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The Mission of a School

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Published: Mar 1, 2019

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How to Write School Mission and Vision Statements

Cultivating a sense of shared educational values, goals, and ideals for a school is one of the primary ways that leaders can inspire positive outcomes in their institutions. In fact, research shows that a positive school culture—defined as the collective values and beliefs of a school’s staff—can:

• Increase attendance rates and academic achievement
• Elevate school morale significantly
• Improve staff wellbeing
• Reduce aggressive behavior in students
• Lessen teacher turnover

One way that educational leaders can establish and encourage a positive culture that benefits everyone on campus is by creating well-written school mission and vision statements. Such statements set the tone for staff and students alike, making the purpose of the school clear and inspiring everyone to join together in realizing it. Learning how to write school mission and vision statements is an important step for educators who want to lead their institutions to succeed.

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Why School Mission and Vision Statements Matter

Mission and vision statements help to set the course for a school. These statements communicate core educational values, speak to the culture of the institution, and provide faculty, staff, students, and community members with ideals to reach for in participation with the school. 

In addition to communicating what is important to a school, mission and vision statements can also be useful for creating unity on campus. A clear mission and vision statement communicate to everyone involved at the school what they are collectively aspiring to attain. When individuals share a purpose, they may be more likely to trust one another, engage in collaboration, and have a positive experience in the school setting. 

When it comes to teachers, in particular, mission and vision statements can be effective in a few ways. First, being aligned on a mission and vision can help prospective candidates and hirers determine if a teacher is a good fit for the school. Additionally, teachers—who are often overwhelmed and overworked—can look to their school’s mission or vision statement for guidance in prioritizing their tasks and setting their focus when many things call for their attention at once. Finally, teachers can benefit from strong school mission and vision statements when it comes to their relationships with fellow teachers as well as with students, as the common language and purpose of the statements provide common ground for those relationships. 

Students may experience several key benefits of school mission and vision statements, too. The Values Education Good Practice Schools Project found that well-written vision statements can improve student-teacher relationships. The project also discovered that students in schools with good vision statements that truly impacted the day-to-day culture of the school enjoyed more calm and focused class activities. Lastly, students were more empowered to develop self-regulation and self-management skills in schools with strong vision statements. 

What Are the Differences between Mission and Vision?

While school mission and vision statements have some overlap, there are a few key distinctions between the two. 

The primary difference between a mission statement and a vision statement is that a mission statement describes the school’s current and/or founding identity and the key values that characterize the school as it is in the present. A vision statement, on the other hand, looks forward to the future. Oftentimes, a mission statement will begin with a phrase like “[School name] is…” while a vision statement might begin with “[School name] will be known for…”

In other words, a mission statement is largely a definition of the school, answering questions like:

• What is important to this school? 
• How does this school seek to reach its objectives?
• What are the fundamental traits, cultural influences, or beliefs of this school?

A vision statement, on the other hand, answers questions such ask:

• What does this school aspire to accomplish in the years to come? 
• What does the school want to become known for doing?
• How would this school define future success?

While school mission and vision statements will likely arise from the same core values, they serve two different purposes. The mission statement speaks to the school’s operations in the present. The vision statement speaks to the school’s hopes and intentions for the future. 

Who Should Be Involved in Writing and Approving School Mission and Vision Statements? What Is the Process Like?

Experts agree that gathering insight from a diverse population can help create the best school mission and vision statements. By including various groups of people connected to the school—including teachers, students, administration, parents, and community members—education leaders can ensure that they are gathering as comprehensive of a perspective as possible. While it’s important to hear from a variety of people, education leaders should take care not to grow the group too large, as it could become difficult to find consensus or be productive.

Once a group has been established, discussion can begin. Educational values are a good place to start. Through data, anecdotes, and personal perspectives, group members can share their perceptions of the school’s current values or the values that should be prioritized. Identifying strengths and opportunities for growth can be insightful as well. 

From there, the group members can discuss what their hopes are for the future of the school. What outcomes might the school’s educational values help produce? What does the school want to be known for in 5, 10, or 20 years? What are the school’s current priorities, and how might they be reordered for greater success? 

Once a group has gathered, identified the school’s values, and discussed hopes for the future, then it is time to write the first draft. 

How to Write a Mission Statement

At this point in the process, it is likely that there could be several pages of notes filled with ideas, values, and hopes for the future that the group has produced. This is exactly what is needed in order to write a mission statement, but condensing the content into a succinct sentence or paragraph may feel daunting.

