Kirkwood High presents strategic plan centered on engagement, new homeroom structure and supports

Kirkwood High School Principal Seth Harrell told the Kirkwood School District Board of Education on Jan. 27 that the high school’s strategic plan centers on student engagement, expanded instruction supports and systems to identify and assist students before they fall behind.

“Community, tradition and excellence” are central, Harrell said, and the high school is aligning instruction, scheduling and professional learning so teachers can “act on students before it’s too late.”

The presentation described several schoolwide priorities: strengthening professional learning communities (PLCs) with dedicated time and a PLC handbook; a curriculum and assessment refresh that includes formative assessments and a pilot of AMP as a new assessment tool; a Turnitin pilot for academic-honesty and AI-detection support; an expanded set of AP and dual-credit offerings; and a new homeroom structure intended to provide student choice and protected collaboration time for departments.

Associate Principal Mike Gavin and other administrators said PLC leaders now have dedicated time during the school day to plan and collect common data, and teachers are using Total Participation Techniques (a Kagan-derived text) to establish common classroom practices. Gavin described a shift away from relying solely on summative assessments toward more frequent formative checkpoints to identify needs earlier.

Harrell and the administrators described the homeroom rework as a three-part block: an initial announcements segment followed by two…