Setting Goals for School Improvement: A Guide for Principals
April 22, 2025
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Student success doesn’t happen by chance. It’s the result of carefully crafted goals, strategic pursuits, and a commitment to continuous improvement – the building blocks of effective school leadership.
Setting goals for school improvement is the first step to driving positive change. Your goals determine what actions your school takes and what resources are needed to improve. A structured and informed approach to goal-setting is essential for your school improvement plan to succeed.
Since this process is so important, we’re providing a comprehensive guide for principals on setting effective goals for school improvement. Plus, find out how movement-based learning can put your goals in motion – literally and figuratively!
You may be eager to start implementing changes, but setting your goals for school improvement is a crucial preliminary step. Your goals offer direction, structure, and motivation throughout your school improvement plan. Whether you’re working to close achievement gaps, decrease absenteeism, or improve student test scores, setting the right goals helps you lead with intention and clarity.
With so many competing demands on school leaders, your impact can be diluted by trying to tackle everything at once. That’s why prioritization is key.
Focus on a handful of strategic goals that align with your school’s mission and current needs. Use data on student achievement, attendance, and other indicators to identify the most critical areas for improvement.
Channeling energy and resources into a few targeted areas will increase your chances of meaningful and measurable improvement. Quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to sustainable change.
Frameworks for school improvement goals can help school leaders structure their ideas for change. They help ensure that your plans are not only realistic, but also measurable, clear, and fitting for your school.
The SMART framework is one of the most useful tools for setting school improvement goals. It helps leaders turn broad intentions into well-structured, actionable steps.
The acronym SMART stands for:
After applying this framework, SMART goals for school improvement become a clear action plan that your whole staff can follow. Here’s a further breakdown of each aspect:
| SMART Component | Description | Guiding Questions | Goal Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Specific |
Focus on a particular area of student learning, staff development, or school environment. Clearly define what needs to be improved. |
What exactly do we want to achieve? Which students or staff will be affected? |
Increase the percentage of 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced in reading. |
|
Measurable |
Include clear criteria for assessing progress and success. Determine how you’ll know if the goal has been achieved. |
How will we track progress? What data will we collect? What benchmarks will indicate success? |
Increase the percentage of 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced on the state reading assessment from 60% to 75%. |
|
Achievable |
Set goals that are realistic and attainable within the available resources and timeframe. Consider the school’s current capacity and potential challenges. |
Can this goal be realistically achieved with our current resources and support? Is the goal challenging but not impossible? |
Increase the percentage of 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced on the state reading assessment from 60% to 75% by the end of the academic year. |
|
Relevant |
Ensure the goal aligns with the school’s overall mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. It should contribute to the broader goals of the school and district. |
Why is this goal important for our school? How does it contribute to our overall vision for student success? Is it aligned with district or state standards? |
Increase the percentage of 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced on the state reading assessment from 60% to 75% by the end of the academic year, aligning with the district’s focus on improving literacy outcomes. |
|
Time-Bound |
Set a clear timeframe or deadline for achieving the goal. This creates a sense of urgency and helps in planning and monitoring progress. |
When will this goal be achieved? What are the key milestones and deadlines along the way? |
Increase the percentage of 3rd grade students scoring proficient or advanced on the state reading assessment from 60% to 75% by the end of the 2024-2025 academic year. |
If you want to take your SMART goals for school improvement a step further, consider the SMARTER framework. It adds two more elements: Evaluate and Revise.
Evaluation is about reviewing areas of success and struggle regarding your school improvement plan. Revising involves updating your goals if they are no longer feasible, relevant, or clear. You may choose to revise your goals based on progress evaluations. Goals change as your school changes.
Another impactful and widely used approach is the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. Like SMART Goals, this framework is designed to guide comprehensive and sustainable change.
In this framework, each domain aligns your action steps with your goals for school improvement.
Effective change requires committed leadership at the state, district, and school levels. Turnaround leaders prioritize urgent action and set a clear path for success. They monitor both short- and long-term goals and adapt their strategies based on evolving needs. This type of leadership ensures that support is customized and meaningful.
School improvement efforts also require a team of skilled and passionate educators. This domain focuses on recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent. Leaders provide targeted professional learning opportunities, set clear performance expectations, and build a staff culture rooted in growth and collaboration.
Improvement in student learning depends on positive changes in classroom instruction. This domain emphasizes the need to understand and respond to the students’ academic needs. It supports the delivery of rigorous, evidence-based instruction and encourages the removal of barriers to success, ensuring every student has the opportunity to thrive.
A strong school culture is essential for sustaining improvement. This domain encourages building a learning-focused environment where effort and achievement are celebrated. It also prioritizes stakeholder input in shared goals.
