Running head: CRITICAL ANALYSIS REPORT

Mission Statement
Innovative Schools empowers educators and communities to adopt modern school models
proven to inspire passionate teaching and learning.

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Critical Analysis Report

Watara Heath
Wilmington University

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Critical Analysis Report

Innovative Schools serves as a resource center for public schools throughout the state of
Delaware. Innovative Schools was established in 2002, with the intent to address schools
throughout the entire state that are academically underperforming. Innovative Schools conducts
research of successful programs implemented in schools across the country that support and
contribute to the purpose of the organization. In collaboration with their national partners models
of the successful programs are developed to implement in Delaware. Innovative Schools offers
two programs that work directly with these underperforming schools to apply the best practice
possible to effectively improve overall performance. However, for the purpose of this assignment
one program, MET schools, will be the focus throughout this report.
Delaware MET school implements the Big Picture Learning (BPL) model. BPL is a
program that uses an individualized approach. This model offers a more personal practice known
as learning through interests (LTI). This allows each student to incorporate their own goals and
into their academic curriculum. Students develop their learning through interests curriculum
through community service projects. Students are paired with someone in a career field that
complements their own desired career goals. The student will spend three days in school
completing academics and two days in the workforce as an internship. LTI offers the opportunity
for the student to gain critical thinking skills while learning how to present professionally. LTI
also provides the student with objectives for developing the learning plans. Learning plans are
goals that the student is interested in achieving throughout the four years attending. Learning
plans are altered regularly as the student may add or condense their goals.

Running head: AGENCY REPORT

MET school has limited space for enrollment to ensure that each student will be afforded
a high quality and effective learning environment. Delaware MET thinks of itself as a learning
community as an alternative to a school. Students are assigned teams with advisors (teachers) for
their core course learnings. Students are also assigned mentors from the community to help
bridge the gap between academics and real life situations. Parents and family has a huge role in
the students success. MET promotes parental involvement, as success starts within the home.
MET welcomes parents to volunteer during school hours to observe firsthand the learning
community. Parents are encouraged to attend learning plan meetings throughout the school year
to provide suggestions or express questions regarding their childs developed learning plan.
Delaware MET Schools are overseen by the Department of Education (DOE).
Anything that is implemented into the schools curriculum has to be approved by DOE.
Innovative Schools also works with boards members of each respective school to prepare and
ensure that proper policies and procedure are in place. The Operations Manager, a full-time
Innovative Schools employee acts as a liaison between the principal of the school and other staff
at Innovative Schools. The Operations Manager oversees payroll, financial reports, human
resources, hiring, and other issues to ensure that the head of the school (Principal) can be active
in each students learning.
A traditional charter school acts as an independent school. Independent schools are
required to hire additional personnel that specialize in budgets, bookkeeping, and human
resources. In a traditional charter school this is usually a costly hire that is not necessarily needed
fulltime. However, the idea behind Innovative Schools is that their program will save
administrative operating cost because Innovative Schools offers a fulltime staff that is capable of
performing such task without interrupting the schools budget.

Running head: AGENCY REPORT

If I were the director of the program I would offer sports at the school. I think that it is
important that students are encouraged to be competitive and while being afforded to learn
sportsmanship. Having competitive sports allows students to increase their socialization skills
and teaches how to interact with their peers to say the least. I would also not limit the students to
one team with the same advisors (teachers). I believe this would limit the students interactions
with other advisors and fellow students which puts restrictions on the student and forces them
toward a specific crowd.
On the other hand, the BPL model is a part of the program that I feel would continue to
be beneficial for the students. BPL model, LTI, and learning plans I would keep in the program
to ensure that each student would be work to their fullest potential. MET Schools appears to have
significant modern ideas in place that create an environment for great learnings for their
participating students.
As the Director I would oversee the funding department ensuring that the monies are
being spent for the intended purpose. I would continue to produce data for the sponsor and
potential stakeholders and/or grant proposals. In order to keep and gain additional sponsors
research/data is imperative to present. People are only interested in investing their money in
something with some type of assurance and promise for the venture. Also, promoting and
marketing is the method I would use to gain additional funders. I would be sure that our
program would remain the forefront in our communities to gain support from the politicians and
parents of the current and future attendees.
The qualities that would be looked for in our staff and interns are integrity, openmindedness, and a strong sense of responsibility. Integrity is important because I need assurance
in knowing that the staff will perform at their highest performance at all times. Open-mindedness

Running head: AGENCY REPORT

and being responsible are qualities being sought to make certain that the staff will be open to
learning and practicing innovative approaches in the program while willing to admit when
confronted with challenges and difficulties in the workplace. Our staff will be well-rounded
culturally competent, and ethnically diverse to meet the needs of a broad population.

