New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Commission on American and International Schools Abroad (CAISA)

Part Three - Strategies for Improvement

Developing Strategies for Improvement is the final stage in the Self- Study process. This section requires the Steering Committee or a designated Part Three Committee to synthesize the findings in Part Two of the Self Study and to create lists of the school’s perceived major strengths and areas for improvement as well as a comprehensive, well developed set of suggested action steps. These recommended actions, together with input from the recommendations that will be made later by the Visiting Team, should be incorporated into the school’s development/strategic planning in the coming years.

It is recognized that overall responsibility for a school’s development/strategic planning processes lies with school’s governing body, as advised by the school leadership. Therefore, the suggested actions emerging from the Part Three work, when combined with the recommendations from the future Visiting Team, are intended to inform and enrich the strategic thinking and planning efforts of this highest decision making body.

After careful consideration of the Self-Study Reports submitted by the Part One Committee and all Part Two Committees (A to G), the Self-Study Steering Committee (or Part Three Committee) should write the following.:
  • A list of the school’s Major Strengths in terms of close alignment with the Accreditation Standards
  • A list of Major Factors Needing Strengthening to improve alignment with the Accreditation Standards.
  •  A set of suggested Major Actions, each with accompanying practical steps, which are designed to improve alignment with the Accreditation Standards.
  • Narratives describing the school’s existing planning process(es) and indicating how the recommended action steps will be incorporated into those planning processes.

 
Part Three provides opportunity for the school to demonstrate its capacity to articulate the strengths on which it can build, to identify its needs for improvement, and to articulate specific actions for improving the degree of its alignment with the NEASC/CIS Accreditation Standards.

The Strategies for Improvement that are outlined here relate directly to the school’s alignment with the NEASC/CIS Accreditation Standards, but it is recognized that a school may have other visions and goals that may be equally significant to enhancing the educational experience for students and to realizing the mission of the school.  To foster whole school thinking, to minimize duplication of effort, and to enhance efficiency of planning efforts, schools are expected to merge the planning efforts that respond to NEASC/CIS concerns with the development/strategic planning that is part of their normal routines.

Detailed Guidelines for creating the Part Three Report can be found in the separate Reporting Booklet where the corresponding Self-Study Committee should write its report. Please note there is also a final section to be used by the future Visiting Team when it responds to the Part Three Report.

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