The Importance of Mission and Vision Statements in Todays Schools By Kathleen Timothy The role of the school principal

has changed drastically in recent years. I can remember my elementary school principal for his magic tricks and remember a paddle hanging prominently on his wall for punishments. I actually cant really recall my middle school principal or my high school principal, for they werent present much of the time and seemed to usually be in their offices. Today principals are not just disciplinarians, but they are expected to be instructional leaders that guide their students and school towards success. This expectation often includes helping to develop or revise a vision/mission statement for their schools. McEwan (2003) states that a highly effective principal today is, focused on a vision of what schools can be, and guided by a mission that has the best interests of all students at its core (p. 43). Historical, philosophical, ethical, social and economic influences on the statements: I will start by sharing the vision/mission statement for both my district and my school.

District Charge and Responsibility: Students will leave Granite School District prepared for college, career, and life in the twenty-first century world.

The charge is very brief and concise, which may lead to more people actually reading it because they wont become bogged down in the length. I definitely feel that it has economic influences by mentioning college and career because it can be inferred that students should either find a career after high school or go on to further their education in obtaining a college degree. I also think the word prepared suggests an ethical influence because someone that has good ethics is always prepared for what their goal is or the direction they are heading.

William Penn Elementary School Vision/Mission: Working together to prepare each child to meet present and future challenges.

The school mission has ethical connotations because it mentions being prepared, just like the charge does. I like that it mentions specifically that each child will be prepared, which I feel is also an ethical influence. I think the phrase working together is a social influence, that recognizes that it takes many to help reach this goal of meeting challenges in the present and future. I do like that it also mentions the present and future, too.

Are the beliefs of the district and school captured? In regards to the district charge and responsibility I do feel that it captures what the goal of the district is. It wants students to learn what they are supposed to in school, so they will graduate, and go on to pursue the career of their choice or further their education by going to college. Regarding the William Penn Elementary School Vision/Mission statement I feel that, of course, we want every child to be prepared now and in the future. That is a great goal for a school to have. We are a community that works together to help our student be successful, too, whether its volunteers coming in from businesses on their lunch breaks, parent volunteers, working across grade levels to help adequately group students, sharing suggestions and whats working and what isnt, so yes, I do feel that this really captures what we stand for at William Penn.

The process of developing or reviewing a mission and vision statement: First, a new principal can choose to either revise the current vision statement or create one that he or she feels is very valuable. The vision should be created with background knowledge (McEwan, 2003), so this may require some networking with new staff and/or the previous principal to learn about the school and what its strengths and weaknesses are. Once the vision is created or revised, its important to use the correct vocabulary to communicate what the vision is about in a meaningful way (McEwan, 2003). Once the words have been carefully chosen, one can start the process of developing the mission. As a new principal it would be difficult to go in and gain any support of the faculty, parents, and community if the principal decided he or she would just sit down and create a new mission statement for their school. It is absolutely critical that this is a collaborative process and one that utilizes a lot of input to decide what the school goals will be. At most schools there will currently be some sort of mission and vision that is already in place. In those instances it needs to be reviewed in a collaborative process, too. Members of the community, parents, students, and faculty all need to be involved in the changes to a mission and vision statement. Allowing people to have their voices heard and allowing them to have choice in the matter will increase buy in when the new vision and mission are in effect. It is hard to say exactly how much time is needed in the development of a great mission statement, but there should not be a limit, such as at the end of this meeting. Missions need careful wording and need to be concise in saying all that is desired all within a small amount of words. That being said, the process shouldnt run on for months either, so take some time, but not too much! When developing the mission, it should be at the forefront of everyones minds that the mission should have a direction, can be reached, and can be measured (McEwan, 2003).

Three ways a principal can use the vision/mission statement to enhance student learning: First, allowing student to have a voice in the creation of the mission statement in very important, whether it is taking any and all student input or creating a leadership team of students to give their suggestions. Letting student be a part of the process will encourage them to know the importance of the mission statement, have a role, and will let them see the outcome, where they will begin to be familiar with the new or revised mission. Developing the mission together also gives everyone a clear direction because they know what they are setting out to achieve (Habegger, 2008). Secondly, when you have a mission in place you have a goal that you are working towards. I think an increase in professional development is important after a mission has been created or revised. The reason for this is that most missions include the importance of high achievement for all students. Teachers need to be provided with the resources that will allow them to ensure that all students do achieve. Finally, I would also include in my mission statement the importance of celebrating our cultural diversity and that all students can achieve. I would use this portion of the mission to make sure that cultural diversity is celebrated and that all students have high expectations. The impact that a great vision/mission can have on student learning: Schools and communities can become more united when they share a common vision and mission. Having this unity will help them feel safe in their school and take chances that they normally wouldnt have. Students learn better when they feel safe and nurtured. When student feel safe, have expectations, and are learning they are more likely to become good citizens and leaders in their community, and make better decisions (Education Commission of the States, 2010). As mentioned before, good vision and mission statements are able to be reached and are