Reading the mission statements of other schools and organizations may be helpful at this stage. Consider, for example, the Marymount University mission statement:

Marymount is a comprehensive Catholic university, guided by the traditions of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, that emphasizes intellectual curiosity, service to others, and a global perspective. A Marymount education is grounded in the liberal arts, promotes career preparation, and provides opportunities for personal and professional growth. A student‐centered learning community that values diversity and focuses on the education of the whole person, Marymount guides the intellectual, ethical, and spiritual development of each individual.

Notice that this mission statement fulfills several key objectives:

• Communicates a value system (Catholic)
• Sets priorities (intellectual curiosity, service, global perspective)
• Establishes an educational framework (liberal arts)
• Describes the community (student-centered, diverse, holistic)

At the elementary school level, a mission statement may read something like:

Our school fosters a love of lifelong learning by guiding each student to build foundational academic skills that will contribute to their ongoing success and by encouraging creative collaboration in an inclusive environment.

This statement makes clear that the school values the love of learning, basic skill development, and cultivating a positive community. 

How to Write a Vision Statement 

School vision statements should align with the values communicated in school mission statements, but they need to communicate forward thinking as well. The Marymount University vision statement reads:

Marymount, a leading Catholic university, will be nationally recognized for innovation and commitment to student success, alumni achievement, and faculty and staff excellence.

This statement:

• Succinctly describes the school (a leading Catholic university)
• Sets the scope for success (national) 
• Establishes goals to attain (recognition in student success, alumni achievement, faculty and staff excellence) 

A high school vision statement may read something like:

Our school will develop critical thinkers who model an inclusive spirit and graduate prepared for success in a profession or higher education.

This statement communicates that critical thinking and inclusivity are prioritized educational values at the school and that employability and admission to college are the standards for success.

Lead in Education with Vision and Values

Do you want to develop a school mission statement that clearly communicates the educational values of the institution you lead? Are you interested in setting academic standards, establishing a campus culture, and doing the work to produce positive future outcomes as an education leader? If so, the Marymount University Online Doctorate in Education program can help you reach your professional goals.

Created for working professionals, Marymount’s flexible online Ed.D. allows students to personalize their coursework according to their vocational goals. Students in the program cite many personal benefits , including building relationships with fellow students and faculty members, honing their project completion skills, and improving their research abilities. 

Student Alexander Gagnet says, “What I love best about the program is the care and attention the faculty put into the success of all the students. You really feel wanted and appreciated for your hard work and effort.” 

Students also appreciate the way that the program allows them to meet their personal and professional obligations while in school. 

“Not to be ignored is the fact that the online program allows you to be who you are AND be a student,” explains Marie Gemelli-Carroll . “It is a key benefit to be able to do classwork on your own time as long as you meet the assigned deadlines.”

Are you ready to further your career by earning a doctorate in education? Marymount University’s online Ed.D. features a practical curriculum and is a top program choice that will prepare you to lead positive change in education. Click here to connect with an enrollment advisor . 

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Assessing Your School’s Mission and Vision

When a school’s mission and vision statements are not aligned with daily instructional practices, figuring out why should be a priority.

It’s no secret that when a principal takes a long look at the myriad of things and tasks to check off daily, weekly, and monthly, there are competing priorities that vie for their attention. In my experience as a school leader and mentor, one task that often gets overlooked is thoroughly examining the school’s mission and vision statements. In my mentoring, I often listen to what frustrates leaders, and one of the first questions I ask is about the school’s mission and vision. How many words on this document truly reflect the students’ lived experiences, and how many practices are the actual products that educators deliver to students?

Many administrators don’t put a lot of stock or thought into the mission; in some cases, they inherited these documents and never sought to review them.

Missions and visions should not be a collection of the most relevant educational terms of the day; if those words are not actualized through the pointed and intentional actions of the staff and monitored for impact by the school leader, then the words on those documents are no more valuable than “smart graffiti” on the walls of your school. Nice to look at, but ultimately insignificant to the operations and culture of the school.

Smart graffiti embodies what usually serves as a land mine for school leaders. The term reflects a lack of clarity for staff. Someone said that you should do these things and have them, so you do without knowing the “why” behind them.

When new school leaders start work, often what is already “in place” does not seem as urgent as what needs to be done. I once was in the chair responsible for changing around a place where “teaching and learning” was the edict, but in actuality, it was not the priority.

When my year-one principal coach suggested I work on mission and vision first, I was thinking about the behavior, the instruction, and the parents. However, my coach was exactly right; the mission is what should be upheld in a productive learning organization. That is where I, as a mentor, begin all of my work with new principals. Without a coherent and understood direction via the mission, there will be misdirection at best and at worst, chaos.

