Superintendent Entry Plan 2024 (English)
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ENTRY PLAN
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SUPERINTENDENT
Dr. Julious Lawson
FOCUS
Building a collaborative
relationship with the Board.
Engaging stakeholders to gain
insight on strengths and
opportunities.
Establishing structures to
provide transparent and
regular communications.
Understanding the district’s
current systems and
opportunities for improvement.
CREATING A FOUNDATION UPON WHICH WE CAN DELIVER
EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCEPTION
FOR OUR COMMUNITY, FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR OUR STUDENTS.
High Expectations
for Student Learning
Student Social and Emotional
Well-Being
Dedicated and High-Quality
Team
Positive Climate and Safe
Environment
Efficient Operations
Engaged and Invested
Community
GOALS
Equity
Integrity
Inclusion
Collaboration
Respect
Innovation
VALUES
A portion of this entry plan work began before the superintendent’s official
start date of July 1st, focusing on key priorities for the district. This work is
ongoing and remains in progress to best serve our students and community.
As Superintendent, I aspire to focus our efforts on creating vibrant learning spaces where
caring and talented adults are engaging all students in rich experiences so they can excel
academically. I will collaborate with stakeholders to create opportunities that build upon
what has already propelled the district thus far. It will take our collective effort and
commitment to reach our goals for the students of Zion Elementary School District 6.
ENTRY PLAN
PRIORITIES & ACTIONS
ACTION STEPS
1.1 Review the structures in place to convene key district and
community leaders around issues of chronic absenteeism,
homelessness, emergency supports, and out-of-school time.
1.2 Assess possibilities to expand summer, after-school, and
co-curricular programming activities in collaboration with
community agencies, and key stakeholders.
1.3 Review how we receive feedback and respond to
feedback from students, staff, parents, and community
members regarding school climate and school safety issues.
1.4 Review and assess our school/district suspension and
expulsion data, with a particular focus on violent offenses
within and around our schools.
1.5 Review individual school climate data.
1.6 Review our approach to student and staff mental
health support and determine whether we are appropriately
investing in coordinated mental health supports and services
for students and staff.
1.7 Assess the investments that have been made to
restorative practices and positive behavior, intervention,
and support programs.
ASSESS STUDENT AND
STAFF WELL BEING
PRIORITY Creating a safe and supportive
environment for students and staff is vital for their
success. To ensure this, I will lead an intentional and
collaborative approach towards creating a safe
environment for adults and students alike. I will
engage key stakeholders to build a safety net for
students and staff to learn and grow.
I am committed to offering our students access to
healthy, meaningful activities that cultivate positive
mindsets. I strongly believe that this approach will
allow our students to realize their full potential,
thus empowering them to become productive
citizens.
ACTION STEPS
2.1 Launch a listening and learning tour to understand the
exact priorities and needs of the district and community.
2.2 Meet with key leaders in consultation with the Board of
Education President and Vice President, Mayor, City Council,
state officials and legislative delegation, faith-based
community, business leaders, and community members.
2.3 Host town hall sessions in-person and via Zoom meetings
with students, parents, teachers, administrators, support staff,
other school-based staff, and district office employees to
understand what is working and what are areas of growth.
2.4 Initiate discussions and communicate with our union
partners to establish a culture of respect and trust.
2.5 Evaluate internal communication protocols, including social
media strategy, to determine how system-wide messages are
understood by board members, principals, instructional staff,
non-instructional staff, and district office staff.
2.6 Schedule Board of Education retreats/work sessions to
review communication protocols, year 1 priorities, and the
superintendent evaluation process.
2.7 Assess the current state of the district’s external
communication and engagement efforts, as well as evaluate
the quality of district and school websites.
PRIORITY To foster a healthy and productive
learning environment, we must begin by actively
listening to one another. As partners in the shared
mission of promoting student success, it's essential
that we work together in an atmosphere of mutual
trust and respect. We need to be mindful of the
hopes and aspirations of our community – from
students and families to staff, township and state
leaders, unions, universities, activists, and business
leaders. Furthermore, we must develop robust
communication frameworks to ensure that we are
communicating effectively with one another, both
internally and externally.
