Caitlin Maynard

ITEC 8500
Reflection – Standard 1.2

1.2 Strategic Planning - Facilitate the design, development, implementation, communication, and
evaluation of technology-infused strategic plans.
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I completed the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis and the
Action/Evaluation Plan as projects in ITEC 7410, Instructional Technology Leadership, in the Spring of
2020. The SWOT Analysis assesses the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in relation to
technology and technology use at Russell Middle School (RMS). Through the lens of eight International
Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Essential Conditions, I was able to analyze our school’s
performance and propose a series of recommendations to increase effectiveness and overall success.
The Action/Evaluation Plan takes the recommendations from the SWOT Analysis to create a set of five
goals for the school and a complimentary action plan to meet those goals.

As a part of the Visionary Leadership standard, Element 1.2 requires the design, development,
implementation, communication, and evaluation of a strategic plan that is technology-infused. The
design and development of the strategic plan for RMS was first completed through personal reflection
and a series of interviews and questionnaires from my administration and colleagues, all of which
addressed the instructional practices and technology implementation at RMS for the SWOT Analysis.
Following that was the design and development of the Action/Evaluation Plan, turning the opportunities
into goals for growth. Communicating the strategic plan was a multi-step process. First, my
administrators were notified of the plan’s creation in a meeting I had requested. I told them why it was
important to create the SWOT Analysis, the Action/Evaluation Plan that developed from it, and how
RMS could benefit from its implementation. Then, I provided an overview of the plan to our Leadership
Team and later sat down with the Instructional Coach and Media Specialist to discuss our next steps in
communicating the plan with the remaining faculty and staff members, students, and their families. The
implementation of the strategic plan started in the early Summer of 2020 as we started preparing for
the 2020-2021 school year. All teachers take part in the action steps of the strategic plan and recognize
the importance of each goal for the sake of school improvement. The evaluation of the strategic plan is
an ongoing process and has proven the strategic plan to be a success so far. For example, Google
Classroom, the goal for Instructional Change, was an immediate focus as we stepped into online learning
for the Fall, and the strategies that I had created have already proved to be profitable. As faculty
members have input, I reflect on the plan and make revisions as needed.

While I was working on the SWOT Analysis for this course, I was attending the Georgia High School
Thespian Conference as a chaperone with the local high school troupe. At that point in my life, I had
never heard of a SWOT Analysis; I just thought it as something I had to complete for my course. On the
trip, I realized that one of the students had created a presentation that highlighted the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for the high school’s troupe and a plan for a successful show
season. I learned that a SWOT Analysis is applicable to any situation and while the process creates a
state of vulnerability that some may want to avoid, it is necessary in order to focus on what is best for
the organization, or in this case, the school, the faculty, and the students. As with the Shared Vision, I
do wish I had gathered more input from outside stakeholders. While I think my findings are still valid,
there could have been a deeper level of quality achieved when looking at the goals set by the
Action/Evaluation Plan. In the eyes of a student or a family member, are the goals for student learning
actually achievable? Do they have value? In gathering this information, I could have ensured the overall
validity and success of the strategic plan.

The work that went into these artifacts impacted school improvement in a number of ways. First,
the SWOT Analysis provided a much-needed assessment of school practices and policies in terms of the
ISTE Essential Conditions. From that, the Action/Evaluation Plan laid out a clear set of goals and action
steps that had an immediate effect on school improvement. Additionally, the Action/Evaluation Plan
highlighted areas of faculty development and student learning by setting up for the implementation of
more focused professional learning opportunities and the integration of the ISTE Standards for Students
into their academic classes. The impact of the SWOT Analysis and the Action/Evaluation Plan can both
be assessed through faculty and staff feedback after professional learning sessions, student progress in
ISTE standard mastery, and School Improvement Plan competition.