ensures success.  Based on research by Design Thinking for Educators, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”  Wherever they fall on the spectrum of scale – from an interaction with a student, to engaging parents, to managing your schedule, to developing a whole new process to system-wide reform – the challenges facing educators are real and complex.  And they require new perspectives, new tools, and new approaches. 

    We are taking a bold, comprehensive approach to transform learning and make rapid improvement in closing the achievement gap and providing equity for every student.  Goals to enhance equity in the aforementioned areas allows us to be intentional and purposeful in achieving equity.  By bringing stakeholders together from the community, parents, students, school leaders, and district personnel, we are stating that this effort is a priority and one that will provide sustainability for years to come.

    This document provides a summary of our goals, strategies, and metrics that will  determine growth and proof points of success.