Following approval for accreditation by NCA for the last cycle, ending in 2000, new leadership was established by the administration for the next cycle at McClintock. It was quickly established that the next cycle would take three years instead of the usual five or six years of previous NCA cycles1. The leadership philosophy undertaken can best be describe as “divide and conquer”—i.e., involve all faculty members as much as possible in order to create a sense of ownership for the school improvement process (SIP)2. It was hoped that process would become both a top down approach--with goals and general organization coming from the leadership—and a grassroots effort where all faculty are involved in creating a better school climate and improving scores.

The three target areas of the SIP were chosen by specific campus leaders and faculty representatives. The goals are a combination of issues important to the faculty, administrators, district supervisors and the community at large. Each goal area emphasizes skills that are necessary for success both at McClintock and in life after graduation, whether in higher education or the world of work. A rationale for each target area is found below while the specific blueprint for each over the rest of the cycle can be found in the succeeding section.