WESTTOWN SCHOOL Strategic Plan Approved November 7, 2005

Guided by the essential Quaker calling to seek out and honor that of God in each of us, Westtown School challenges its students to realize their individual gifts while learning and living together in a diverse community. Westtown inspires and prepares its graduates to be stewards and leaders of a better world. Westtown School Mission Statement, December, 2004

Presented by the Strategic Planning Working Group: John Baird (Head of School), Ellen Gilbert (Director of Advancement), and Heather Hoerle (Board of Trustees), co-clerks; Tom Hay, Annette Hearing, and John McKinstry (faculty), Bruce Haines (Board of Trustees), Yvonne Edmonds and Bob Roche (parents), and Joe Marchese (Dean of Faculty).

Introduction to the Strategic Plan Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come, that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone. George Fox, Founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), 1656

When George Fox spoke these words 350 years ago, he had a vision that humanitys true spiritual nature could be sought within each person, and that this seeking could transform the world. In 1799, Westtown School was founded on Foxs vision and for over 200 years has been committed to Foxs call to be patterns, be examples. Now, in 2005-2006, we remain committed to being a leading Quaker school and a center for Friends education, even as we seek ways to express Quaker values in the twenty- first century. Westtown School has always been an intellectual center and, in the next five years and beyond, Westtown will continue to grow as a school characterized by distinguished teaching and great thinking and learning. It will continue to help students become critical thinkers about the curriculum and the world in which they live, educating for academic excellence, encouraging spiritual growth, and fostering a sense of social justice and personal integrity. While Westtowns original purpose, to provide an education for young Friends rooted in Quaker values and testimonies, continues to be central to Westtown in 20052006, our understanding of what is important to Westtowns educational program continues to evolve. Today, we see new ways to be patterns and examples. Because of this evolving understanding, it now seems important to include more explicitly concerns for multiculturalism and environmental sustainability. Drawing on the Quaker concept of that of God in everyone, Westtown wishes to embrace a definition of multiculturalism and diversity that includes race, ethnicity, language, gender, social class, sexual orientation, and religion. We understand that our community will be enriched and our students better prepared for participation in the global community by the contributions of people of varying backgrounds and experiences. The appreciation of the Schools beautiful 600 acre campus, emphasis on responsible stewardship of the land, and growing concern about damage to the global environment have led to an expanded commitment to teaching and modeling a way of life that will create a sustainable future for the Earth. We believe that Westtown has an opportunity to become a leading educational witness on environmental issues while continuing to do the important work that has characterized the school for centuries. These newer concerns for diversity and the environment are evident throughout the following strategic plan as is our continued commitment to educational excellence, community building, spiritual growth, and development of the whole person.

The Strategic Planning Process In 2004, the Board of Trustees of Westtown School proposed to create a Strategic Plan that would chart Westtowns course for the next five years while remaining faithful to its origins and present responsibilities. The Board of Trustees asked that the plan look at all areas, thoroughly examining the schools strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, while also including data and information about larger trends in such areas as private secondary education, the economy, and demographics. The Board of Trustees appointed a Strategic Planning Working Group to research and write the Plan. It also drafted and approved the schools Mission Statement to guide the Strategic Planning Working Group through the planning process. In accordance with the Board of Trustees call, the Strategic Planning Working Group followed a thorough and inclusive strategic planning process, reviewing Westtowns many self- studies, 1 external data, and trend patterns about independent schools in general and Westtown in particular. Following this intensive review, the Working Group met with the schools various constituencies to gather input on their views of Westtowns strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. These meetings culminated in a two-day retreat with 70 people representing parents, alumni, staff, administrators, faculty, and the Board of Trustees. The findings from these study reviews and meetings were recorded and distilled by the schools consultants. The Working Group then synthesized this wealth of information into a draft of the Strategic Plan. Separate components of the draft were reviewed by various committees, and the entire plan was reviewed by the community, the faculty and staff, and the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees approved the plan November 7, 2005. The plan itself is divided into three sections Program, People, and Progress each dealing with a central part of what makes Westtown work. The Strategic Planning Working Group emphasizes that this is a strategic plan, not a comprehensive one. We have been comprehensive in that we have looked at all aspects of the school, but we are strategic in planning and goal-setting, recognizing that we must set priorities since our resources and time are limited.

These studies include the ten-year assessments for the Pennsylvania Association of Private Academic Schools (PAPAS), the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (1999), and a large number of more focused studies: the Residential Life Self-Study (1998), the Food Self-Study (2000), the Athletic SelfStudy (2000), the Technology Self-Study (2001), the Admission Task Force (2004), the Development/Institutional Advancement Audit (2004), the Crane Marketing Study (2004), the Young Alumni Survey (2004), and the Curriculum Self-Study (20012004).