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Reference

Innovative Schools. (n.d.). Innovative Schools: Inspiring change. Empowering results. Retrieved
February 18, 2015 from http://www.innovativeschools.org

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Agency Report
Watara Heath
Wilmington University

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Agency Report

Introduction
Non-profit organizations are conceived and designed based on a vision. This vision
involves services that will be rendered to a specific target population with an end goal that will
measure success of the agency. Empowering educators and communities to adopt modern
schools models proven to inspire passionate teaching and learning is the end goal or mission of
Innovative Schools. Innovative Schools has two different programs within the organization to
assist with achieving or moving toward the agencys mission. The Delaware Leadership Program
(DLP) focuses more on leadership in the school. The DLP is a residency program that prepares
aspiring principals in real life situations. During the residency program these aspiring principals
serve as assistance principals for ten months in an appointed high need school. The purpose of
DLP is to improve student outcomes in existing schools that are hard to staff. The attention of the
MET program is the student. The MET program is develop to prepare the student for their career
of interest. Students attend school three days a week and an internship of their interest two days a
week. Both programs work interchangeably to help the organization accomplish its mission.
Mission
The idea behind the development of Innovative Schools is to offer high quality education
to every student no matter race, demographic, or socioeconomic background. Innovative
Schools was created on strong core values and beliefs. The organization strives for excellence,
respects the process of building communities, and empowers school leaders, educators and
students. All three aspects are the foundation to assisting the organization achieve its mission.
The groundwork of this non-profit organization is that every student needs an individual
educational plan to meet their specific academic goals to promote personal growth. This type of

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groupthink contributes to respecting that not all children learn in the same manner. With that
being said, Innovative Schools stands out because of their advanced/modern approaches.
Innovative Schools provides trainings/learning tools for their school leaders with the goal of
establishing learning environments for both the classroom and in the home.
Demographic
Innovative Schools demographic population are high need schools throughout the state
of Delaware that are seeking modern Kindergarten through twelfth grade school models with
elite practices. The Delaware Leadership Program (DLP) targets Masters level graduates with an
American teacher certification from any state. Aspiring principals are not specific to any race,
age, or gender. The qualification are solely regarding the qualifying factors and experience of
these aspiring school leaders. The DLP gives great attention to the schools that are in high need
of academic growth, improved staffing, and more advanced teaching models.
The MET program are offered at the 9th and 10th grade level. Students with an interest to
attend a school that will prepare them for college and their careers are all welcome to apply. To
be accepted that student and the parent has to complete the entire application process and commit
to the MET programs model. Fall 2015 school year will have 264 students enrolled in the MET
program with 132 in 9th and 132 in 10th grade. The goal is to have a total of 528 students in
grades 9th through 12th by adding one grade level per year as enrollment increases.
Policies and Procedure
Policies and procedures act as guidelines for an organization that are usually located in an
employee handbook. The policies and procedures are written expectations of employees to assist
with understanding the job duties and the organization. Although these guidelines are written
they can be altered at any time by appropriate personnel. In the case of Innovative Schools the

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Chief of Operations is responsible for updating information stated in the employee handbook.
Some major policies and procedures of Innovative Schools include Equal Employment
Opportunity, Whistle Blowing, Employee benefits, and Safety in the Workplace.
Equal Opportunity states that the organization will not discriminate against any
employees or applicants based on race, marital status, age, sex, and but limited to religion. Any
personnel has the right to report any unethical or inappropriate behavior of another staff member
while having the right to be protected from any type of retaliation of the accused or anyone
affiliated with the accused therefore protecting the whistle blower. Employee benefits covers
an array of affairs regarding employee time away from work and other absences. Holidays,
Administrative leave, insurance, 401K, and but not limited to employee assistance program all
are categories described in employee benefits. Safety in the Workplace involves each employees
responsibility including safety awareness, anticipating unsafe situations, and reporting unsafe
conditions. Work place searches and other housekeeping guidelines are designated under
workplace safety.
Structure
Every organization has a hierarchy in place along with the policy and procedures to
unsure best practices of the agency. Each personnel is needed to conduct their work in a manner
that is beneficial to the organization. The Hierarchy is in place to maintain structure and
organization within each department.
Innovative Schools has a Board of Directors that are involved in developing strategic
plans that coordinate with the agencys vision and mission. The CEO is responsible for
overseeing Directors and launching innovative education initiatives in participating Delaware
Schools. The Senior Advisor leads developments of special projects to facilitate success of the

