Goals, partnerships support strong educational experience
In 2018, Kettering City Schools stakeholders — including staff members and students, parents and guardians, and business and community members — engaged in a strategic planning process designed to guide the district in determining longterm objectives and the shortterm goals that would help us achieve them.
Out of this detailed process came our portrait of a graduate, which includes the attributes the collective members of the strategic planning team agree we should all be committed to helping instill in all KCS graduates for them to maximize their life opportunities.
We began the 2023-2024 school year with a focus on three key areas for the Kettering City Schools of Safety & Wellness, Climate & Culture and Quality Learning. Each of these focus areas continues to align with the Kettering City Schools’ strategic plan and our portrait of a graduate attributes of Engaged Collaborator, Lifelong Learner, Critical Thinker, Thoughtful Communicator and Global Citizen.
As we head into the final quarter of the 2023-24 school year, I want to provide an overview of how our central office and building administrative teams, and our school and support staff continue to work collaboratively to meet our schoolyear goals and to continue to support the incredible work of our KCS community in developing the district’s strategic plan, “A Blueprint for Success.”
Safety & Wellness
All buildings have a School Safety Team that continuously collaborates, monitors and provides feedback to each building principal.
The District Safety Team meets monthly with School Resource Officers and members of the building teams to ensure that safety remains a top priority.
Our staff is dedicated to partnering with community resources — including Dayton Children’s, South Community Behavioral Health and Kettering Health Network — to support the mental and physical health of our staff, students and families.
Our district’s multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) coordinator developed a Family Resources Mental Health Guidebook that connects staff, students and families to our school counselors and to community mental health resources. Access the Guidebook on the “Safety & Wellness” page of our website at www.ketteringschools.org.
Climate & Culture
KCS remains steadfastly committed to PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports), a research-based approach to establishing positive student culture and individualized behavior supports necessary to create a safe and effective learning environment for all students.
Four KCS schools — Kettering Middle, Greenmont Elementary, Orchard Park Elementary and Indian Riffle Elementary — have been recognized this year by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce for their outstanding work in PBIS. Each of the building PBIS teams worked closely with their building MTSS leaders and district MTSS coordinator in 12 areas and were rated by a State Support Team.
Six of our schools — Fairmont High School and Kettering Middle, Prass Elementary, Oakview Elementary, Beavertown Elementary and John F Kennedy Elementary — were recognized by the Montgomery County Educational Service Center through their Schools of Excellence in Prevention program for their work in prevention programming that supports mental health, healthy behaviors, and student resilience.
Recruitment, support, development and retention of high-quality staff is a priority of our Human Capital Department.
KCS students have a variety of service-learning, athletic, after-school and student leadership opportunities designed to develop the “whole student” available to them in the Kettering City Schools..
The partnerships KCS enjoys with the city, service organizations, businesses and faithbased groups are vital to the academic, social and emotional development of our students. For instance, we are proud of Partners for Healthy Youth, a city/schools organization dedicated to the well-being of youth and families in Kettering, and its unprecedented work with infusing PBIS into the greater Kettering community through the “We Are Kettering” program that focuses on the same three words that our school-based PBIS program embraces of “safe, responsible and respectful!”
Quality Learning Environment
KCS is committed to providing several professional development opportunities for staff, centered on high-yield instructional strategies.
Teacher collaboration and leadership are promoted and supported.
Our Instructional Council brings staff members, students, parents/guardians and community members together to review, discuss and brainstorm on instructional best practices.
Our dedicated staff, across the board, is committed to working to meet the needs of ALL students by closing learning gaps and enriching academic learning opportunities for every child.
From our 5-star-rated preschool program, to elementary STEAM opportunities, to accelerated academic options for middle school students, to our robust Career Tech Center and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
programs at Fairmont High School to our award-winning visual and performing arts programs ... the Kettering Schools truly have something for every student.
The Ohio Department of Education assigned ratings in the latest (2023) State Report Card, assigning an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in halfstar increments to school districts. I am extremely proud of the Kettering City School District’s overall rating of 4.5 stars, indicating that we have exceeded the state standards in all categories. KCS received 4 stars (“exceeds state standards”) in Achievement, Progress, Graduation and Early Literacy. KCS received 5 stars (“significantly exceeds state standards”) in the Gap Closing category, which shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for all students (subgroups) in English language arts, math and graduation.
While we celebrate the State Report Card success, we also recognize that our students are experiencing and exploring many outstanding opportunities that promote growth, innovation and skills that are not measured in the Report Card. Our commitment to Safety & Wellness, a supportive Climate & Culture that is embraced by the entire school community and Quality Learning for every student help make Kettering a destination district that cares for our students and invests in providing them with an excellent educational experience.