We must deliver on the commitment to our mission that we’ve made and achieve a standard of excellence in what we do. We must develop a culture of performance, while also retaining those aspects of our program that are distinctive. Although many of our activities are already outstanding, we must achieve another step up in performance across the board. To achieve this standard, we anticipate the following efforts will be required:

• Review of the curriculum and our approach to classroom teaching: Create for Putney an appropriate definition of progressive education, incorporating new technology and research in learning, and understanding that this will require a culture of ongoing research, innovation and evaluation among the faculty. Establish Putney as a leader in progressive education. Although we are particularly committed to reviewing our approach to classroom teaching, we define curriculum broadly, recognizing that education occurs equally in the academic program, work and afternoon activities, evening activities, and in our community and residential life.
• Faculty and Staff: Take steps to attract, develop and retain educators of the highest caliber.
• Work toward salary levels, housing and benefits sufficient to attract and retain outstanding faculty and staff.
• Invest in the development of faculty and staff, particularly to support the introduction of new approaches to teaching and learning. This may require a shift in resources in order to support faculty and staff to pursue learning opportunities, to provide mentorship and guidance or necessary resources and equipment.
• Operational Review: Review the operations of all offices and functions in the school on a regular basis. Where possible benchmark these against external standards and develop improved operating procedures.

In order to deliver our program at a very high standard, we may find that our program must become simpler. Specific decisions about programmatic offerings will be guided by the mission as well as by the practical realities of operating a small institution.

Indicators of progress: Without allowing any one goal or number to drive or skew decision-making, and remembering always that the education and wellbeing of the individual child is our highest responsibility, we will track the following measures of success:

One to Three Years:

• Creation of a working consensus among the faculty, with support of the board, of the elements of progressive education that will define a Putney education, and a hiring focus which reflects these priorities.
• Creation of an active professional development program for the faculty which reflects the need to keep up with research on learning, to integrate technology, and to have time to learn and experiment.
• Lowered student attrition: This will reflect on our success in attracting suitable candidates, our clarity in presenting the school program to families, our ability to deliver what we promise, and our understanding of the needs of our individual students.
• Creation of a benchmarking group of similar schools which will allow us to better analyze our operations and learn.

Three to Five Years:

• Faculty and staff hiring: The ability to attract and hire our top candidates for job openings will reflect on a strategically successful use of our salary scale, housing and benefits, as well as a growing reputation in the educational world.
• Stable or reduced adult to student ratio: Overall efficiency and ability to make choices between competing demands will be reflected in a program that can run successfully with a stable or reduced adult to student ratio.
• Use of financial aid to shape a class and to support the mission of the school in appropriate ways rather than to fill the school.