I. PROGRAM Westtowns mission is to create stewards and leaders of a better world. To achie ve this goal, Westtown will challenge students to reach their full academic and human potential through a curriculum that is excellent and interdisciplinary; that includes spiritual and ethical education at every grade level; that nurtures global citizenry; that creates a culture of social action; that embraces and nurtures environmental sustainability. 1) Objective: Educate the whole child, developing critical and ethical thinkers who can communicate effectively, understand diverse perspectives, and fulfill their responsibilities in the wider world; and engage students both creatively and intellectually, providing a strong grounding in academics, the arts, and physical education which they can carry beyond Westtown to their personal and professional lives. a) Action Step: Evaluate the curriculum regularly through external reviews, alumni surveys, and investigation of educational trends, innovations, and college- level expectations. b) Action Step: Require departments and divisions to update and review curriculum maps regularly, using this extended dialogue and collaboration as a tool to promote curriculum renewal. c) Action Step: Explore ways to make the curriculum in each division more interdisciplinary and thematic. d) Action Step: Build on current efforts to bring more unity to Westtowns three divisions, providing continuity in learning from one developmental stage to the next, while also recognizing the specific developmental needs of children at different ages. e) Action Step: Provide opportunities for advanced level course work in all Upper School academic departments. f) Action Step: Continue to coordinate the way the Language Arts and English faculty across the divisions teach the process and craft of writing and the skills of clear oral presentation. g) Action Step: Continue to integrate appropriate technology throughout the PK12 curriculum, educating students in technological literacy and the ethical use of technology. h) Action Step: Improve the Art Center so that every child can continue to have experiences with the visual and performing arts. i) Action Step: Improve the Science Center to provide additional laboratory space and resources for active engagement in hands-on investigation and experimentation.

2) Objective: Given the growing awareness of and research on the varie ty of learning styles represented in any student population, acknowledge and engage the different learning styles and multiple intelligences represented within the student body.

a) Action Step: Recognize multiple intelligences by using a variety of pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies to foster high quality student work. b) Action Step: Evaluate the curriculum throughout the school to make it responsive to the unique learning styles of identified students, including our ESOL students. c) Action Step: Train teachers to identify and accommodate different learning styles among students. d) Action Step: Coordinate a consistent program of academic support in all three divisions.

3) Objective: Expand the schools commitment to student health, wellness, and fitness. a) Action Step: Complete the new Athletic Facility to enhance Westtowns physical education and athletic program. b) Action Step: Increase financial support for professional development of coaches. c) Action Step: Consider expanding opportunities for sixth grade students to participate on competitive athletic teams. d) Action Step: Consider ways to make the fitness center in the new athletic facility accessible to more adults and students in the Westtown community. e) Action Step: Renovate and expand the Health Center. f) Action Step: Expand and improve the dining room and kitchen. g) Action Step: Evaluate, prioritize, and implement the recommendations of the Food Study.

4) Objective: Formalize the strong set of professional expectations that sustain a culture of excellence and growth among members of the adult community. a) Action Step: Allocate an increasing percentage of the schools operating budget for professional development, with the goal of moving toward 2% of total budget by 2015. b) Action Step: Review, refine, and strengthen the faculty/staff support and evaluation process in all areas of the school and for all experience levels. c) Action Step: Develop a plan to continue Westtowns strong mentoring program into year two of a teachers employment. d) Action Step: Recognize the gifts of experienced teachers and support their continued growth and development.

5) Objective: Communicate to all community members the impact of Quaker beliefs and values on our academic and residential programs. a) Action Step: Create an admissions/orientation pamphlet, an orientation program, and ongoing Quaker education curriculum describing how Quaker testimonies and beliefs are lived out at Westtown, for new and current families.

6) Objective: Welcome students of all spiritual and religious backgrounds. a) Action Step: Use student, faculty, and parent orientations to stress the importance of honoring diverse religious and spiritual traditions. b) Action Step: Find more opportunities for Westtown community members to share their diverse spiritual journeys through worship-sharing, assemblies, discussions, and other vehicles.

7) Objective: Emphasize the importance of spirituality in general and Quaker spirituality in particular throughout the PK-12 curriculum. a) Action Step: Create a formal Middle School religion curriculum. b) Action Step: Examine the weight and contact time of religious studies in the Middle School and Upper School compared to other academic subjects. c) Action Step: Consider creating a Coordinator of Quaker Education position that serves all three divisions of Westtown. d) Action Step: Seek opportunities for school-wide reflection on Quaker faith and practice. e) Action Step: Create opportunities for faculty to further their understanding and reflection on Quakerism and how it might inform their teaching practice. f) Action Step: Consider creating a Faith and Practice document for Westtown.

