Strategic planning in education isn’t just a box to check—it’s the backbone of effective school district leadership. When done right, it helps districts prioritize initiatives, allocate resources, and drive student success. But too often, strategic plans fail because they lack clarity, transparency, and execution strategies that make real change happen.
At ALP’s recent Winter Summit, education leaders gathered to reflect on their 2021–2024 strategic plan and begin shaping their vision for 2025–2029. The conversation focused on best practices for district strategic planning, common pitfalls to avoid, and how AI is transforming how education leaders design and execute their strategies.
For school districts preparing for their next strategic planning cycle, here are the key takeaways that can make the difference between a visionary, actionable plan and one that gets left behind.
1. Why Most Strategic Plans Fail (and How to Fix It)
Every district has a strategic plan, but not all see meaningful results from it. The difference? Clarity and execution.
Reflecting on ALP’s own strategic planning process, Dr. Katy Fodchuk, Executive Director of Organizational Development at ALP, emphasized the importance of recognizing past successes before setting new goals. “The first half of our day together was really spent celebrating all of these amazing foundations that we’ve built—our infrastructure, our data systems. And I would say the other big thing is our talent, like our most precious resource, all of our people.”
By using appreciative inquiry, ALP ensured that their next strategic plan built on what was already working, rather than starting from scratch. This is a critical step that many districts overlook—leading them to repeat past mistakes or abandon initiatives that were actually making progress.
But what are the biggest pitfalls that hold school districts back from effective strategic planning?
? Pitfall #1: A Vague, Unmeasurable Plan
Many districts make the mistake of writing broad, aspirational goals that sound good on paper but don’t include measurable benchmarks or accountability structures. Fodchuk warns that without clear metrics, a strategic plan can quickly lose its effectiveness.
“A goal should be a one-sentence tagline that gets everybody excited. But under that, you need measurable outcomes, clear KPIs, and an actionable strategy.”
Fix it: Districts should use a tiered approach:
- Big-picture goal – The inspiring vision for change.
- Measurable outcomes – The tangible results expected.
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) – How progress will be tracked.
- Strategic actions – The major initiatives driving success.
- Tactical projects – The daily work that makes it happen.
? Pitfall #2: Stakeholders Are Brought in at the Wrong Time
While it’s essential to engage teachers, parents, students, and community leaders, some districts over-invite participation too early, making the process unfocused and chaotic. Others keep planning too insular, which creates skepticism and erodes trust in leadership.
According to Amos Fodchuk, President of ALP, this lack of transparency is a major reason why strategic planning efforts fail: “If it’s done in a way that’s unpredictable or only transparent to a few, then there’s the perception that this is all a charade.”
Fix it: Districts should involve the right people at the right time—using community input strategically rather than overwhelming planning sessions with too many competing voices.
? Pitfall #3: The Plan Becomes a Static PDF
Another major issue? The plan sits in a document, untouched and outdated. If it’s not actively managed and tracked, it won’t drive change.
Katy emphasized the importance of making a plan a “living, breathing” tool rather than a static report.
“Publishing their KPI scorecard with clear data visualizations makes the plan actionable and gives people skin in the game.”
Fix it: Districts should use project management tools like Asana or Monday.com to track progress, adjust strategies, and make data-driven decisions in real time.
2. The Key to Executing a Strategic Plan in K-12 Schools
Even the best-designed plan won’t succeed without strong execution. The first 12 months of a strategic plan are critical—and the biggest failure districts make is expecting teachers and students to drive the results alone, without adequate leadership support.
Amos warns that many strategic plans overlook the key role that school and district leaders play in execution. “We put too much pressure on teachers and students for learning outcomes without really supporting the needs of school leaders who are responsible for execution at scale,” said Amos.
? Best Practices for Execution Success
Ensure leadership buy-in. Principals, instructional coaches, and district leaders must understand their roles in the strategy.
Translate big goals into daily actions. A strategic plan isn’t just a vision statement—it should break down into specific projects and next steps.
Track progress with real-time data. Use KPI dashboards to measure whether strategies are actually working.
Build in flexibility. Plans should adapt over time based on real-time feedback and changing needs.
3. The Role of AI in Strategic Planning for Schools
One of the most significant shifts in K-12 strategic planning is the role of AI in designing and executing district strategies. Traditionally, strategic planning required manual data analysis, slow synthesis of input from stakeholders, and time-consuming revisions. AI has completely changed that process. As Dr. Katy Fodchuk remarked, “the use of AI allowed us to have deeper conversations. We weren’t stuck nitpicking words—we were engaged in the big-picture change work.”
By leveraging AI for data analysis, document refinement, and collaborative planning, districts can streamline workflows, improve efficiency, and enhance clarity. However, AI is not a replacement for human expertise. Instead, it should be used as a tool that allows leaders to make more informed decisions faster. “Personally, I don’t feel as though you can reasonably leverage a traditional strategic planning process anymore without the purposeful integration of emerging technologies like AI,” said Amos Fodchuk.
How School Districts Can Improve Strategic Planning
If your district is developing a new strategic plan, here are the key questions to ask:
Is your plan clear, measurable, and actionable?
Are the right stakeholders engaged at the right time?
Are you using project management tools to track progress?
How are you integrating AI to improve efficiency and decision-making?
Turning Strategic Plans into Action
Strategic planning isn’t just about drafting a vision—it’s about making that vision a reality. The key takeaways from ALP’s Winter Summit underscore the critical elements districts must prioritize: clarity, measurable outcomes, the right stakeholder engagement, and a dynamic execution process. Without these, even the most ambitious plans risk becoming forgotten PDFs rather than roadmaps for meaningful change.
As K-12 leaders prepare for their next strategic planning cycle, the challenge is not just to create a plan but to bring it to life—translating broad goals into daily actions, tracking progress with real-time data, and ensuring leadership buy-in at every level. AI is emerging as a powerful tool to streamline this process, helping districts move beyond bureaucratic hurdles and focus on transformative impact.
The districts that see real results from their strategic plans aren’t just those that draft them well—they’re the ones that commit to execution, accountability, and continuous adaptation. By applying these lessons, schools can shift from static planning to dynamic, data-driven leadership that improves student outcomes and strengthens educational communities.
Note: These insights were derived from a LinkedIn Live event hosted on January 31, 2025, featuring Amos Fodchuk and Dr. Katy Fodchuk.
