Strategic Priorities 2023-2028
Exceptional Educators
The single biggest variable in student success is the quality of the classroom teacher.
Summit faculty and staff have a rich history as talented, generous, leadership-oriented experts in their fields who enthusiastically meet the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of a high-achieving and diverse population of learners. As lifelong learners who shape the future, we will continue to focus on thinking creatively, reasoning systematically, and working collaboratively, both within and beyond the Summit community.
Teachers, administrators, staff, board, and parents alike must continue to demonstrate deep commitment to providing the passionate and innovative learning that develops both students’ and Summit’s full potential.
01GOAL
Become an Employer of Choice in the Triad Area.
- Achieve and maintain competitive salaries and distinctive benefits.
- Foster a diverse and inclusive working environment, as an expression of the School’s Belonging Statement.
- Develop resources to help address childcare needs of faculty & staff.
02GOAL
Integrate the concept and related practices of Point of Highest Contribution in the school culture.
- Refine the process in which teachers receive regular, meaningful, and growth-oriented feedback on curriculum, student learning, and pedagogy.
- Further develop, adapt, and implement tools which identify significant areas of strength and opportunities for growth in each employee.
- Regularly review how each employee’s passions, skillsets/mindsets, and professional networks can contribute to the strategic needs and initiatives of the School.
03GOAL
Expand the work of the Center for Excellence & Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CEI) to serve as a premier professional development resource for the community, state, and region.
- Further refine and innovate on a professional growth program that develops, positions, and recognizes Summit teachers as educational leaders.
- Further develop programs for non-Summit teachers and members of the wider community who seek professional growth.
- Develop a variety of synchronous and asynchronous virtual professional development offerings.
Inspiring Learning
Inspiring Learning is both who Summit is and what Summit does.
Our graduates are prepared, honorable, curious, accepting, and socially responsible. Possessing these core competencies inspires Summit students to address the challenges of the future by positioning them to create that future. Our program reflects the changing education landscape and is designed for each student to develop his or her full potential. Inspiring learning at Summit is not limited to students. We cultivate a culture of learning that encompasses our parents, faculty, staff, board, administration, and the wider public. Focusing on the developmental needs of children, current research, science, and best practices, the professionals at Summit School engage in collaborative, vigorous, and structured professional learning geared toward excellence and innovation in all aspects of our program.
01GOAL
Refine and enhance a program model that is academically rigorous, research-based, and promotes Summit’s unique brand of hands-on/minds-on learning.
- Systematically refine the horizontal and vertical alignment of curricula across all divisions to increase continuity, coherence, and challenge.
- Design and develop a multi-year, interdisciplinary entrepreneurial endeavor for students.
- Innovate on the current 9th grade program as the culmination of the Summit educational experience.
02GOAL
Express our Belonging Statement in all aspects of the Summit experience for children, families, educators, and community members.
- Further integrate the spirit and practice of belonging in both the social-emotional and academic facets of the student experience.
- Further develop the onboarding of new faculty and staff and the orientation of new students and families with a focus on belonging as a core commitment of our community.
- Regularly survey and gather feedback from all constituencies to better understand their experiences of belonging.
03GOAL
Continue to develop Idea Shop as a vehicle for Summit students, teachers, alums, and community members to explore and implement innovative ideas that enhance the student experience.
- Develop a professional directory (including parents, grandparents, alums, and community members) as a dynamic resource for teachers in complementing and creating units of study and programs.
- Use co-curricular programs to research and develop curriculum.
- Explore an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program.
Enduring Stewardship
Safeguarding Summit’s ability to thrive for generations to come requires both vision and commitment.
Summit’s Roots & Reach are unique. Safeguarding Summit’s viability for generations to come requires both vision and discipline—honoring Summit’s enduring philosophy, principles, and mission while adapting to a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world.
Stewardship is about paying our debt to the future by creating an enduring, strategic, innovative, and mission-aligned infrastructure for the school, thus assuring that the Summit experience continues to be accessible to a broad and diverse range of families who are part of a vibrant and inclusive community. The Continuous Improvement Model serves as the engine for constantly aligning resources with vision and mission—now and in the future.
01GOAL
Incorporate the story of Summit’s brand in all areas of the school.
- Assess the alignment between our programs and all facets of the brand.
- Ensure that brand is expressed in all areas of communication.
- Integrate all facets of the brand into the onboarding and ongoing professional development of faculty and staff.
02GOAL
Complete a comprehensive campus master plan.
- Align long-term facilities master planning with near-term capital campaign projects.
- Maintain, enhance, and further develop the cyber security plan.
- Prioritize accessibility and ADA features in all campus renovations and construction.
03GOAL
Engage in a robust and successful comprehensive fundraising campaign.
- Design, fund, and begin construction on Science, Engineering, Entrepreneurship & Design (SEED) Center.
- Increase endowment to better attract, recognize and reward high-caliber educators who demonstrate excellence and leadership.
- Bolster financial assistance for families