8) Objective: Offer a curriculum that fosters appreciation for the diversity of the school and of the world. a) Action Step: Model, value, and teach diversity as reflected in our school and in our world throughout the curriculum. b) Action Step: Explore ways to bring greater cultural breadth and gender balance within each subject area. c) Action Step: Consider adding a non-Western language to the Upper School curriculum.

9) Objective: Use the schools diverse community to teach students how to build and live peaceably in a global community. a) Action Step: Establish and review yearly a clearly and explicitly articulated residential life curriculum to teach the skills and responsibilities of living within a community.

10) Objective: Become an educational leader on environmental issues.

a) Action Step: Convene a project team to develop an environmental mission statement and study appropriate environmental programs at Westtown. b) Action Step: Develop a curriculum of environmental studies, using school grounds and focusing on responsible environmental, ecological, and sustainable living practices. c) Action Step: Carry out recommended steps toward lake preservation. d) Action Step: Update and implement forest and farm management plans. e) Action Step: Work in partnership with Westtown Township to close down the schools sewer plant and connect with the municipal plant. f) Action Step: Investigate and implement cost-effective, sustainable building practices for each proposed renovation and construction project.

II. PEOPLE

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, Westtown must attract and retain students, faculty, administrators, and staff members distinguished by their skill, integrity, diversity, and dedication to the mission of the school. 1) Objective: Achieve and maintain full enrollment by 2006-2007. a) Action Step: Conduct an outside audit of the admissions process to determine the staff, organizational structure, and budget needed to achieve full enrollment; the potential size of the Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School day-student population; the productivity of the admissions process in relation to peer schools. b) Action Step: Involve all of Westtown's constituent groups in the support and active promotion of Westtown's admissions efforts. c) Action Step: Improve communication with Lower and Middle School families to convey the benefits of boarding. d) Action Step: Promote Westtowns Upper School with a focus on world class Quaker education and preparation for college and life beyond, positioning Westtown nationally and internationally as a top choice among premier boarding schools.

2) Objective: Increase financial aid to at least one-quarter of the schools tuition revenue to benefit at least one-third of the student body by 2010. a) Action Step: Fund a full-access program to enable students on financial aid to participate fully in Westtowns complete program. b) Action Step: Work closely with the Advancement Office to establish a fundraising plan for financial aid that will raise needed additional budget monies within the projected five-year span of the Strategic Plan.

3) Objective: Maintain a Quaker presence of at least 20% to remain true to Westtowns historic mission to educate Quaker young people. a) Action Step: Continue to give priority to Quaker children in admissions and financial aid decisions. b) Action Step: Continue to develop the Upper School Quaker Leadership Program to deepen religious experience of Quaker students and to train them in Quaker leadership. c) Action Step: Increase contact with Friends Meetings in conjunction with admissions recruiting visits and Friends of Westtown events. 4) Objective: Develop programs to increase the diversity of students, faculty, and staff.

a) Action Step: As recommended by the PAPAS Study in 2000, create a position of Diversity Coordinator to aid in the hiring, retention, and support of diverse faculty, staff, administrators, and students. b) Action Step: To continue the work of the Admissions Enrollment Task Force, conduct an audit of Westtowns current diversity within the boarding and daystudent populations, faculty, and staff, and set appropriate targets for specific growth based on these findings. c) Action Step: Create a five-year marketing plan to conduct targeted outreach that will bring Westtowns message to mission-appropriate students/families and educational professionals who are strong prospects for the school. d) Action Step: Establish a teacher intern program to bring greater diversity to Westtown. 5) Objective: Create a total compensation package for faculty and staff that places Westtown initially in the median and, eventually, toward the top quartile of Westtowns peer schools. a) Action Step: Through tuition increases and capital fundraising, move total compensation to the median of peer school salaries by 2010 and towards the 75th percentile by 2015. 6) Objective: Continue to improve the quality and flexibility of the schools housing packages to attract and retain the highest quality faculty, staff, and administrators. a) Action Step: Develop a plan to improve the quality and variety of faculty/staff housing to reflect a broad range of lifestyle needs. b) Action Step: Build new senior faculty/ staff homes in 2005-2006. c) Action Step: Maintain faculty/staff housing by continuing yearly inspections and addressing all deferred maintenance issues. 7) Objective: Assess the schools organizational structure and staffing needs to achieve the greatest efficiency. a) Action Step: Study organizational structures at peer schools, looking especially at the ratio of administrators to teachers. b) Action Step: Develop and implement a new organizational structure with the help of an outside consultant. c) Action Step: Develop a hiring plan that allows for flexibility in job descriptions, with the goal of achieving a healthier pace of life and longer term retention for faculty with multiple roles and responsibilities. d) Action Step: Be proactive in hiring and mentoring to safeguard Westtowns institutional memory, as many of the senior faculty members approach retirement in the next 5-10 years. e) Action Step: Determine whether to fill the following positions already identified as potential needs: Admissions staff member, Diversity Coordinator, Quaker Coordinator, Reading Specialists in Middle School and Upper School, Educational Technology Specialist, Director of Communications, Director of Gift Planning, non-Western language teacher, Natural Areas Manager.

