The Journey School Strategic Plan was carefully developed with input from all stakeholders including our faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and council members. The foundation for this plan was developed as the school sought and achieved accreditation from the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education. The complete text of Journey’s three-year plan is shared below. Each year prioritizes goals and outlines steps to achieve educational excellence, faculty and staff sustainability, community engagement and thought leadership.
YEAR 1 – YEAR 2 – YEAR 3
Year 1: Foundation & Alignment (2025–2026)
Priority 1: Educational Excellence & Assessment
- Form the Assessment & Curriculum Innovation Committee
- Begin mapping existing curriculum across grades to identify alignment gaps
- Develop draft Waldorf-aligned assessment rubrics and pilot in Grades 2, 5, and 7
- Create baseline student developmental profiles (academic + social-emotional)
- Create a profile of a Journey Graduate (academic + social-emotional)
- Improve Google Drive/Classroom pilot for teachers to begin building shared resource libraries
Priority 2: Faculty & Staff Sustainability
- Establish Faculty Sustainability Task Force to gather feedback on workload, mentorship, and
compensation - Audit current teacher compensation and develop a plan to gradually close the pay gap
- Schedule time and provide stipends for cross-role planning between Main Class Teachers (MCTs) and Specialists
(1x/month minimum) - Pilot teacher wellness sessions (e.g., mindfulness, group support, off-campus half-days)
- Increase attendance at on-site summer professional development (PD); begin offering PD credit hours
- Facilities: Conduct facilities audit. Research CUSD options for substantial improvements of
existing campus or relocation within the district.
Priority 3: Community Engagement & Thought Leadership
- Create and launch a Parent & Community Education Series (topics: Waldorf 101, tech at home,
neurodiversity, etc.) - Hold listening circles for underrepresented families and EL learners
-Expand on campus Waldorf PD programming for teachers on campus - Begin planning for a Waldorf Innovation Conference to be held at Journey in Year 3
- Expand Journey’s social media presence by highlighting teacher voices and alumni stories
(monthly posts) - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Committee identifies key focus areas and begins building resources for staff PD
Year 2: Implementation & Expansion (2026–2027)
Priority 1: Educational Excellence & Assessment
- Expand Waldorf-aligned assessment pilot to all grades; collect and review student progress data
- Finalize and implement baseline developmental benchmarks by grade level
- Publish internal curriculum guides with cross-grade expectations (academic + SEL)
- Host Journey Assessment Summer Institute to refine tools, offer PD, and attract outside
educators - Improve alignment between MCTs and Specialists through shared curriculum planning retreats
Priority 2: Faculty & Staff Sustainability
- Implement phased compensation adjustments (based on year 1 audit and funding)
- Offer release time for classroom observation and peer mentoring (2x/year per teacher)
- Deepen self-care/wellness programming and integrate into regular staff culture
- Offer professional learning stipends for all teachers attending or presenting at conferences
- Hold a full-day August Retreat with integrated MCT/Specialist planning and bonding sessions
- Facilities: Determine facilities goals including budget and timeline, based on Year 1 research.
Launch capital funding campaign to support facilities goals.
Priority 3: Community Engagement & Thought Leadership
- Continue parent education series; expand outreach in Spanish and via social media
- Pilot DEI affinity groups for staff, students, and families with facilitation support
- Launch service learning reboot with clear partnerships and student leadership opportunities
- Finalize program for Waldorf Innovation Conference and begin inviting external speakers
- Increase community visibility through op-eds, blog posts, and local press engagement
Year 3: Full Integration & Leadership (2027–2028)
Priority 1: Educational Excellence & Assessment
- Full implementation of Journey-specific Waldorf-aligned assessments schoolwide
- Use student growth data to inform instructional decisions and share impact stories with
stakeholders - Formalize and publish the Journey Assessment and Curriculum Framework
- Begin licensing or sharing assessment tools with other Waldorf and charter schools
- Deepen curriculum-sharing with regional Waldorf partnerships
Priority 2: Faculty & Staff Sustainability
- Finalize and institutionalize compensation parity with traditional public schools
- Sustain wellness, mentorship, and collaboration systems
- Offer Waldorf 101 and specialty PD to outside educators as a revenue stream
- Secure grant funding to support teacher credentialing, Waldorf training, and sabbatical planning
- Launch internal faculty leadership fellowships (e.g., Assessment, Innovation)
- Facilities: Continue capital funding campaign to align with facilities goals.
Priority 3: Community Engagement & Thought Leadership
- Host the first Waldorf Innovation Conference at Journey School
- Publish a Journey Impact Report highlighting student outcomes, DEI efforts, and thought
leadership - Expand parent education series to include regional invitations (e.g., virtual webinars, bilingual
sessions) - Position Journey faculty and admin as presenters at state/national education events
- Strengthen external partnerships with higher ed, nonprofits, and Waldorf networks for
sustainability and visibility
