District Values
At Lockhart ISD, our district values are anchored by three core beliefs:
- We have a LockHeart for People. We know that when we take care of the people we serve, they are better able to take care of business.
- We are Locked on Excellence. This means we hold high expectations for ourselves and others in the relentless pursuit of excellent results.
- We are UnLocking Potential to develop ourselves and others, growing to our fullest potential.
We are a people-focused culture building a legacy of excellence. This is who we are. This is #LockhartLeading.
Learn more about our Lockhart ISD District Values below.
#LockhartLeading
Staying "Locked on Excellence" means the relentless pursuit of results. We achieve this through strategic planning, high expectations, and being a change agent.
What does strategic planning look like?
- Sets vision: Establish a shared vision for accomplishing school goals by collaborating with all stakeholders.
- Communicates vision: Clearly communicate a unifying vision.
- Puts vision into actions: Infuse vision into all decisions, policies, and practices.
- Sets goals: Establish ambitious, measurable goals aligned to the vision for student success.
- Develops plans: Use the backwards design approach when planning and clarifying objectives aligned to the vision.
- Implements the plan: Launch, monitor and adjust.
What do high expectations look like?
- Technical expertise: Possess knowledge and skills to model and communicate high expectations for all.
- Accountability for Results: Make expectations known through words and actions; take responsibility for the results of the staff.
- Data Usage: Utilize data to measure and monitor effectiveness of school systems and insist that staff regularly analyze and utilize high quality data to drive successful student outcomes.
- Recognition: Establish a system to recognize and reward all for achieving desired results; regularly acknowledge when excellence is demonstrated.
What does being a change agent look like?
- Growth Mindset: Treat challenges as opportunities, be persistent in the face of setbacks, learn from criticism and failure, and demonstrate that growth is achieved through effort.
- Advances innovation: Inspire all to think innovatively and try new ideas; create an environment where it is safe to take risks.
- Champion initiatives: Identify the need for change and be the driving force behind its implementation.
- Adaptive leadership: Demonstrate the ability to adjust to challenges and dynamic factors as they arise.
"UnLocking Potential" means developing and empowering ourselves and others. We achieve this through personal leadership, cultivating talent, and distributive leadership.
What does personal leadership look like?
- Commitment to ongoing learning: Demonstrate the importance of continuous learning through ongoing professional development.
- Self care: Manage own energy, emotions, and well being.
- Organize self: Intentionally plan to accomplish work tasks and activities that lead to the desired results.
- Ethical behavior: Use good judgment in all situations.
What does cultivating talent look like?
- Talent Management: Ensure the hiring and retention of high quality staff.
- Coaching and Evaluation: Provide ongoing feedback and support focused on the growth and development of others.
- Develop Staff: Identify and provide opportunities aligned to school and personal growth goals.
- Identify Potential: See in others what they may not see in themselves and encourage their future growth.
What does distributive leadership look like?
- Empowerment: Share leadership and delegate responsibilities to build shared ownership and achieve desired outcomes
- Encourages Collaboration: Provide opportunities for all team members to actively work together to build shared ownership
- Fosters Engagement: Nurture a community that encourages authentic engagement and internal accountability
Having a "LockHeart for People" means building relational capacity. We achieve this through communication, relationships, and culture.
What does our communication look like?
- Sharing Information: Provide accurate and timely information through multiple modalities.
- Open Communication: Actively seek continuous feedback from the people they serve; establish clear mechanisms for team members to share ideas.
- Transparent Communication: Clearly communicate decisions and rationale for those decisions.
- Collective Voice: Engage diverse points of view throughout decision making processes.
- Actively Listening: Be fully present, listen intently to understand, and reflect understanding.
- Non-Verbal Communication: Be intentional with appropriate non-verbal messaging.
What do our relationships look like?
- Genuine: Demonstrate care, respect, and personal regard for staff, students, and parents.
- Connect: Know those you serve.
- Emotional Intelligence: Apply emotional intelligence to better understand the unique needs of others.
- Gratitude: Demonstrate appreciation to others in meaningful ways.
What does our culture look like?
- Safe School Environment: Create an inclusive atmosphere of safety that encourages the social, emotional, and physical well being of all staff and students.
- Culture of Equity: Remove barriers for staff and students to achieve and succeed at the highest levels regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, sexual orientation, family background and socio-economic status.
- Family and Student Engagement: Create culturally responsive systems that engage families and community throughout the educational experience.
- Be Optimistic: Model an optimistic mindset and bring a productive positive energy that anything is possible.
- Values Time: Protect personal time and maximize professional time needed for preparation and delivery of student learning.