Initiatives

NEW BEGINNINGS

EARCOS is happy to announce that TERESA ARPIN from Transformational Systems Limited lead our annual Spring Heads' meeting on April 20th through April 22nd, 2006. This meeting was different from the past for we not only learned about the strategic planning process but applied the material to a real world organization, EARCOS! The goal was to learn and/or refresh ourselves on the planning process while looking at the mission the vision, and the future directions of EARCOS. We are work together to make EARCOS the preeminent professional development organization.

Ms. Arpin worked in Tel Aviv and NESA as she facilitated those strategic planning endeavors. Recently, she has been the facilitator at the following schools: Hong Kong International School, American Community School in Abu Dhabi, and she is currently working on strategic plans for the American International School in Israel, Inc. the International School in Johannesburg, American School in Bombay and NESA. This is NESA's second strategic plan with Steve Barone-Transformation Systems Limited (TSL)-facilitating the first plan and Teresa Arpin-(TSL)-completing the second session in October. Through this process of working with NESA, we have learned about the differences between schools and professional development organizations. This past experience assisted us in terms of efficiency and efficacy. The following process brings that value added information to EARCOS. We were happy to have her with us.

This is the structure we went through and/or the following time frames and steps we are going to go through.

STAGE ONE: VISIT FROM EXTERNAL FACILITATOR

Form a planning team representing the EARCOS community that will develop the draft core values, mission, vision, objectives, strategies and a draft list of actions. This Core Planning group was comprised of the EARCOS Board, Connie Buford, Linda and Robert Sills, and a representative group of EARCOS school heads up to approximately 20 members. This group will remain together through the unveiling process next fall. Linda and I along with Teresa (our facilitator) will work this summer to develop the Action Plans and the Metrics, all the while offering this information to the Core Planning Team in draft form for comment. The Core Planning team will all be together for the unveiling as we present a unified front regarding the future direction of EARCOS.

This Core Planning team will then dissolve and the EARCOS Board and administration will monitor the implementation process. This group will continually be renewed and kept current as new Board members join the fold for the three to five year cycle of the Plan.

The draft core values, mission/vision statements, and strategies and/or goals would then be passed through the original Core Planning Team in draft form for two to four months for further discussion over the email.

The Core Planning Team charged the Executive Director and Associate Director and any other Board Member who is interested, to work with Teresa Arpin during the summer to begin the process of developing action steps in order to achieve the EARCOS stated goals and plans discussed in stage II.

Lastly, it should be noted that this is a process and as such, will require a serious effort to keep the Planning Process on the "front burner". This will mean reconstituting a smaller Core Planning Team on an annual basis and the Board could take over the responsibilities of the planning team as a representative body. The Board will look at the planning process at each fall meeting attached to the administrators' conference and Spring Meeting attached to the Spring Heads Meeting.

STAGE TWO: EXTERNAL FACILITATOR WORKING WITH INTERNAL FACILITATORS

After the development of the core values, a mission/vision statement, and strategies and/or goals, along with rudimentary action steps, which have been circulated throughout the original Core Planning team, the next phase asks for a "relook" and then an adoption.

Concurrent with stage II is the formation of an Action Team to develop a set of action-steps and a timelines for completion of such actions. This would be carried out by the EARCOS Executive Director and Associate Director and other interested Board Members working with Teresa Arpin during the summer.

STAGE THREE: VISIT FROM EXTERNAL FACILITATOR IN CONCERT WITH INTERNAL FACILITATORS FOR PRESENTATION in BANGKOK.

Along with the specific action steps for EARCOS enhancement, metrics will be designed to determine levels of success.

After the development of the action plans the external facilitator will revisit EARCOS in Bangkok to view the process and insure that all fits together. Action Plans and Metrics would be done in the summer months and recrafted/ratified in a meeting in Bangkok before the Fall 2006 Administrators' Conference where the EARCOS Board and as many of the original Core Planning

Team members as possible would meet before the EARCOS administrators conference. for an unveiling at the conference itself.

STAGE FOUR: UNVEILING OF PLAN TO GREATER EARCOS AUDIENCE AT THE ADMINISTRATORS' CONFERENCE AND THEN TO ALL FACULTY IN EARCOS

This would be completed with a large group meeting on the first or second day of the conference.
After ratification by the larger group, this information would be disseminated to all and posted on the Webpage