Become What’s Next- An Invitation and an ExpectationBy Mark Hansen, Superintendent, Elmbrook School District In 2018, the Elmbrook Schools completed a branding process that established a new tagline of “Become What’s Next.” Its impact on the organization has been significant, inspiring stakeholders and school communities to dream about what’s ahead. For our students and staff members, Become What’s Next is an invitation to grow into the next version of themselves. For our organization, Become What’s Next reflects an expectation that we will improve each day in order to move all students forward and to accomplish our annual strategic goals. Three years ago our District was plodding through our continuous improvement processes with mixed results. Our decision to partner with AWSA and participate in the SAIL program in 2022 yielded clear direction, regular coaching, and consistent effort through the 100-day planning and execution cycles. As a result, our nine schools and our School District have thrived. Our early warning system generates data that drives conversations about students and instructional practices. Fifty-percent of our monthly administrator meeting time is dedicated to deepening our leadership and instructional practices, and include regular presentations by our Principals who share key processes and celebrate student growth. One-on-one (O3) meetings between current and future leaders and their supervisors provide time and structure for development and reflection, leading to a pipeline of leadership talent within the District that has filled 65% of our administrator openings in the past five years. Most importantly, our results continue to improve as we achieve at the highest levels in the state by any measure. Our forward leaning approach has turned a challenge of five, large elementary schools with enrollments ranging from 500 to 900 students, into an opportunity to provide more instructional resources than our peers across the region. Our high schools strive to deliver on the Elmbrook Promise of providing every student access to 30 college credits before they graduate from high school. Key work systems focusing on target groups in every classroom offer the organization a single focus that historically may have become sidetracked or abandoned when the next, great educational strategy crossed our path. Today, our commitment to Become What’s Next is unwavering because our 7,800 students and their families expect our best effort, each and every day.
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