Since 1997, Exploris Middle School in downtown Raleigh has taken a unique approach to global education. Each year, this highly respected public charter school provides some 200 sixth- to eighth-graders with perspectives and strategies that will equip them for life in an interconnected world. As its name indicates, the school continuously explores new ways to engage students in learning about the world and themselves, and its commitment to continuous improvement does not stop there.
The staff, board and parents have been keen for some time to increase the reach of Exploris’ successful and innovative approach to a broader group of students, so, in January 2013, the school requested that ESC help in the development of a long-term strategic plan.
Moving Forward with the Process
With an enthusiastic and highly motivated planning team of Exploris stakeholders in place, plan development progressed smoothly with the help of ESC facilitators. The Exploris director was especially pleased that the expertise of ESC consultants fit so well with their needs.
“The engagement with ESC surpassed our expectations in terms of both process and ultimate results,” said Exploris Director Summer Clayton. “We were impressed by the caliber of the consultants who brought a broad and complementary group of skills. They were a really dynamic group of people, each with their own areas of expertise, and they worked so well together to offer insights and perspectives that we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.”
Creating a Comprehensive Plan
The result of the strategic planning engagement was a comprehensive plan with clear long-term goals and strategies to achieve them. Exploris’ board enthusiastically approved the plan, and it proved to be a call to action both for them and for the broader group of stakeholders. Clayton said, “It is incredible how quickly we have progressed with the steps set out in our plan.”
Exploris is set to expand to admitting grades kindergarten through eighth grade, a change that will involve the addition of 300 to 400 students. The school has already submitted a request for change to its charter and is moving ahead with plans to secure larger premises downtown in order to offer the new classes by summer 2014.
“Exploris has always been a great school, but its impact was limited by its size,” said Shannon Hardy, a member of the staff at Exploris. “ESC helped us to unite everyone in a shared sense of excitement about an expanded future for the school. ESC consultants were the catalyst that will take our organization from good to great.”