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organizations goals. Chief Schools Officer develops curriculums, leads professional

development for schools and the teachers. The Director of DLP act as the resident principal,
observation specialist, and Data coach. The Director of Finance and Operations oversees the
budget of the organization and performs in house financial audits. The budgeting and reporting
specialist plugs in the numbers to track the budget and provide daily reports. Marketing
department strategically and creatively develops advertising to promote the organization. The
Information Technology Department controls the email services, personnel directory, hardware
installations, Microsoft Office systems, server setups. The Administrative Assistance is the
foundations of all departments. Without an AA the agency would lack organization and structure.
The AA is familiar with each department and is responsible for directing contacts to appropriate
departments along with other housekeeping matters.
Board of
Directors

Chief Operating
Officer (CEO)

Project Manager
I

Senior Advisor

Director of
Teaching and
Learning

Chief Schools
Officer

Director of
Finance and
Operations

Director,
Delaware
Leadership
Program

Program
Coordinator I

Director of
Business
Services

Program
Coordinator II

Marketing and
Communications
Development

Administrative
Assistant

Governance

Project Manager
II

Budget and
Reporting
Specialist

Information
Technology (IT)

Intern

Operations
Manager

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According to the website of Innovative Schools the Governing body in broken down into
two tiers. The Board of Directors that oversee appropriate implementation of established
policies. The Board also monitors the balance of authority and are responsible for running the
organization. The second tier include several different Committees. The Committees are
standing committees used for ongoing major activities. The Committees were formed to assist
the Board of Directors address issues and accomplish goals.
Funding
Innovative Schools funding sources are from sponsors and grants. The finance
department seeks and applies for appropriate state and federal grants. Certain grants are specific
to education while others are specific to the services rendered. A grant maybe applied for to
assist with the cost of traveling to trainings or visiting participating schools in the state of
Delaware. Another grant maybe written to cover the cost of supplies and/or salaries to ensure
ongoing operation of the organization. Stakeholders are another source of income. Organizations
or even separate parties provide donations to help fund the non-profit agency. Just as proposal
are written for grants the same idea attracts investors. Sponsors are included and made aware of
how their donations will be used to guarantee it will be spent to help the agency move toward the
mission.
Relationship to other agencies
Partners of Innovative Schools are Cape Henlopen, Capital, Christiana, Colonial, New
Castle County Vo-tech, Red Clay, and Seaford School Districts. Innovative holds contracts with
these districts along with nearly two dozen charter schools. The contracts serves as a way to
employ school leaders that are enrolled and graduate from the DLP. It also functions to offer
students the opportunity to attend the MET program. Innovative Schools develops relationships

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with other Delaware schools with hopes of implementing modern school models for all Delaware
Schools.
Strengths, Trends, and Challenges
Current Strengths of Innovative Schools are the relationships with other districts and the
communities. Leadership training, site visits, professional development, and community
engagement are all strengths of Innovative Schools. The core values and beliefs of forward
thinking and practicing innovative strategies will empower educators and increase graduation
rates for the entire state of Delaware. Obstacles or challenges that Innovative Schools face are
opening new charter schools while establishing a supportive network. Because the idea is new
and will suggest change for our educational communities there is potential and expectation of
resistance that everyone will buy in to the modern approaches.
Intern Role
The role of the intern is to learn the organization from each departments perspective.
Observing while completing assignment given from the supervisor. The Intern has to be
proactive in the practicum role. Asking questions for clarification and making suggestions when
invited to assist. The intern performs as additional personnel to execute responsibilities and
duties beneficial to the organization.

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Reference

Innovative Schools. (n.d.). Innovative Schools: Inspiring change. Empowering results. Retrieved
February 18, 2015 from http://www.innovativeschools.org