From the NC Department of Public Instruction (Visit us on the Web: www.ncpublicschools.org): 

Overview of School Improvement Planning

School improvement planning provides a mechanism for identifying needs and establishing a common approach to meeting those needs at the school level. Effective school improvement planning contributes to overall school performance by:

 Establishing an understanding of the “big picture” of a school's current state, including student achievement, school environment, teacher community, parent community, and administrative issues;

 Reaching consensus across the school community on which needs represent the highest priorities for action based upon the potential to improve overall student and school performance; and

 Identifying for implementation objectives and tasks, including specific targets, effective practices, and milestones required to address the school priorities.