8) Objective: Foster and maintain a strong sense of community among faculty and staff. a) Action Step: Improve communication by scheduling faculty/staff meetings throughout the year. b) Action Step: Expand staff forums to foster communication among all adults in the school and to make sure all voices are heard.

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III. PROGRESS To achieve the goals set out in this Strategic Plan, Westtown must deepen its relationships with all constituencies who support and advocate for the school. Deepening these relationships will require clear communication about who we are, what we offer and what we need as a school. We must also follow a path of sound financial planning and good governance. 1) Objective: Build a culture of stewardship at Westtown that is grounded in authentic relationships with all the school's constituencies and that celebrates commitments of time, talent, and financial support. a) Action Step: Put authentic relationships first in all the schools advancement activities. b) Action Step: Increase opportunities for Westonians to travel, visit, and engage alumni, parents, and others with interest in the school about Westtowns mission, programs, and needs. c) Action Step: Communicate explicitly about the support Westtowns needs from its friends, families, and alumni, and the many ways that support can be offered. 2) Objective: Use sound financial planning and budgeting to generate income from operations and gifts to meet the ambitious goals outlined in this Strategic Plan and the challenges in the schools future. a) Action Step: Develop a five and ten-year mission-appropriate financial plan to support the Strategic Planning initiatives. b) Action Step: Increase the Annual Fund, planned giving, and major gift results to be comparable to the median of our peer schools. c) Action Step: Identify capital campaign core needs by January 2007 and plan for and implement a capital campaign. d) Action Step: Increase annual operating income through full enrollment and appropriate tuition levels and through the development of the Annual Fund, summer programs, and facilities rental. e) Action Step: Examine and increase non-tuition revenue and investigate other mission-appropriate income producing ideas. f) Action Step: Educate and involve the Board of Trustees, Head of School, and the faculty in Advancement opportunities. g) Action Step: Identify and create a relevant set of peer schools in order to provide Westtown with measurable comparisons across a variety of areas.

3) Objective: Review recommendations from the Development Audit in conjunction with the overall staffing audit and create a plan to address the Advancement Offices staffing and volunteer needs to make the fundraising plan successful. a) Action Step: Implement Advancement Office staffing and structure changes informed by peer schools and the development audit.

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b) Action Step: Hire a Director of Gift Planning. c) Action Step: Consider hiring a Director of Communications.

4) Objective: As champions of the schools mission, members of the Board of Trustees will take responsibility for Westtowns Quaker character, values, and mission. a) Action Step: Consider creating a Religious Life Committee or a Working Group of the Board of Trustees to guide and educate the Board on the role of Quakerism in the mission and governance of the school and ways in which the Board can advance them. b) Action Step: Continue to follow current best practices for governance such as new-member orientation, mentoring, trustee development, and self-evaluation.

5) Objective: The Board of Trustees will reflect the diversity of the school community and adjust its size, composition, and organization to best implement the schools Strategic Plan and fulfill the Boards ongoing fiduciary and strategic role. a) Action Step: Explore reducing the percentage of Quakers on the board of Trustees in order to create room for greater diversity. b) Action Step: Attract new members to the Board of Trustees who contribute to the range of skills and gifts needed for strong board performance. c) Action Step: Move the Board of Trustees meeting schedule and structure to better meet the need for adequate work time, meaningful connections among members, and inclusion of members who live more than 100 miles from the school.

6) Objective: The Board of Trustees will create a high level of transparency and communication with all constituencies in the Westtown community. a) Action Step: Evaluate and foster the larger Westtown communitys access and collaboration with the Board of Trustees. b) Action Step: Use faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni on committees and working groups of the Board of Trustees to add skills, fresh perspectives, and transparency.

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