Strategic Vision
Reimagining our Future
Our Vision
Kingswood Oxford is a transformative day school that engages students in real-world and interdisciplinary learning opportunities by expanding the classroom beyond our campus and partnering with people and institutions in the Greater Hartford area. Our signature educational approach develops compassionate collaborators, ethical problem solvers, and active citizens who lead and serve in the wider community.
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Our Strategic Plan Approach
At the beginning of 2019, Head of School Thomas Dillow announced that Kingswood Oxford School would embark upon a strategic design process to frame a compelling vision for the future and to articulate the key commitments and priorities that will enable the School to achieve that vision collectively.
Following Kingswood Oxford’s re-accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) last spring — an exercise rooted in deep self-evaluation that occurs every 10 years — the School entered into the planning process to reimagine its future and chart its continued success. This vision will drive KO’s strategic priorities and will provide the roadmap for the allocation of our talent, time, and resources.
The strategic vision will center around how students learn best and how we can prepare them for success in college and the future. This plan will be timely, as the world they are about to inherit is more uncertain than ever. Our plan will focus more intentionally on teaching and fostering new skills and dispositions and add new opportunities to our already strong program to help our students better meet these future challenges.
To achieve the vision in the strategic plan, specific priorities will be identified with action steps. These priorities will ground the plan and provide a roadmap. Once the first set of priorities is accomplished, the next set will be identified, helping the School focus on staying true to the vision. This is a multi-year and iterative process. Its very nature encourages self-reflection and continuous fine-tuning along the way.
The end goal is to ensure that our students are well-prepared and that our School is well-positioned to continue to deliver on our compelling mission to inspire students to excel and lead lives of integrity and involvement.
The Planning Process
Partnership
Process
Communication
Mission
A Powerful Synergy of Three Strategic Pillars
Our vision statement drives our strategic priorities and provides the roadmap for allocating our talent, time, and resources. A powerful synergy of three overlapping areas – people, program, and place – each impact one another and align with our priorities to further our goal of becoming a truly transformative private day school.
People
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The true value of a school is measured by the dedication, passion, and innovation of its faculty. KO has long been recognized for having exceptional teachers, and they remain our greatest asset. We are committed to hiring top talent and supporting their professional growth.
Our students learn best in a diverse and welcoming community representing a kaleidoscope of ideas and life experiences. Our vision seeks to provide greater financial assistance and access for talented students.
Program
Students learn best and are most engaged when they have choice, learn by doing, understand the purpose of what they learn, and can see the impact of their work. Our Strategic Vision builds upon those core principles and will create new learning opportunities to prepare our students to create, innovate, and lead in the jobs of tomorrow. We will build upon our existing signature programs and develop new centers of learning for our students that promote interdisciplinary learning.
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Place
Focusing on KO’s unique Day School Advantage – a place for building an authentic community with our students, faculty, parents, and alumni– KO plans on reimagining the Conklin Library, Mead Dining Hall, and outdoor spaces to create a new Community Commons that will serve as a vibrant community hub for all members of the school and become the heart of campus.Â