5 Steps to Improve Smart Graffiti Mission Statements

1. Conduct a thorough audit of the action words: The creators often have well-meaning lofty goals in crafting a mission and pack on the most ambitious educational jargon. In the reality of day-to-day instruction, there may not be any evidence that these goals or practices are happening.

A leader and their team of teachers and students can sift through each line and identify the highest-leverage practices and objectives in their documents. From this, a list of “look-fors” should allow a team to examine the school’s practices to determine what transpires daily for teachers and students.

2. Set up a diverse team of stakeholders: Have the team conduct a no-nonsense analysis of whether what the mission said it would do for students is true. This approach is needed because often, as educators, we rely upon context to blanket and shield our ego and passion from the stark reality that things are not what we said they were. In my practice, I often lead with a yes-or-no approach to what I see. The data collected from a walk-through will provide an honest look at the experiences of students and teachers formed via instruction and practices in the building.

3. Destroy and rebuild: As your team sits down to sift through the data collected, if the words in the document do not match the experiences, decide which areas are worth strengthening, adjusting, or removing as a team. Examining and adjusting is another important step because honesty will strengthen the relationship between the leadership, staff, and students if they are included in this process. The results should be shared with the entire school community.

4. Get everyone involved in finding solutions: This share-out time is a major opportunity for collective action and shared responsibility where honesty about what transpires can galvanize or fracture relations with your staff.

Galvanization can transpire if the school community reflects honestly on your operations and how they adhere to the words in the mission and vision. Conversely, fracture can occur if blame is levied solely on the teaching staff as to “why” the words do not match the lived experience. It will need skill and a leader to be the person who takes responsibility for not helping to adequately set the conditions for learning.

5. Set the conditions for change: By this stage, you have shared, pinpointed, and strategized. Now, you have to support the creation of a new doctrine for how students learn best under your leadership through being laser-focused on clarity, expectations, and, most important, how the capacity of every stakeholder will be built to bring these new expectations to life. Nothing amazing happens in a school by accident; leaders must develop and support these expectations. Simply placing some smart graffiti on the walls that tells teachers what they should be doing in service of children and walking away is not leadership; it’s a recipe for confusion.

I ask principals all the time, who is your ideal student? If students go through their full life cycle in your ideal learning environment, who would they be as learners and citizens? What would they be able to produce? What would they be prepared to do upon graduation and afterward? That is your vision; the mission is how they will arrive there. For you as a newer principal, it’s imperative that before you start to “fix” what you believe is holding your school back, you ensure that what the school says is its mission is, in fact, what it produces.

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• School Leaders
• What a school mission statement is
• How school mission and vision statements work together
• 6 steps for writing your own mission statement

Common problems with school mission statements

Why school mission statements are important.

• How Prodigy can help you support your school mission statement

What drives growth in your school community?

It could be your school’s culture , a focus on teacher professional development , or even prioritizing useful teaching strategies . However, none may be as important as school mission statements , which are essential for student development and effective learning.

School mission statements indicate the priorities and goals of a school community and can have an incredible impact on student achievement.

What are school mission statements?

If your school is a car, then the mission statement is the engine.

School mission statements are documents that define where your school is going and drive decisions accordingly. They layout educational goals, community priorities and the purpose of your school.

Lots of different organizations have mission statements — non-profit organizations, government departments, small businesses, big corporations.

Mission statements guide growth and learning in many different contexts.

School vision and mission statements

If your school is a car and your mission statement is the engine, the school vision statement is the GPS system.

Vision statements aren’t the same as mission statements, but they are closely related. To create a mission statement, you should first have a vision for where you want to see your school in the future.

John C. Gabriel and Paul C. Farmer, authors of How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank , write:

“A vision is your school’s goal — where you hope to see it in the future. The mission provides an overview of the steps planned to achieve that future. A vision is concise and easy to recall, whereas a mission is lengthier and more explanatory in nature.”

The vision statement provides a glimpse at your school’s ideal future .

Everyone — students, faculty and staff — in your school should be able to recite your school vision statement.

How to write a school mission statement

1. gather stakeholders.

To start, consult students, parents, teachers, staff and any other members of the school community with insights to offer.

