1. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Building a PLC
“A Clear and Compelling Purpose”
December 15, 2008
Presented by
Erin Sullivan, Title I School Improvement Coordinator

2. Agenda/Essential Questions
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Agenda/Essential Questions
Overview
Essential Questions
What is the fundamental purpose of our school?
What must we do to accomplish our purpose?
How will we behave to achieve our vision?
How will we know if our efforts are making a difference?
How will we involve our staff?
Wrap Up
Here are the essential questions for the presentation today. Now to the overview.

3. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
The more things change the more they remain… Insane Over the Hedge

4. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Change is inevitable – except from a vending machine. Robert C. Gallagher

5. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
The world hates change,
yet it is the only thing that
has brought progress.
Charles Kettering
Change is tough. Emphasize that it might seem like they sometimes take three steps forward and one back and this might seem like one back but the goal remains the same to keep moving forward.

6. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Mission
Vision
Values
Goals
WHY?
Why do we exist?
WHAT?
What must our school become to accomplish the purpose?
HOW?
How must we behave to achieve our vision?
HOW WILL WE MARK OUR PROGRESS?
Here is the chart from learning by doing. These are the four pillars that the DufFurs talk about. You can see that the mission represents the “why” of schools, the vision is the “what”, the values represent “how” you will get there (another term for values is collective commitment) and the goals are how you will monitor your progress in meeting those commitments. We will go over these in more depth and complete activities related to each. These activities are not meant to be the end product but to demonstrate the process that you might go through with your staff – you’ll need to figure out in the final step how you are going to get buy-in from your school teams by conducting these or similar activities.
FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE
COMPELLING FUTURE
COLLECTIVE COMMITMENTS
TARGETS AND TIMELINES
Clarifies Priorities and Sharpens Focus
Gives Directions
Guides Behavior
Establishes Priorities

7. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Essential Question #1
What is the fundamental purpose of our school?
I know that all of you have though about this but your staff might not have the same ideas about the purpose of the school. The teams you have here are the “guiding coalition” that will make sure that the staff has consensus about the purpose of the school.

8. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Truth in Advertising
Learning for ALL
Moving beyond the rhetoric
The DuFours talk about mission statements that are not much more than rhetoric. Many schools have adopted variations on the state slogan of Learning for ALL. How many of those schools have staff that truly believe all students can learn. How many believe that all students can learn except for…. What are some of the except fors that we hear? Here’s an exercise that you can consider doing with your staff to get them to think about those “If onlys”. If only exercise. Take a piece of paper and Write on it all the “if only” statements you have heard others say. EX- all children could learn if only… they came from supportive families. Give them a few minutes to do this exercise and then have everyone crumble them up and throw them away. Once you have done that you can have your staff do an exercise to help them visualize a school where the staff truly believes that all students can learn.

9. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Why do we exist?
P3T (Paper Passing Purpose Tool)
Conduct Paper passing purpose tool activity. Complete P3T: Paper Passing Tool exercise (page 112 and 113 in Tool Time for Educators) – up to statements that they all have in common.
Get out a piece of paper. Each team member will have 5 minutes to write a statement regarding what they see as the purpose of their school. Don’t put your name on it. Don’t put your name on it and write so others will be able to read it.
Pass the statement to the person on the right. Each person will underline the significant passages or words and they pass the paper to the next person. Keep doing until they go all the way around the table.
A recorder will write all the underlined statements on a piece of post it paper and put on the wall.
Everyone should have the opportunity to add anything to the list on their own papers that was not underlined.
These statements are those that the group feels are the purpose of the school. The ones with the most underlines are obviously the ones that have the most agreement.
Give the group 15 minutes for this activity.

10. Current Mission Statement
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Current Mission Statement
Compare your school’s current mission to the statements listed.
Are the main purposes embodied in the mission statement?
I am going to move onto vision – I had to cut out something to make time for the rest and the DuFours recommend that we don’t get too hung up on the mission statement itself as long as we all agree on the purpose. Which we have done. Take two minutes to look at your current mission statement. Does it embody the purpose of the mission statement? If not, then at some point you will need to finish this exercise and rewrite the mission statement.
The alternate activity is another one you might do with your staff to visualize what the school would look like if the staff acted upon the belief that all students can learn. The idea behind this activity is to visualize how the school would look like, sound like and feel like to the staff. The other part I added, was to think about how it might look like, sound like and feel like to students and their parents. Again – just ways to get the staff to think about and discuss the business of schools.

11. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Debriefing
What are some ways that you have gotten your staff to think differently about the purpose of your school?

12. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Essential Question #2
What must we do to accomplish our purpose?
This essential question deals with the vision – not to be confused with the mission. They get often get used interchangably but they are different. The mission is the why or the purpose and the vision is the what – the action behind the mission.

13. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Vision
“Vision is a trite term these days, and at various times it refers to mission, purpose, goals, objectives, or a sheet of paper posted near the principal’s office.”
Isaacson, N. & Bamburg, J. (1992, November). Can schools become learning organizations? Educational Leadership, 50(3),
Look at this statement and take 2 minutes to discuss at your table: Why is it important to have a vision statement that is more that a piece of paper posted on the walls?
Debrief: How many of you feel that you are already beyond this stage or are moving beyond it?

14. Benefits of a Shared Vision
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Benefits of a Shared Vision
Motivation
Proactive
Direction
Standard of Excellence
Agenda for Action
Discuss the benefits with the group.
Motivation
Teachers will be motivated by what they shared in the writing of – energy will be generated – know that it will take lots of energy!
Proactive
Rather than reactive – think about when you found out your school did not make AYP – a lot of what occurred was a reaction to that news – being proactive about what you want the school to be will help gain control back!
Direction
Where would some of us be without our GPS systems! Can’t get where you don’t know you are going!
Standard of Excellence
Granted this is all about AYP or is it? You can make it something more!
Agenda for Action
Here the DuFours and Eaker talk about a bridge to the future.

15. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Vision Quest
Where is our school currently?
What do we want to see our school become?
What would we want our reputation to be?
What contribution would we make to our students and our community?
What values would it embody?
How would people work together?
These are questions that the school team needs to think about in developing a vision statement. All of these questions deal with the philosophical vision but remember that we also need to think concretely on the “what” as well.

16. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Sample Vision
Students at Los Penasquitos Elementary will be the most academically successful students in the Poway Unified School District, English Language Learners (ELL), Special Education students, and all other students who have been in the Poway Unified School District for at least 1 year and who receive neither ELL nor special education services will lead the district in academic when compared to other students in their group.
Difference between a mission statement and the vision statements. Mission is the why do we exist. The vision statement is the what do we need to do to get there.

17. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Guiding Principles
Based on data
Based on best practices
Desirable – long term interest
Imaginable
Obtainable
Focused
Flexible
Communicable
These are self-explanatory – keeping these concepts in mind will help you focus on a vision that is based on data and realistic for your school. You want to make sure that it helps to guide but is flexible enough to change according to changing circumstances. Remember that the vision can also be a public relations device – so make it accessible to everyone – students, parents, community. It would help to have input from those groups but don’t spend so much time on drafting the vision that you don’t get to the doing!

18. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Sample Vision
In order to fulfill the fundamental purpose of helping all our students learn at high level, we are dedicated to a school in which…
Every teacher, parent, and student is clear on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire in each course, grade level, and unit of instruction.
The learning of each student is monitored on a timely basis. When students experience difficulty, the school has structures in place to ensure they receive additional time and support for learning.
This from page 137 of Revisiting PLCs at work. These are the first two…there are a total of ten bullets under the main stem. These are the actual description of what will happen in the school in order for the mission to become a reality. There are more samples of these online from actual school websites.

19. Vision Building Activity
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Vision Building Activity
Refer to Section Two on the handout.
Each team member will individually generate a vision statement for each of the key concepts and write it on a post it note.
Each team member will put the post-it notes on the chart under the applicable statement.
Once the statements have been posted, the group will decide where the overlaps are and which can be condensed.
Develop consensus about the vision statements. Each team member should have one dot for each category and vote for one statement under each category.
The top vote getters are then used to write the vision statement for the school. This could be a comprehensive statement written in paragraph form or be like the examples with a stem and the individual statements listed underneath.
Differentiated activity for schools that already have vision statements.
Answer the following questions about your vision statements: Building PLC pg
Does the vision result in people throughout the school acting in new ways that are aligned with the intended direction that has been established?
Do people at all levels use the vision statements to guide their day to day decisions?
Are the statements used to modify structures, processes and procedures to better align with the intended direction of the school?
Determine whether the vision statement needs to be rewritten based on the responses to the questions. If so, go to a and proceed from there.
If not then do the System’s Progress Activity.

20. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Debriefing
Close your eyes – picture your perfect school.
The next section is designed to get us from the vision to the reality.
Take a few seconds – close your eyes and picture your perfect school. What is it going to take to get you from where you are to where you need to be?

21. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Essential Question #3
How will we behave to achieve our vision?
This is the next step and a very important one – committing to actually doing what needs to be done. This is all about our behavior. If we believe in our mission and vision – what changes in our behavior need to take place?

22. Why Collective Commitments?
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Why Collective Commitments?
System of accountability
Changing the culture
Do we really need to write down our collective commitments? When people pledge to act in support of the school, each other and the students – they are more likely to follow through (especially if they put it in writing)
The process of clarifying behaviors and seeking support for them will hopefully begin to change the culture of the school in positive ways. I believe that some of you are already seeing cultural shifts taking place at your schools.

23. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
DOs and DON’Ts
Limited number
Specific actions
Not beliefs
Clear expectations about what each person will do now
Too many is impossible – 5 or 6 will be about right.
Remember it is about what you’re going to actually do – being vague opens statements to interpretation.
Beliefs are open to interpretation and difficult to monitor
Collective commitments should be behaviors that individuals can accomplish right away.

24. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Team Commitments
What is this school team doing to make the vision a reality?
Remember that the school team is the “guiding coalition” . How must this team act to guide the work of the school? What commitments will you make to each other , the staff and the students as part of the team? Today we are going to focus on the collective commitments of the this guiding team but you will want to think about having your collaborative teams make those collective commitments as well.

25. Collective Commitments Activity
Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Collective Commitments Activity
Individually take five minutes to write down things the team might do to advance the vision on post-it notes.
Use a Quadrant chart to prioritize the idea of the group.
Use the high probability/high impact ideas to develop a list of collective commitments that the team members can agree upon.
Write the collective commitments on a piece of paper and have everyone sign and date it.
Each team member will take five minutes to write things the team might do to advance the school’s vision on post-it notes. Remember to express ideas as action statements.
Use a Quadrant Chart to prioritize the ideas. Split a chart paper into four quadrants and label as follows:
Impact
High
Low
Probability
The team will decide where the various statements listed fall on the impact and probability continuum. Determine the likelihood of the action taking place and the degree of impact of that action on student learning.
The team will then use the high probability/high impact ideas to develop a list of collective commitments. The team will write the collective commitments on a piece of paper which each team member will sign and date.   
Debrief: Each team will share one of their collective commitments with the larger group.

26. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Debriefing
Share one “new” collective commitment that they made today to each other, their students and/or their school.
Each table will share collective commitment.

27. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Essential Question #4
How will we know if our efforts are making a difference?
Ask the question – how do you know when you know when the mission has been achieved?
SMART Goals

28. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
What are SMART Goals?
Strategic and Specific Measurable Attainable Results-Oriented Timebound
Strategic – link to the mission and vision
Specific – avoid confusion
Measurable – begin with a baseline
Attainable – staff believe that this is doabl
Results oriented – focus is on outcomes and results
Timebound – when will it be accomplished?

29. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Examples
Students who have attended District 54 schools for one year will read at grade level upon entering third grade.
At least 90% percent of all students will meet or exceed standards in reading and math as measured by both district and state assessments.
During the school year, non-proficient students at Sample Primary will improve their vocabulary skills by 5% as measured by an increase in the percentage of students scoring in the “high” and “proficient” levels on the ITBS vocabulary assessment.
These are some real goals from one of the districts – how did they do.
Strategic?
Measurable?
Achievable?
Results-Oriented?
Timebound?

30. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
SMART Goals Activity
Are school goals consistent with the mission, vision and collective commitments written today?
If not – rewrite!
If yes – rewrite in SMART goal format!
If yes and SMART goal format then look at:
SMART Goal Setting Plan or
SMART Goal Improvement Sheet
Differentiated activity – answer the following questions about their school goals:
Are school goals consistent with the mission, vision and collective commitments written today? If no – then write 1 to 2 SMART goals for the school. If yes – then answer go to b.
Are your school goals written in the SMART goal format? If no, rewrite to fit SMART goal format. If yes, proceed to c.
Think about the collaborative teams in your schools – do they have goals, how would the goals of the individual teams differ from the school goals?
Complete one of the following
Look at the “Smart Goal Setting Plan”. How might the collaborative teams use that tool to establish team goals?
Where do we go from here – SMART goal improvement Worksheet from Learning by Doing

31. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Debriefing
How many of you already had SMART goals?
How many of you have collaborative teams that have written SMART goals?
How many will have your teams now write SMART goals?

32. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Essential Question #5
How will we involve our staff?
This is where you get to think about everything we’ve done today and determine which activities you will replicate with staff. The key is that you all need to end up in the same place but you will not take the same journey. Describe how you will get to the place where you have a mission, vision, value/collective commitment and goals that everyone in your school will share! We don’t have the time to plan today but if you take the time to reflect on these activities and develop a plan for our school.

33. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Action Plan
Action Steps
Responsibility
Timeline
Resources
Mission
Vision
Values/
CCS
SMART Goals
Here is the form that you can take and use to plan what you will do to involve your staff in this process. Gail and I will follow up with the schools onsite.

34. Title I School Improvment - Mission, Vision, Values and Goals
12/15/2008
Final Thoughts?
Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! Theodor Geisel
Any final thoughts or questions as we work through all of this. Gail and I will be available to help out at the school if you want us to do that.