TVSC Administration Provides ‘Valley Insight’
By Brett R. Boggs, Superintendent of Schools Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation
It Takes a Leader to Raise Up a Leader
This is the first in a series of monthly Valley Insight articles to be written during the 2013-2014 school year by members of the Tippecanoe Valley Administrative team. Each will focus on Valley’s Hedgehog Concept, “Student Success through Character Education, Leadership and Literacy,” and how it relates to what happens daily in our schools.
The Hedgehog Concept reflects what our schools are passionate about, what we are best at and what drives our educational engine. This year’s Valley Insight articles will focus specifically on instructional practices and leadership.
Developing the leadership potential of students, staff and members of our community is a passion at Tippecanoe Valley. Developing strong and effective leaders will determine the future success of our organization, our community and our world.
In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell states, “If you want to be a leader, the good news is that you can do it. Everyone has the potential, but it isn’t accomplished overnight. It requires perseverance. It takes a lifetime.”
Opportunities to develop and enhance the leadership skills of students, staff, and community members will be plentiful during the 2013-2014 school years. During the second semester of the past school year, Tippecanoe Valley participated in a voluntary accreditation review process that included an external review by a team of highly qualified evaluators –a rigorous process that included examination of evidence and relevant data, interviews with stakeholders and observations of instruction, learning and operations.
As a result of the external review, the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation will, later this month, initiate a strategic planning process that will continue through most of the first semester. It will feature the systemic and systematic creation of an inclusive, long-range plan to incorporate and support the vision of the corporation into the future. The creation of a current, valid strategic plan that conscientiously reflects the views and needs of the corporation’s stakeholders can, and should, serve as a living document to guide the school board and administrative decisions regarding resource allocations for the next several years.
A strategic planning committee of approximately 30 of the corporation’s stakeholders – students, staff, parents and community members – will begin the strategic planning process in late August and conclude it in December with a presentation to the school board. During that time, committee members will revisit the corporation’s beliefs and core values. The corporation’s vision will be reestablished and its mission statement will be redefined.
Committee members will also have the opportunity to serve on one of four subcommittees: Student Achievement; Curriculum, Instruction and Evaluation; Communication, Marketing and Community Relations; and Facilities and Finance.
The subcommittees will be co-chaired by committee members. The strategic planning process will present an opportunity for new leaders to emerge because of the impact of other leaders mentoring them along the way.
According to John Maxwell, “It takes a leader to raise up a leader.” At Tippecanoe Valley, we welcome with great passion the challenge of raising up strong, effective leaders. Our future depends on it!