One of the primary, and possibly the most important, responsibilities of UPrep’s Board of Trustees is to set the strategic direction of the school to ensure its ongoing success. I am pleased to share that at our first meeting of the year in September, the Board approved Strategic Plan 2021: A Bold Vision for the Future. This plan replaces and builds upon UPrep’s previous strategic plan, which was in place from 2015–2020. A strategic plan is an essential document in the life and governance of a school. It includes the school’s mission, vision, and values; identifies the school’s priorities; and guides the board’s decision making.

The process for creating Strategic Plan 2021 was led by a steering committee that included Trustee Van Katzman, Trustee Jeanette James, and Head of School Ronnie Codrington-Cazeau, in partnership with the strategic planning consulting firm of  Greenwich Leadership Partners. All members of the UPrep community—faculty, staff, parents, students, and alumni—participated in surveys and shared valuable feedback that was included in this process.

Here are the highlights of Strategic Plan 2021:

A New Vision

Based on feedback from our community, it was clear that our vision statement no longer served as an inspirational, ambitious statement of the long-term goals for our school. It read: University Prep shall be an inclusive community of learners that provides an outstanding education for each individual in a diverse student population.

Our new, more aspirational vision now reads:

University Prep will be the school that redefines educational excellence, in a community where all learners develop the skills, knowledge, and character to thrive in any context.

Five Guideposts

In addition to a new vision statement, Strategic Plan 2021 identifies five priority guideposts:

• Belonging: UPrep will cultivate a culture of belonging as an essential condition for healthy learning and development.
• Innovation: UPrep will boldly innovate new academic and co-curricular programs and practices to create transformative experiences now and into the future.
• Excellence: UPrep will strengthen and evaluate curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, so that students consistently realize our commitment to educational excellence.
• Talent: UPrep will strategically develop talent to support strong leadership, excellence in teaching, and organizational capacity.
• Identity: UPrep will be intentional about who we are, to further elevate the school in the Seattle educational market.

Typically, most strategic plans have a life expectancy of around five years. Our new plan is different. It is designed to be reviewed annually and revised, as necessary, at the Board of Trustees yearly September retreat. With this approach, as our school grows and changes, our facilities expand, and our programs become more innovative, the plan will be regularly evaluated and updated to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of our school.

On behalf of the UPrep Board of Trustees, I am delighted to share with you Strategic Plan 2021: A Bold Vision for the Future and invite you to read the entire plan here.