September  - October 2023

• Beginning in September, ten to twelve-person Focus Group meetings will be held on topics related to the pillars. Stakeholders may participate in one focus group, but not more than one, so that the perspectives reflect input from as many different individuals as possible. 

November 2023

• A community survey will be conducted, which allows stakeholders to comment on topics specific to all of the strategic plan pillars and more. 

December 2023 - January 2024

• The Strategic Plan committee will conduct a qualitative analysis of information gathered from stakeholders, including the summary of all focus group input and survey data. 
• The information will be organized into themes of related items, and themes will be named in a way that captures their essence, which will help to refine and enhance understanding of the goals that should be adopted.  

February  - March 2024

• An Executive Summary will be presented to faculty and staff, and each department will provide further feedback on the emerging themes and proposed goals.

April 2024

• The Strategic Plan framework will be presented to and endorsed by the Board of Directors.

May 2024

• The strategic plan will be announced to the school community, and work will begin to allocate budget dollars for strategic priorities and to integrate the plan into division and department-level operational plans.

Each focus group will have 10 - 12 participants. Focus groups take place in person in the Chen Family Lower School Conference Room, from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted in the schedule.

Each group will be led by a facilitator from the School’s senior leadership team, who will ask a series of questions and who will keep the group on the topic, listen, and ask good follow-up questions. 

There will be a recorder who assists the facilitator, capturing in writing the essence of what participants are sharing. 

By the nature of focus groups, the conversations are not “confidential” because the information will be shared with and used by decision-makers to guide the strategic plan, however, the conversations are “private” because no names or identifying information will be shared with decision-makers, and we will ask all focus group participants to keep the conversation “in the room.” 

Focus groups will be organized by pillar topics. So that conversations can be in-depth, facilitators will keep participants focused on a series of questions related to their topic. The following is an overview of how the topics and conversations will be focused. You are encouraged to review these prior to selecting which focus group topic you’d like to participate in.

• Community Culture: Refers to the set of values, beliefs, and customs that bind the school community. The community culture focus group discussions will focus on the school’s values, traditions, and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Focus groups are structured based on Lower and Upper school and participant discussion will focus on that school specifically.
• Distinct Academics: The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a global leader in international education—developing inquiring, knowledgeable, confident, and caring young people. ISI pairs the IB program with language immersion and dual language learning in three languages. The distinct academics focus group discussions will delve into the academic program, including the PYP, MYP, DP, and language learning, as well as the extracurricular activities that support the formal program. Focus Group participation will be based on a specific program area; pre-elementary, elementary, middle school, or high school.
• Sustainability: For the purpose of our planning, we define sustainability as having access to the resources, financial and otherwise, necessary to achieve the school’s mission in both the short and long term. Common challenges to sustainability for schools like ours include balancing tuition increases, financial aid, and competitive salaries, building endowment and managing debt, and maintaining the campus, facilities, and assets. Focus group discussions will center on these topics and be organized by Lower School and Upper School sustainability topics. 
• Engagement: Healthy schools have healthy relationships with their community – Engagement can include: Student Engagement, Student-Teacher-Principal Engagement, and Engagement with the business and non-profit community. For the purpose of planning, Focus group discussions will be organized by Lower School and Upper School engagement topics. 
• Recruitment & Retention: student recruitment and retention are essential to the mission of our school and to the needed revenue to accomplish the school’s mission. Focus groups will be organized by topic, Lower School Recruitment and Retention, Middle School Recruitment and Retention, and High School Recruitment and Retention. 

The focus group facilitator (a member of the ISI senior leadership team) will ask a series of questions. Though the following may not reflect the exact questions, it is reflective of the nature of the questions, and participants are asked to prepare for sessions by giving thought to the following questions and coming prepared to discuss. 

• What do you see as the key strengths of ISI on the focus group topic?
• What do you see as ISI’s weaknesses/needed improvement on the focus group topic?
• What are the critical issues related to the focus group topic that ISI needs to face over the next three to five years?
• What do you see as key opportunities ISI should prioritize related to the focus group topic in its strategic plan?

So that the strategic plan reflects a broad range of perspectives, individuals are asked to participate in just one focus group meeting and encouraged to select the topic that they are most passionate/knowledgeable about. 

Unless otherwise stated, each session will take place in the Chen building conference room from 8:15 to 9:30 A.M. The following is a summary of the available focus group discussions that families may select from:

• September 18 - Community Culture: Upper School Culture
• September 19 - Distinct Academics: Pre-Elementary Academics
• September 20 - Distinct Academics: Elementary Academics
• September 21 - Distinct Academics: Middle School Academics
• September 25 - Distinct Academics: High School Academics
• September 26 - Recruitment & Retention: Lower School Recruitment and Retention
• September 27 - Recruitment & Retention: Middle School Recruitment and Retention
• October 2 - Recruitment & Retention: High School Recruitment and Retention
• October 16 - Sustainability: Upper School Sustainability
• October 17 - MYP Students: Middle School MYP Students, Space to be announced, during lunch hour
• October 18 - MYP Students: High School MYP Students, Taurel Conference Room, during lunch hour
• October 23 - DP Students: Grade 12 DP Students, Taurel Conference Room, during lunch hour
• October 24 - Engagement: Lower School Engagement
• October 24 - DP Students: Grade 11 DP Students, Taurel Conference Room, during lunch hour
• October 24 - Employees: Lower School Faculty and Staff, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
• October 25 - Engagement: Upper School Engagement
• October 26 - Sustainability: Lower School Sustainability
• October 26 - Employees: Upper School Faculty and Staff, 3:45 - 4:45 p.m.
• October 27 - Employees: Administrative, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
• October 30 - Community Culture: Lower School Culture
• October 30 - Alumni Engagement: Virtual Alumni Group, Noon EST via Zoom
• October 30 - Alumni Engagement: Virtual Alumni Group, 3:00 p.m. EST via Zoom