measured. Because of this, one can see if they are working or not. Schools can celebrate when the meet new milestones. Motivation will thrive when its realized that progress is being made. When all those involved are motivated learning becomes more fun! An example of just how a school can turn around with a great mission is when Larry Fieber used the mission statement Parkway School: Where Everyone Is Someone. Larry put this statement on bumper stickers that were widely accepted by the students, parents, and community. The school had previously been a very low performing school, but with a new mission, funds, resources, motivation, behavioral expectations, and a safe environment, people started believing that they were someone and results ensued. Student achievement started to go up, parent became more involved, improvements to the school were made, and great citizenship is recognized (McEwan, 2003). Leadership and Management Skills Needed for Success: Certain leadership and management skills are needed for working with others and developing and implementing a vision and mission statement. Leadership skills that are needed include: knowing what resources are available and accessing them, sharing leadership, mentoring, and setting a positive example. I believe these skills are important because it is the duty of the principal to track down the needed resources because no one is going to come hand them to you. You need to know whats out there and write the grants necessary or plead your case to get the things our school needs to be successful. Sharing leadership is important because a principal is only one person with a lot to do! If you cant delegate responsibilities you will not be able to accomplish as much. Mentoring is critical because sometimes teachers need help, parents need an ear, or students need a positive role model. Being a positive example is important because others are looking at you at all times to see how you respond to situations and how youll react. If you are calm and collected that will rub off on others. Some management skills that are needed are, collaborating, having excellent time management,

and excellent problem solving. As a principal, one needs to be able to collaborate. It is an expectation that all teachers have and a skill that is so useful in the profession. Developing the mission is a collaborative process, so these skills need to be honed. Time management is also important. As stated earlier, time needs to be taken to develop the mission and vision, but it does need to be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. Problems may arise in the development of a mission. All parties may not be pleased with the group decision. Problem solving and helping others understand are important qualities when working with groups of people that are coming together on a common decision. Describe how the opportunity for the success of diverse student populations can be increased with a vision/mission statement: Well, to be honest, this is an area that I feel both the District Charge and the William Penn mission statements are missing. Neither mentions the positive impact of diversity in student populations. Granite School District is a very diverse district, so if I were the superintendent, making a change to the charge would be something that I would address. At William Penn our student population used to be primarily Caucasian, but it has changed a lot in the past decade. I have been there for seven of those ten years. They have cut our boundary differently, and now it includes some low-income apartments that are home to many refugee students. Approximately one-sixth of our population is refugee students. We have a new principal this year, and my hope is that shell think about revising the mission in the coming years, so its more encompassing of our diversity at Penn. I think the change in diversity has been great for the affluent community and our students. Personal Reflection: Throughout the LEAD Program at SUU I have spent a significant amount of time researching mission and vision statements. I have found it to be really interesting how much a

small statement can have on a school or district when it is properly utilized. These statements are really powerful and should be used by principals and superintendents to drive the schools in the direction they need to head. In my personal opinion both the District Charge and William Penn Mission need revision to include more diverse learners. I think this inclusion would let all students know how their cultures are valued and that everyone has a lot to bring to the table and can be successful. I know the process of revising a mission statement can be somewhat lengthy and difficult, but I think the change is well worth it. I would also say that the District Charge and the William Penn Mission are not present enough to make an impact. A couple of years ago the District handed out posters with the Charge written on them that everyone was supposed to have hanging up in their rooms, but not everyone does. Also, just because something is on your wall does not mean that it is read or implemented or referred to, so I think it could definitely be better utilized. As far as the William Penn Mission goes, my former principal, who was a great principal, admitted to me that his professors at BYU would be appalled if they knew he wasnt big on implementing the school mission statement because it was emphasized so much in his program. At that time he actually told me that William Penn didnt have a mission statement that he was aware of. Our new principal has found it, dusted it off, and it is currently being put on all of our weekly bulletins, but the students are not aware of what it is and neither is the community. In fact, when this came up at a recent leadership meeting, many teachers hadnt even noticed it on the weekly bulletin. I think that says we have a long way to go with implementing our mission statement at our school, whether it is revised or not. I look forward to having a conversation with my principal on what her thoughts are on the importance of a mission statements and

whether she intends to use it. And, if so, if she would like to revise it at some point and what her thoughts are on using it to measure student success.

References: Habegger, S. (2008). The Principals Role in Successful Schools: Creating a Positive School Culture. Wadsworth, Ohio: National Association of Elementary School Principals. McEwan, E.K. 10 Traits of Highly Effective Principals. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Piscatelli, J. (2010). Citizenship Education: Educating Students to Be Competent and Responsible Citizens and Leaders. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED539028.pdf