One of a board’s key responsibilities is to ensure effective organizational planning to intentionally progress the school toward its grand vision. A thoughtful strategic planning process is the key way boards fulfill this responsibility. Simply defined, strategic planning is the school’s process of defining its strategic direction, and then allocating resources appropriately to pursue this direction. It involves simultaneously acknowledging the school’s current reality and its ideal vision for the future; with those two pictures in mind, the strategic plan then charts the course for bridging the gap between the two. The process of developing a strategic plan identifies clear goals and strategies that can be followed by the board, staff, parents, and other stakeholders, holding accountable those assigned to accomplishing each task by measuring their progress toward each goal.