District 100 teacher leaders met yesterday after school to help craft the new district belief statements. The vision, mission and belief statements will be presented to the BOE at their January regular meeting. Thanks to all stakeholder groups for their input. pic.twitter.com/V9B7eWOrQb — Berwyn South District 100 (@BerwynSouth100) December 20, 2017

Put together a small group that reflects all your stakeholders, and get them brainstorming. Where do they think the school is now? Where do they see it in the future? What part of the school’s identity should be emphasized?

Working with different members from your school community has several benefits:

• It reduces the fear of change —  It’s natural to be apprehensive when school culture starts changing. Opening a dialogue now will help smooth out any tension.
• It improves buy-in —  When teachers are consulted on changes to the school’s mission statement, they’re more likely to support it in the classroom and throughout the day-to-day operations of your building.
• It makes your mission better —  Teachers, parents, staff and students all have unique perspectives. Use their feedback to build a comprehensive school mission statement that recognizes the diversity of opinions found in the school community.

Make sure the group is representative of all your stakeholders, but still small enough to be able to complete meaningful work in a reasonable timeframe. Values can differ widely within a community, so be sure to take enough time to make informed decisions about all your different options.

2. Look at your school

Every school has unique opportunities, challenges, weaknesses and strengths. Luckily, your school is full of data that can help you identify these areas. To gather data, look at:

• Socio-economic status of students
• Urban versus rural schools
• Diversity in the classroom
• ESL or multilingual students
• Graduation rates
• Common discipline problems
• Attendance rates
• Staff turnover
• Staff assessment results
• Special needs students
• Student extracurriculars
• Standardized test results
• Student achievement
• Special communities (military families, immigrant populations, international students)

Every piece of information is an important part of your school’s unique identity. Use the data you have to identify the top issues, strengths and opportunities for growth in your school community.

3. Look at the future

A vision is what you hope the future will be, and a school mission statement is what’s going to get you there. It’s extremely important you write your mission statement with the future in mind.

With your stakeholders, take all the data you’ve collected and ask:

Based on what we know now about our school, what will it look like in five or ten years if we’re completely successful?

There’s your vision.

To develop your school mission statement, ask what steps the school community needs to take to achieve the vision. Questions to ask include:

• What’s already in place to help us move forward?
• How do we envision our school growing?
• What needs to be changed?
• What characteristics should we emphasize?
• What changes do we see happening in the future?

School mission statements shouldn’t need to be changed every year, but they’re not static. They’re going to grow and adapt with your school community.

Achieving a vision is a big task, and it should seem a little challenging. Vision and mission statements push growth and learning in an aspirational direction. You might be surprised at what your school can achieve.

4. Write your first draft

You’ve answered the questions and gathered the data. Now it’s time for the hard part — putting it all down into words.

It might seem like a daunting task to create an articulate, comprehensive and inspiring plan for your school’s future. Just start with a draft -- it doesn’t have to be perfect. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to revise it over the next few steps.

If you’d like, ask stakeholders with a talent for writing to give you a hand, but keep the group limited to two or three people.

Some best practices for writing include:

• Avoid cliches  — Global citizenship, 21st century skills and a nurturing environment are all important aspects of an effective school, but they’ve been overused to the point of meaninglessness.
• Get specific  — Take those cliches and make them fit your school, not the other way around. In your school, global citizenship could be a focus on second language literacy, or learning about other cultures through the lens of different subjects.
• Be authentic  — Keep your school and community in mind at all times as you’re writing, and speak to the real needs they’re seeing.

Consider including the ages and characteristics of your students, teaching strategies or curriculum philosophies used in your school, and one or two other features you feel are important for communicating your school’s mission.

When you have a draft you’re satisfied with, bring it back to the larger group of stakeholders you brainstormed with in the first place. Make sure:

• They’re happy with the priorities you’ve laid out
• They have no major concerns about any of the school characteristics you’ve highlighted
• The school mission statement is a true representation of how they want the school to grow

This could be difficult and may require some compromise, because all groups will have members with conflicting beliefs and priorities. There’s no sure way to solve it, but try to reach a consensus on big issues and focus less on smaller concerns, like specific wording.

At the end of this, you should have a mission statement that reflects the values and priorities of as many stakeholders as possible.

5. Give the school mission statement to the community

Present your school mission statement to the whole community. This could be through a meeting with district leaders, a parent evening, or through the school newsletter.

Invite community members to raise any serious objections with you. If you’ve missed a key issue, this is their opportunity to contribute ideas.

Gather feedback from the community and make sure:

• The concerns of the majority of stakeholders have been met
• The mission statement compliments the vision of the school, as well as any other messaging materials
• Stakeholders agree the school mission statement is an accurate representation of current and future school growth

Use this opportunity to explain why your school mission and vision statement will be important for future growth, and how you see the needs of the community reflected in it.

