Characteristics of a Shared Mission . Process for Developing a Mission
Developing the Mission

• Is developed collaboratively by students, staff, families, and community members.
• Is expressed in clear language that is inspirational and free of jargon.
• Explicitly states that the school seeks to improve the academic achievement and personal development of all students.
• Sets high expectations and standards for all students, staff, families, and other school community members.
• Guides curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices.
• Is known, understood, and owned by the whole school community.
• Is continually affirmed, celebrated, and made public to the whole school community.
• Forms the basis for the school community to assess progress indicators in achieving goals.
• Is revisited regularly.

Step 1: Collect All Constituent Views on the Mission: Students, Staff, Administrators, Families, and Community Members

• Students, staff, administrators, families, and community members reflect on what they think their school ought to be like by responding to questions such as: What does my ideal school look like? What do I expect from my school?
• Staff views are collected at a whole-faculty meeting. In this meeting:
• Discuss the above questions.
• Examine the “Pilot Schools Network Vision, Mission, Principles and Practices” and align them with staff’s ideas of the ideal school. Small groups consider questions such as: What does each principle mean?  Where do we see each principle in practice? What would the school look like if each principle were fully implemented?
• Students provide written responses as part of an essay competition or in-class discussions.
• Families and community members provide input through a simple survey or through focus-group interviews

Create an ad hoc mission committee or team. This committee synthesizes the views of students, staff, administrators, families, and community members, and writes a draft mission.

Circulate the draft among all constituents for comment and consensus. The mission committee then makes any necessary revisions.

Present the mission at a whole-faculty meeting for approval. Present the mission to the governing board for approval and adoption.

The whole school community affirms, displays, and celebrates the mission. Hold a public celebration of the mission that involves students, staff, parents, and community members. Display the mission in all rooms and use it as the basis for decision making in the school.

Developing the Mission

1. Staff will begin to develop a unified vision for what a graduate should know and be able to do, as well as the dispositions the'd like to cultivate intheir students.
2. Staff will articulate ways in which they will support students to achieve the vision and expectations they have for them.
3. Staff will begin to develop the core values for the school, which emanate from the vision process

• Think of one of your students to whom you will dedicate your work today—what are your hopes for that student?
• Write his/her name on the tent card, write your name on the other side.
• Share your hopes for that student.

• (5–10 mins) Write about a powerful learning experience you’ve had inside or outside of school. It can be an individual or group learning experience—learning is personal and meaningful with positive and lasting outcomes.
• (10 mins) Discussion in pairs—list characteristics.
• (15 mins) Group discussion—chart out characteristics.
• (10 mins) Note common characteristics to summarize discussion.
• (5–10 mins) Principles of effective learning and teaching.
• (5–10 mins) Group discussion about common characteristics and where they are reflected in these principles. Discuss ways of incorporating them in the school vision statement

• Rotate to each chart paper.
• Highlight common ideas.
• Note values that begin to surface from the “silent conversation.”
• Remember the student you dedicated your work to this morning. What will you do for your student

11:45–12:00    Reflections