Mission “Statement” Possible

Title: Mission “Statement” Possible
Case Study Introduction:
A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students and staff by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient and effective environment. The case study that I’m going to highlight revolves around the development of a school mission statement.  Through the analysis of this case several questions emerge that will formulate my analysis of the case study:
 Questions:
1.      How important is a school mission statement in establishing what learning activities are used for continuous improvement? Is it the mission ‘statement” or the mission?
2.      As an administrator, how much influence should you have on the mission statement and goals of the school? Wouldn’t this depend on what kind of leader you are?
3.      What input should the staff have on the development of the mission statement and goals developed for the school?

 
Description of the case:

      The school that is the focus of the case study is one of the smallest in the province and serves approximately 285 students per year from grades Pre-K through 12. This school had a mission statement that was developed many years ago by a superintendent, named Mr. NoInput, no longer employed by the school system. It was poorly developed and had no input from the faculty, staff, or community. Many of the unwritten goals of the system also have changed with the change of superintendents. The current administrator, Mr. Opendoor wanted the input of the faculty and staff on what they believed our mission as a school should be.
      The school improvement/leadership team at school noted that the mission statement was outdated, reflected only a goal for the 9-12 segment of the school community, and the school community had no idea what the mission statement was. The principal, Mr. Golfman understood that this needed to be brought before the faculty, knowing that it would only be meaningful if they had input in its development. The mission of the three main segments, elementary, middle, and high school, should develop goals and missions within their segment. Teachers met in small groups designated by the age group that they work with on a daily basis. Some teachers had difficulty with understanding exactly what a mission statement was to be. Those on the leadership team from each age level group worked with a teacher to explain the difference between a motto and a mission statement, which seemed to be the largest misconception. Each small group developed both goals and a driving force behind what they were trying to accomplish on a daily basis. While some of these meetings were face to face, email was also utilized to ensure that time was used effectively by all. Anyone who wished to provide input could offer suggestions.
      Once developed, the three lists of goals and missions were developed into one for the entire school by the leadership team. Finally, the faculty was asked to approve the final mission statement in a faculty meeting. The mission statement is awaiting final approval by the Board of Education. The mission statement is a driving force behind staff development, learning experiences in the school, and decisions made such as hiring new teachers and the way instructional funds are spent.  As such, Mr. Golfman was able to create a positive direction for his school with the information that his staff was able to gather from the small age level groups discussions.

Case Study Analysis:

In order to appropriately analyze the case study, a two fold approach is necessary to achieve a complete picture of what I believe to be a common problem in many new schools that are being built in the province of Alberta. So, to start my analysis I need to answer the three questions that I postulated at the beginning of this case preparation.  The second portion of my analysis is to evaluate the leadership style of the people involved in the case study.
Answers to the Questions:

1.      How important is a school mission statement in establishing what learning activities are used for continuous improvement?

     A mission statement is the stated philosophy of the school or school district. With this in mind, it is difficult to have direction for school functions such as instructional practices and professional development. The mission statement should be the driving force behind all lessons and let the school know where they are going. All involved, teachers, staff, and students, should know the direction in this they should be headed. In creating this mission statement, teachers were given the charge to determine how the lessons and activities planned offered the final result, or what we wanted to leave the children being able to do.  Mr. Golfman and Mr. Opendoor “openness”, no pun intended, created an environment during the mission statement construction that gave everyone a vested interest in the school they work and learn in.  In my opinion this creates a stronger vision for the school because you always want to have the entire school community feel connected to one another.



2.      As an administrator, how much influence should you have on the mission statement and goals of the school?

          Administrators should ensure that a school has a mission statement that provides a focus for all school functions including professional development and instructional strategies that promote continuous improvement. With that being said, I believe that the administrator should be a facilitator of the adoption of the school's mission. Teachers, parents, and (when appropriate) students should be directly involved in the development of the mission statement and the school beliefs. This mission should focus on the direction the school is headed for school improvement and what the teachers want the students to leave the school with and what the students want to leave knowing. Furthermore, once the mission is adopted, it is the administrator's charge to find ways to ensure that all (faculty, students, and community) with a vested interest in the mission are made aware of it and buy into the beliefs at hand. Then, as new programs are brought  before the administration, a question should be asked, "Does this go with our goals and mission?" From this perspective, administrators should use the mission to drive the direction of the choices they make as well. Administrators should know when the mission statement should be revisited because it is a "living document" that should be changed when it is no longer meaningful to those involved in utilizing it. It should be revisited several times through the year to determine if this is the direction our instruction and professional development is directed. This should be something that the administrator determines.


3.      What input should the staff have on the development of the mission statement and goals developed for the school?

      The staff should work together to determine where they are going. It is important for teachers to have a common goal. Without the input of teachers, the document will be used in a limited capacity. It is pertinent for all faculty and staff to be aware of what the statement says and what it means to their expectations in their classrooms. Teachers that use the mission statement frequently may talk with students about expectations and goal setting find it a way to communicate expectations with our students. This can be used in either academic or disciplinary issues. Once the mission is developed, teachers should evaluate the effectiveness they are making towards the goals and mission.

 Evaluation of Leadership Style:

The level of performance in this case study is proficient and creates transformational leadership in spades. There are several reasons that I feel that the level of performance is being demonstrated and could be improved upon. First, the leadership being demonstrated by the principal is involving the stakeholders of the school in the development of a mission statement. This shared responsibility demonstrates that the stakeholders have a vested interest in the mission. The professional learning and instructional practices within classrooms are driven based on the outcomes expected in the mission statement. This is a positive direction for the administrator to be focusing the direction of the teachers. I feel that the lack of a quality mission statement prior to this time and the wide range of ages being taught in this school may have been a barrier for the direction that the school may have been heading in prior to this point. Although the administrator was visible, he knew what was going on in each classroom, and ensuring that it was operating where all students were learning, all faculty members were not engaged in a common goal that we had in mind for the students. It appears that this is now changing.

Another reason that I feel that the level of leadership for this standard is in the range of proficiency is the staff development chosen by the staff and administration is centered on the mission statement and our goals. The leadership demonstrated by the administrator is delegating responsibility to members of the school improvement team. The school is using action research to track and document what works with the students and what does not. The instructional practices that teachers are utilizing are research based and used to develop lessons for the diverse backgrounds and challenges facing students. By providing differentiated strategies, teachers have found ways to increase student involvement. This allows students to have ownership of their work and for them to internalize their understandings. Teachers are utilizing some of the same shared responsibility the administrator exhibits. Most of the work samples are synthesis based. The hallways, including the high school hall, is now filled with student work and teacher and student commentary on this work. It shows students that their work is valued and the learning comes from real world applications of the learning. It is a total change of thought in what our expectations were and now are where student work is concerned.