Inspiring Leaders:

The Embodiment of Excellence

  • Every few years we embark on a comprehensive, reflective planning process, the results of which are intended to focus Foote’s energy and resources for long-term success.

  • We are excited to share with you the results of this process, which informed our development of a new Strategic Plan for the school.

  • Our inspired vision for the future is one that leads with compassion and courage, embraces diversity and discovery, and encourages our students to be their authentic selves.

  • We are honored to be part of your Foote family and excited for the journey ahead, throughout which we welcome your continued partnership and support.

Background

& Context

During the 2021–22 academic year, The Foote School launched a comprehensive strategic planning process.  Through a highly inclusive and participatory process, the strategic plan was developed to provide a long-range view of school priorities. A steering committee was formed and the school enlisted the assistance of a research and planning firm, Ian Symmonds & Associates.  The Strategic Planning Steering Committee worked collaboratively to establish priorities based upon the findings of the research. 

Each of these strategic goals contains several strategic initiatives and numerous action plans.  The strategic initiatives and action plans benefit from having additional implementation details, such as estimated costs and metrics of success, to be further developed in the planning process and will be utilized as the school moves forward on the execution of the strategic plan.

Strategic Priorities

Action plans and initiatives

Establish experiential learning as our primary pedagogy, utilizing the outdoors and New Haven as our canvas.

Learn by Doing

  • Make experiential learning opportunities pervasive – enhancing interdisciplinary applied learning experiences.​

  • Identify and implement methods to embed sustainability​.

  • Explore and expand the use of the Woods and Garden​.

  • Investigate national and international travel for students​.

Prioritize excellence as a hallmark of the Foote experience.

Unparalleled Professional Experience

  • Initiate new strategies to recruit, hire and retain the best educators in the world for the students we serve.​

  • Continue to deepen our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice to serve as a beacon of best practices in our region. ​

  • Continue to develop the governance capacity at the trustee level to ensure the school lives its mission and vision. ​

  • Provide world-class professional development so that teachers meet the needs of a wide variety of learners, increasing their sense of belonging to our Foote community.​

  • Expand the leadership capacity of the faculty and students in all of the ways that leadership can be expressed.​

Build authentic relationships so that the school lives its mission to develop leaders who are prepared, connected, and responsible to each other and to our local and global communities.

Community Connections

  • Continue to strengthen our service learning program by creating an integrated curriculum that develops and fosters students’ sense of connectedness, responsibility and joy in contributing to the world on a local, national and international level. ​

  • Find alignments, identify points of collaboration, and leverage the resources within the greater New Haven community. ​

  • Promote civic involvement, and social and environmental justice awareness, while creating lasting relationships with organizations and individuals in the greater New Haven community​.

Develop a comprehensive and integrated health and wellness program that fosters social, emotional, physical and academic well being.

Wellness at Our Core

  • Enhance the health and wellness programming to ensure it is comprehensive and reflects best practice and current research. ​

  • Strive for a healthy and well community as a primary marker of institutional effectiveness.

Design/redesign campus spaces and facilities to foster belonging, well being and experiential learning.

A Place for Discovery and Belonging

  • Develop a master plan for campus spaces, buildings and facilities. ​

  • Develop the campus to be accessible and safe to all with a core value of inclusivity. ​

  • Establish separate and ongoing sustainability goals for future and existing buildings, landscaping and programming. ​

Utilize our financial resources to optimize and achieve future enrollment goals.

Charting Our Future

  • Explore alternative forms of delivery that will allow Foote to expand our footprint, reach new audiences, diversify our community, increase our impact, and enhance our revenue. ​

  • Explore different tuition models to ensure the school is accessible, diverse and financially sustainable. ​

  • Continue to develop grades K, 3 and 6 as entry points for Foote. ​

  • Develop robust programming for before and after school hours for Foote and non-Foote community members. ​

  • The ninth grade as a possible “bridge” year.​

Clarify and communicate our identity in the marketplace through brand work and marketing.

Affirming Our Identity

  • Complete a strategic branding assessment with a third-party expert to identify opportunities, priorities and recommendations for the future.  ​

  • Reassess and refine our visual identity and key messaging using the strategic plan priorities as a foundation for better telling our story. ​

  • Develop an integrated marketing and communications campaign that incorporates our primary teaching and learning pedagogy as a flagship point of differentiation in our marketplace​.