This document provides steps for principals and teachers to diversify course offerings at their schools. It recommends visualizing new programs, aligning them with school goals, determining student and community needs through surveys, having the right personnel, simplifying resources, marketing new courses, and providing examples from Gahanna Lincoln High School. The school started a fabrication lab and digital academy based on needs, recruited the right teachers, and promoted programs through articles and its course offerings book. Overall, the document outlines how to create innovative programs that meet community needs.

1. How to Diversify School Offerings
At Any Level
Bobby Dodd, Principal
Tia Holliman, Dean of Curriculum
Gahanna Lincoln High School

2. Learning Targets
• I can use steps to become more creative and
innovative when creating new courses and
programs.
• I can market and brand new programs and
courses that I create.
• I can visualize and use others ideas to improve
my school and classroom.
#BFKSOAR

3. Do You Really Need to Be Creative to
Offer Great Programs?
#BFKSOAR

4. Steps to Follow to Diversify Your
Portfolio
• Visualize how you can help your school and/or
classroom grow.
• Some steps may apply to your school and/or
classroom, some may not.
• Most important takeaway:
#BFKSOAR

5. Know Your Location and Who You Are
• Be realistic in your ideas and needs
• Think about what it will look like 5 or 10 years
down the road
#BFKSOAR

6. Align Building Goals with Programs
• If the program doesn’t align to your
building/classroom goals and vision, don’t do
it!
– You will only be confusing your stakeholders
#BFKSOAR

7. Need
#BFKSOAR

8. Base Programs on the Need of
Students, Parents, & Community
#BFKSOAR

9. How Do You Find Your Needs?
• Asked our students, staff, and parents
• Created a survey using Google Forms
http://goo.gl/forms/u3svBwGf9m
#BFKSOAR

10. How Do You Find Your Needs?
• Sent an email to parents using School
Messenger – mass email software we use
• Use social media to spread the word:
– Twitter – school and personal accounts; ask other
teachers to also Tweet link
– Facebook – Post link on school/district account;
pay for Boost
– RemindHQ – mass text application; text the link to
staff, students, parents
#BFKSOAR

11. GLHS Fabrication Laboratory
#BFKSOAR

12. Our Need
• We knew we needed to reach out to industry
in Gahanna.
• We knew we had to reach out to the
community.
• We knew we had to provide other
opportunities for students to demonstrate
learning outside of a traditional classroom
setting.
• We had the equipment from a grant
#BFKSOAR

13. GLHS Digital Academy
#BFKSOAR

14. Need
• Parents and students wanted online offerings.
• We knew we needed to provide curriculum to
students in non-traditional means.
• We knew we needed online curriculum that
would allow for enrichment opportunities for
students.
• We knew we needed to prepare ourselves for
the future.
#BFKSOAR

15. Requests from Parents & Students
• We take suggestions and requests for classes
often.
• Students get ideas from other school districts,
friends in college, social media.
• It is imperative to have a large number of
students who are interested in a class
• Curricular Change Proposal form to begin the
process
#BFKSOAR

16. Having the Right Personnel in Place
#BFKSOAR

17. Having the Right Personnel in Place
• You need to have the right teachers to offer
new courses and programs
– If you don’t, the program will not be successful
• Don’t offer programs just to offer them, put
the right protocols in place to be successful
– Refer to the proposal submitted
• Hire with the future in mind
– Applicant’s degrees & licensure are important
#BFKSOAR

18. Having the Right Personnel in Place
• Applicant needs to have the right mindset that
fits with the building and staff; open minded
to starting new programs
• Professional Development
– Where can staff get training?
– Make sure the training occurs early
• Example – 1:1 programs
• Make sure counselors and other support staff
are aware of intentions and timelines
#BFKSOAR

19. Simplify Your Resources
#BFKSOAR

20. Simplify Your Resources
• Use what you have
– GLHS FabLab & Digital Academy
• Start small if necessary
• Find the space – Make the space if you have to
• Write grants
• Meet vendors/textbook companies to
evaluate resources
#BFKSOAR

21. See What Other Schools Are Doing
• Visit other schools
• Communicate with leaders in other buildings
to see what they are doing
#BFKSOAR

22. Market & Brand the New Course
#BFKSOAR

23. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Communication
• Students, staff, and parents need to know
about the course
• Social Media, Open Houses, Parent Meetings
• Let all parties know of the benefits of taking
the course
#BFKSOAR

24. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Use What Other Schools Are Using
• Find other places that are offering the same
course/program and see what they did to
promote their course/program
#BFKSOAR

25. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Recruit
• The staff teaching the new course/program
will determine the enrollment
• Staff with good student-teacher relationships
is important
#BFKSOAR

26. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Create Excitement
• Too many times this is overlooked
• Use the local media to market your program
– GLHS Fab Lab article
• Use the course/program as a showcase at
local events
– Community Art class article
#BFKSOAR

27. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Community University Courses
• If you leave with one thing today, create
Community University courses for your
parents to learn more
• You PTO/PTA can help promote this and
attend the classes
#BFKSOAR

28. Steps for Marketing the New Course
Course Offerings Book
• Make sure the courses are in the book
• Make sure people know where the book is
located online
• Have your administration and/or counselors
create a video explaining scheduling process
and mention the new courses
#BFKSOAR

29. Examples of New Courses/Programs
AP Classes
• How do we determine what new AP classes to
offer?
• What steps do we go through to get
approved?
• Why do we believe we should offer as many
AP classes as we can?
#BFKSOAR

30. Examples of New Courses/Programs
Community Art class
• Listen to your staff and say “Yes!”
• Anyway you can connect community and
schools is a great thing
#BFKSOAR

31. Examples of New Courses/Programs
Student Ambassador Program
• Why did we do this?
• How did we get it going?
• Did we have a model?
• How do we sustain it?
#BFKSOAR

32. Examples of New Courses/Programs
World History online
• Why did we change the way the class is
taught?
• How did we get teacher buy-in?
• Who didn’t we have to get buy-in from?
#BFKSOAR

33. #BFKSOAR

34. Contact Information
• Bobby Dodd, Principal
Email: doddb@gjps.org
Twitter: @bobby__dodd
• Tia Holliman, Dean of Curriculum
Email: hollimant@gjps.org
Twitter: @Ms_Holliman
#BFKSOAR