ENGAGE OUR
STAKEHOLDERS
AND BUILD TRUST
ASSESS TEACHING
AND LEARNING
PRIORITY We beleive in “Excellence
Without Exception”. Toward that end,
high-quality teaching and learning that results
in improved academic achievement is our goal.
Unfortunately, the Covid-19 crisis caused
significant disruption to student learning. As a
result, our instructional program requires greater
coherence to provide teachers and schools with
the necessary resources to prioritize educational
excellence. Preparing students for high school
success is a shared responsibility among all
district staff, partners, and volunteers at Zion
Elementary School District 6.
ACTION STEPS
3.1 Develop a process for frequent and structured school
visits to observe and support school improvement efforts.
3.2 Assess the current process of school improvement
planning (including School Improvement Plans) and
ensure that schools have a clear multi-tiered system of
support for students.
3.3 Assess current professional development efforts
to support administrative, instructional, and
non-instructional staff and how the budget emphasizes
an investment in staff development.
3.4 Assess the coherence of the district’s academic
frameworks.
3.5 Focus on areas of academic under-performance and
ensure strategies are in place to address root causes of
student achievement trends.
3.6 Determine how comprehensive and research-based
the current curricula are and to what degree they are
aligned to standards and allow for student
achievement/growth.
3.7 Assess student and staff attendance rates, and other
metrics to support progress toward identified goals.
ASSESS DISTRICT LEADERSHIP
CAPACITY AND ALIGNMENT
PRIORITY It is essential for Zion Elementary
School District 6 to have a high-performing,
collaborative, and results-oriented culture. To
make sure that we operate as a highly effective
team with a professional culture, we will be
intentional about assessing and building the
capacity of our leadership to achieve established
goals. As author Jim Collins states, “We will
ensure that we have the right people on the
bus and in the right seats.” We will not get to
excellence by accident. It will be by design.
ACTION STEPS
4.1 Conduct one-on-one meetings with all direct reports.
4.2 Administer leadership assessment inventories to get
to know executive leadership better.
4.3 Conduct a retreat with senior staff to review the
district’s priorities, most recent achievement data,
review current and anticipated vacancies, and discuss
leadership team structures and practices.
4.4 Review current office structure, alignment, and
capacity to achieve established goals.
4.5 Assess the autonomy and authority of school leaders
(Principals/APs) in the current organizational structure.
PRIORITY To meet the needs
of all students in the Zion
Elementary School District, it
is critical that operations and
finance align with Board policy,
and represent excellence and
transparency. Each department
will be appraised to determine
how they maximize support
and services to schools using a
continuous improvement model.
Additionally, we will assess the
quality of facilities and related
plans.
ACTION STEPS
5.1 Conduct one-on-one meetings with direct reports on operations, human
resources, and budget, including use of ESSR funds and how local, state, and
federal grants are being utilized and evaluated.
5.2 Review the district’s fund balance, financial projections, resource allocation
and budgeting processes; assess how the district’s budget and budget process
are aligned to support student achievement.
5.3 Conduct meetings with the district’s legal team to review any recent/current
legal proceedings or outstanding judgments against the district and to provide
a briefing on state education code with attention to statutes currently impacting
or likely to impact the district.
5.4 Review the assessments of the District’s facilities conditions and actions to
determine alignment with improving student achievement guided by the Goals
and Guardrails and the facilities planning process.
5.5 Review key district financial materials, budget, most recent audit, grants,
and any other reports and audits.
5.6 Review current labor contracts and schedules.
ASSESS DISTRICT OPERATIONS, FACILITIES AND FINANCE
SUPERINTENDENT
Dr. Julious Lawson
2800 29th Street
Zion, IL 60099
jlawson@zion6.org
847.872.5455
EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCEPTION
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