Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats/Critical Issues

Strengths

  1. Retired teachers coming out of retirement to teach here
  2. Strengthen collaborative network
    i.e. strategic planning, gateway to change, race summit
  3. Entrepreneurial spirit-“get it done”
  4. Pursuing opportunities
    i.e. curriculum
  5. GCAA science department
  6. Food service
  7. Refreshed board of directors
  8. Positive about building administration
  9. Responsive parents
  10. Balance of support/autonomy for buildings
  11. Passionate/dedicated staff
  12. HS helping students “find” themselves
  13. Teachers who take initiative
  14. Teachers find ways to supplement budget
  15. GCAA Makerspace
  16. Key locations: Arts/Business/Neighborhoods
  17. Teachers choose to work here
  18. Academic success within demographics/area
  19. Increasing attendance; HS enrollment up
  20. Growing tech. resources
  21. Nice HS facilities (overall)
  22. Students feel safe/positive about schools
  23. Parent choice/stay in city
  24. Longevity (charter)
  25. Name recognition
  26. Arts/Science (GCAA)
  27. Collaborative effort/uniformity in building curriculum
  28. In school ‘new teacher support’, mentoring plan-teachers

Strengths (cont.)

  1. Safe schools
  2. Collaborative PD
  3. Makerspace
  4. Advanced student media
  5. Virtual tutoring
  6. Great community partnerships
  7. Robotics
  8. Str4ong consistent building leadership
  9. Strong academics for kids who stay in system
  10. Strong community & support system
  11. Size, variety, longevity
  12. Facilities
  13. Culture
  14. Attendance (students)
  15. ELA scores improved (% adv/prof)
  16. College Summit program at CPA
  17. High percent of college ap
  18. Discussing emotional/& mental health
  19. Alternative approaches to discipline (innovative)
  20. Individualized approach
  21. Great school conditions
  22. Unique arts approach
  23. PBIS-positive behavior information support
  24. Green dot (anti-bullying programs)
  25. Confluence side (financial strength)
  26. College field trips
  27. Diversity amongst students (financial, racial, economic, sexual orientation)
  28. Teacher student relationships
  29. As K-8 our attendance steadily improving, consistently staying above 90%

Strengths (cont.)

  1. Students like the school due to choices they can make about activities and the relationships they have built with teachers
  2. Curriculum nights that assist parents with strategies to assist students academically (ex: Singapore Math)
  3. Overall as an LEA there is satisfaction with the current LEA and management
  4. We outpaces Mehlville in ELA at two campuses
  5. Science-gains at GCAA biology scores were above state average
  6. Gains as for MAP
  7. ELA-the gap was closed between St. Louis Public and our K-8 schools
  8. South City moved to 2nd in ELA and Math in comparison to 12 schools in the area
  9. Walnut Park was second in comparison to 8 other schools in the area (increase from previous year)
  10. Facilities:
    good condition
    would be proud to show off the school
    children are taught in educationally adequate facilities (conducive to learning)
    parents like style and challenge of academics
    parents like individualized attention
    students feel teachers care about them
    students feel safe in the school building
    teachers are pleased with the opportunities for professional development
    there is at least one person in the building that supports them (teachers)

Weaknesses

  1. No social worker @GCAA
  2. No social and emotional and mental health support for students
  3. Discipline-alternatives to suspension
  4. Poverty (cost for parents)
  5. Tardiness policy
  6. Teachers treated as employees vs. professionals
  7. Perceived lack of transparency regareding financial issues
    i.e. budget (annual), local control (building), future state
    echoed by staff survey
  8. Teacher turnover
  9. Future teacher salaries/raises
    lack of competition
  10. Science & Math scores
    (basic & below basic)
  11. General maintenance & upkeep (from surveys)
    Centaur
  12. No salary/raises consistency
  13. Lack of trust, consistency, and accountability
  14. Community understanding of educational success—accountability, preparation
  15. ACT/PSAT scores (Career & College readiness)
  16. Layout of GCAA, K-8 splits
  17. “Traditional” school experience—pep rallies, clubs, school activities
  18. Schools hours—no after school activities
  19. School hours—early/late/longer days
    Inconsistent use of time
    learning lab
  20. High school is expensive
  21. GCAA extended day (credit vs. non credit)
  22. HS Attendance--$/time to maintain

Weaknesses, (cont)

  1. Grading standards
    lower to meet community
    critical thinking
  2. Bus issues & safety
  3. Parental involvement/stress/homelife
  4. Plan time needs to be plan time
  5. Lack of full accreditation
  6. Lack of communication to parents/families
  7. Elementary needs more plan time
  8. Us vs Them (GCAA/Confluence)
    lack of communication between
    lack of collaboration
  9. Lack of consistent enrollment
  10. Lack of individualized PD
  11. Lack of high quality curriculum
  12. Insufficient security
  13. Lack of funds for outside PD
  14. Perception of ‘Confluence’ name
  15. Inexperience staff—80% (0-5 year)
  16. Not competitive salaries
  17. Diversity training-staff
  18. Lack of culturally responsive teachers
  19. CPA-lack of parent involvement/community
  20. Custodial issues—lack of quality
  21. Transportation issues-late busses, sub drivers poorly trained, way off schedule (bus schedule)
  22. CPA-no consistency in admin follow through on policies (phone, tardy)
  23. Lack of students scoring proficient or better
  24. Technology not working
  25. Student behaviors consistently

Weaknesses, (cont)

