Leadership in Global Learning

A Strategic Master Plan for Woodstock School, 2010-2015

ENVISIONING CHANGE

Celebrating more than 155 years of existence, Woodstock School enters the second decade of the 21st Century with renewed commitment to its position as a leading educational institution in India that prepares its students to become global citizens and scholars. Building on a long history, rich traditions, Christian values and strong reputation, Woodstock can confidently claim its place among the finest secondary schools in the world. A global vision, valued heritage, rigorous academic program, and unique location allow Woodstock to stand out above other schools.

This Strategic Master Plan follows previous planning efforts at Woodstock, most recently the "Service Through Excellence" plan adopted by the Board of Directors in 1996 and the "Achieving Excellence" document developed for the period 2005-10. "Leadership in Global Learning: A Strategic Master Plan for 2010-2015" continues the high standards and focused vision of these earlier plans, while setting more ambitious and challenging goals for the school. In essence, this plan represents the fulfillment and extension of earlier aspirations for propelling Woodstock to the highest levels of excellence.

Educational institutions must evolve in order to survive and flourish. Woodstock began in 1854 as a small school for Protestant girls from colonial families in India. Eventually, it grew into a co-educational missionary school with an American curriculum. As foreign church groups withdrew from India in the 1960s, Woodstock became a Christian International School committed to serving India and the rest of the world. Woodstock is a way of life, nurtured through education, experience and service. Today, Woodstock is at an important juncture in history, where it can ambitiously redefine itself while holding firm to, and building upon, values that have anchored the school for a century-and-a-half.

During the course of implementing this strategic plan, Woodstock's board of directors, the administration and staff have reviewed and refined the school's stated mission and purpose. Woodstock will always remain Christian in ethos and character, with minority status in India. The school must place its educational goals and objectives first and foremost. The word "International" needs to be reevaluated because it has been overused by a plethora of new institutions in India and elsewhere and suggests that the school's students and staff represent merely an assortment of national identities rather than a community of learning with a world view. At this turning point in its history, the school does not require any adjectives or subtitles to define its purpose. Woodstock School will remain synonymous with visionary leadership in global learning.

David J. Laurenson Ph.D.

To view a pdf version of the Strategic Master Plan please click here