Together, these four domains serve as one of the most effective models for school improvement, helping leaders create aligned, actionable, and holistic goals that address school needs.
Ongoing reflection and adaptation are key parts of effective leadership. That’s why every goal must be ready to evolve with your school. Embracing continuous improvement models allows you to celebrate growth, readjust plans as needed, and keep everyone accountable
One widely used tool is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle—a simple method for testing, refining, and improving strategies:
Using cycles like PDSA keeps your improvement goals flexible and informed by real-time evidence. Data plays a powerful role here, helping you evaluate what’s working and decide where changes are needed. With this approach, you’re free to change your actions when needed.
When it comes to setting the direction for a school’s success, the principal is more than an administrator—they’re the architect of progress. Leadership in goals for school improvement is essential for collaboration, clarity, and motivation.
Effective school improvement starts with a shared purpose. When a principal fosters a clear and inspiring vision—one that is student-centered and rooted in community values—it becomes the foundation for everything else. But a vision alone isn’t enough. Building a culture of continuous improvement means:
When everyone understands the “why” behind a goal and sees how their daily work contributes to it, commitment deepens.
Stakeholder engagement in goals for school improvement ensures your priorities reflect the real needs, hopes, and experiences of the people involved. When teachers, staff, students, and families are invited into the process, the result is greater trust, accountability, and motivation.
Here are some practical ways principals can invite input and strengthen collaboration:
Involving stakeholders shapes goals, builds stronger relationships, and creates a more unified path forward.
Looking for a proven way to enhance math skills and make learning fun? Math & Movement’s kinesthetic math kits align with your school improvement goals and deliver results.
For principals, focusing goals for school improvement means identifying the areas that will have the greatest impact on students, staff, and the broader school community. While every school has its own unique needs, here are some key areas for school improvement goals that consistently drive student success and school-wide progress.
Prioritize goals that raise student performance and close achievement gaps. Data-informed targets in literacy, math, and other core areas keep learning on track.
Why It Matters: Academic success boosts confidence, engagement, and future opportunities.
SMART Goal Example for Student Achievement: Increase the percentage of 3rd-grade students scoring proficient or advanced on the state math assessment from 60% to 75% by the end of the academic year.
Create a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all. Goals in this area might focus on social-emotional learning, behavior, or equity.
Why It Matters: Students and staff thrive in schools where they feel valued and supported.
SMART Goal Example for School Climate: Increase positive student feedback on school safety by 15% as measured by school-wide surveys.
Support teacher growth through targeted training and coaching. Strong staff development fuels instructional quality and retention.
Why It Matters: Empowered educators inspire student success and strengthen your school culture.
SMART Goal Example for Professional Development: Increase the number of teachers utilizing data-driven instruction by 25% within the school year, as evidenced by lesson plans and data analysis reports.
Set goals that strengthen partnerships with families and local stakeholders. Use events, communication tools, and shared decision-making to build trust.
Why It Matters: Engaged families improve student outcomes and help create a unified school community.
SMART Goal Example for Family and Community Engagement: Increase parent attendance at school events (e.g., parent-teacher conferences, workshops) by 15% within the next semester, as measured by sign-in sheets.
Even with the best intentions, setting and achieving meaningful goals can be difficult. Many principals face common roadblocks that slow progress or stall momentum altogether. Understanding the challenges in goals for school improvement can help leaders navigate them more effectively and keep their teams moving forward with confidence.
Here are some of the most common obstacles:
While these challenges are common, they’re not insurmountable. Here are a few strategies for avoiding pitfalls in goals for school improvement and encouraging progress:
The key is to lead with intention and flexibility. Challenges will come, but with the right mindset and support, your school improvement goals can stay on course and deliver lasting change.
Crafting goals for school improvement isn’t a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process that evolves with your school. When goal setting becomes part of your school’s culture, it fosters shared purpose, drives continuous growth, and empowers everyone to strive for excellence.
The most effective goals are rooted in data, shaped by your team’s insights, and put into action efficiently. By committing to reflection, adaptation, and collaboration, principals can develop a thriving school environment where students are successful.
Math & Movement can make accomplishing your goals fun and energetic with our kinesthetic learning resources. Our evidence-based, kinesthetic learning tools help reinforce core academic skills while boosting student confidence and enthusiasm. Whether you’re focusing on math achievement, student engagement, or a positive school climate, our resources support whole-child learning and whole-school transformation.
School improvement plans and movement-based learning can work together. If your goals include:
Consider integrating Math & Movement into your school improvement plan!
Ready to put your goals into action? Our Whole-School Kits are designed for schools ready to implement innovative changes. These packages provide everything you need to get started with movement-based learning across grade levels. Bring your school improvement goals to life in an active way!
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