  1. Curriculum availability and implementation (too much in some content areas and not enough in others—science and social studies)
  2. Curriculum changes-no fidelity
  3. Lack of curriculum rigor
  4. Funding is limited regarding PD outside of the district and buildings
  5. Lack of PD follow-through; information is not presented or shared
  6. We don’t invite outside stake-holders to present in our buildings
  7. Not enough staff to serve our students with emotional concerns
  8. Social workers and counselors do not have time to focus on their responsibilities because they’re consumed with other responsibilities
  9. No connections with communities within the buildings’ surrounding areas
  10. Teacher bullying-students
  11. Lack of parental support (not attending PTO, parent teacher conferences, adhering to attendance policy)
  12. Not thinking out of the box
  13. Junior high sports-variety
  14. Lack of participants/coaches
  15. Time(not enough)
  16. Master schedules (class and yearly schedules)
  17. No equitable pay
  18. No reimbursement for higher education (degrees/certifications)
  19. Class sizes (too large)
  20. Not enough hands on learning opportunities

Opportunities

  1. Charter school vision: (we may or may not be doing this)
    Creative, limited bureaucracy, individualized identity, raise own money
  2. Locations-downtown, Grand Center
  3. Network of schools-ability to collaborate; older kids help younger (science & arts, k-8)
  4. Collaborate more on budgeting
  5. Be “THE” (Charter) school of choice
  6. Individualism of each school/students in contrast to ‘sameness’ of KIPP
  7. Feeder system—CPA and GCAA as HS
  8. Growth: separate 6-8 from K-5/9-12
  9. Ability to create a responsive system to the needs of stakeholders
  10. Develop St. Louis leaders/city (vision)
  11. HS “Sister” schools
    share classes, students, activities
  12. Pro-charter political legislative climate
  13. Continued “individualization” of schools
  14. Prepare students to be successful in today’s technological society
  15. Build leaders (both students & staff)
  16. Staff development
  17. Dual enrollment (H.S. & Community College)
  18. Pre-K
  19. Business partnerships
  20. Pathways to vocational opportunities
  21. Business partnerships
  22. LEA community fair
  23. Staff connections (across buildings & LEA)
  24. Opportunities to have vertical teaming
  25. Diversity in administration
  26. Collaboration between network of schools
  27. Opportunities for PD (better, individualized)
  28. Opportunity for branding and ‘Confluence’ name repair

Opportunities, (cont)

  1. Higher quality curriculum
  2. Opportunity to establish and expand community partnerships/development (need a person)
  3. Opportunity to hire more experienced teachers & focus on retention of great teachers
  4. Opportunity for increased sense of community & parent participation
  5. Totally self-contained enrollment
  6. Pre-K
  7. Specialization in our schools (like a magnet)
  8. Selection of students (not open enrollment)-would require a change in the law
  9. Facilities (purchase of)
  10. Merger of 2 LEAs—financial opportunity
  11. Increased autonomy within each school and greater transparency in communication/decisions with CRO
  12. Increased availability to high quality technology & training
  13. Unionization
  14. Opportunity to change school culture through diversity training
  15. Opportunity to remove stigma associated with ‘charter’ schools
  16. Opportunity to educate parents
  17. Opportunity to elevate the motivation & expectations of themselves (educating whole child)
  18. Opportunity for alternative school & special education center

Threats

  1. Legislation/legislative action
  2. Funding
  3. Politics
  4. Inability to create/keep high performing culture
  5. Accreditation
  6. Administrative turnover
  7. Board leadership (not attracting the right members)
  8. Safety of the neighborhood around the school
  9. Existence (losing charter)
  10. Teacher retention
  11. Low expectations
    community
    parents
    teachers
  12. Perception of our schools
  13. Lack of cohesion
  14. Lack of trust
  15. Competition from other schools
  16. Open enrollment @GCAA (to the Arts character)
  17. Inability to form ‘good’ community partnerships
  18. Self-image
  19. Adult issues…not student focused
  20. Lack of diversity (disabilities, socio-economic, race, etc)
  21. Inner-competitiveness (GCAA vs ‘Confluence’)
  22. Lack of flexibility
  23. Not willing to change
  24. Poverty
  25. Lack of trust of resource office—further development of ‘corporate’ mentality mode
  26. Potential loss of unique identity of schools
  27. Lack of trust between stakeholders
  28. Treatment of teachers as ‘employees’
    building access
    computer admin rights
    sign-in

Threats, (cont)

  1. Long-term financial salary competetiveness
    if teachers start at $40,000 a year
    a 2% increase each year plus a $2000 increase for a Masters at the end results in
    (Confluence/GCAA): $53,744 after 15 years; $59,000after 20 years
    other districts: Parkway—15yrs $65,000; 20yrs $83,000
    Mehlville—15yrs $60,607; 20yrs $66,235
    Ritenour—15yrs $66,166; 20yrs $83,000
    Jennings—15yrs $56,608; 20yrs $76,454
    Rockwood—15yrs $53,779; 20yrs $67,701
  2. Financial viability options:
    increase classroom size
    LEAs & debt
    HS is expensive
    1:1 technology
  3. Incomplete curriculum (STEM, Technology, etc)
  4. Curriculum implementation
  5. Meeting state standards
  6. Teacher turnover
  7. Lack of organization & planning (pulling people during instruction)
  8. Branding/marketing
  9. Inability to manage ‘problem’ students
  10. Priority of resources
  11. Inability to compete against other charters

Critical Concerns

Group 1:

  1. Quality Curriculum & Teachers
  2. Student discipline

Group 2:

  1. Building professional systemic capacity
    (lack of trust)
  2. Financial viability
    Keep & retain quality teachers
    High quality curriculum

Group 3:

  1. Pre-K
  2. Teacher recruitment, training and retention
    (training includes diversity training)

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