6. Put your school mission statement into action

Congratulations! You’ve written your school mission statement.

Now for the hardest part — using it!

All the hard work you put into your school mission statement is useless if you put it up on your website and forget about it.

Put the vision and mission statement everywhere: on the wall, in your office, in your weekly newsletter, on your website. Make sure it’s visible to the entire community.

This is also a great opportunity to run a professional development session on how to effectively use school mission statements in the classroom. Go over why it’s important, how it reflects the school’s priorities and how it should be used to guide classroom decisions.

Schools are not defined by the mission statement on the wall; they are defined by what actually goes on in classrooms. — Danny Steele (@SteeleThoughts) November 12, 2017

Make sure parents and students know what the mission statement means, and tell potential students why it’s so important to you school. It’s also a good idea to revisit the mission statement at the beginning and end of every year. Is it still relevant? Has anything major changed? Are you still actively working to achieve your vision? If there are changes, it’s time to re-align your goals and priorities.

It can be difficult to write school mission statements well. Common problems include:

• Insincere, generic language
• No staff or community buy-in

Writing an effective mission statement requires self-reflection as a community, and a lot of consultation with different stakeholders. It’s a process that shouldn’t be rushed.

Guides community growth

Your community should be able to access the mission statement easily. If they don’t already know it, it should make sense to them when they hear it.

School mission statements are a tool used to drive growth within the school community and guide it towards a desired outcome (the achievement of the school vision statement).

Use the school vision and mission statements to guide staff development and build a school improvement plan. Focus on areas of growth not just in the classroom, but for your staff. When school mission statements guide teacher learning, teachers are better equipped to serve students in a way that aligns with the school’s vision and mission.

Guides decision-making and priorities

According to a study  by educators that analyzed the mission statements of K-12 schools in Texas,

“Once written, the mission statement must become a living document that informs all day-to-day practices of the administration, teachers and students. Too often mission statements exist only on paper rather than being a lived philosophy and commitment to the ongoing development of an effective education institution.”

This means school mission statements have serious implications for the priorities and goals of your school, including how money, time, and other resources are allocated. Use your vision and mission to effectively use all available resources.

Gives weight to the learning process

School mission statements are a tool for guiding and shaping the learning process. In some places, school mission statements are even a precursor to accreditation because they have such a large impact on how student learning is prioritized.

Ultimately, school mission statements are classroom tools. If your mission statement places an emphasis on digital skills, it might lead teachers to use a blended learning approach. If curiosity and exploration are a priority, then project-based learning or inquiry- based learning might be useful classroom strategies.

When vision and mission statements align with what’s happening in the classroom, student learning will improve.

After all, isn’t that the ultimate goal?

How Prodigy can help implement school mission statements

It’s almost inevitable your school mission statement will prioritize academic excellence. Math competency is a key component of academic excellence, but it’s also a subject many students struggle with.

Here at Prodigy, our mission is simple: to help every child in the world love learning .

Prodigy encourages math fluency through a daily math practice that keeps students engaged and motivated. Our unique game-based design challenges students to complete quests, explore new worlds and collect points while answering curriculum-aligned math questions.

Unique reporting and alignment features give teachers the tools to deliver a personalized learning experience for each student in an engaging and adaptive environment. A powerful algorithm ensures students receive questions that build on their existing skills to keep them moving forward in the curriculum.

Learn more about how Prodigy can deliver customized learning in your school, and sign up for your free teacher account today:

• How to use Prodigy to reinforce in-class lessons
• How to use Prodigy for formative assessments
• 3 steps to use Prodigy as an RTI tool

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Instructional leadership offers administrators the opportunity to create a shared vision of learning for the entire school environment – allowing both educators and support staff to get behind a common goal. That common goal is most often articulated in the form of a school mission statement, which must be built effectively in order to be compelling.

What are the characteristics of a good school mission statement?

1.    Academically Focused

A school’s mission must be academically focused, as after all that is the primary function of the school environment. While there are other functions that a school serves, other roles that it plays, the academic growth of the students is where it all starts and where it should ultimately lead. The mission statement serves as a reminder to all members of the school community that strong academics are the prize.

2.    Objectives are Clearly Expressed

In order for all stakeholders to have the opportunity to participate in the school’s model, the objectives must be clearly expressed in writing. The language has to be clear and something that everyone can understand, from teachers and administrators to parents and support staff. Students should also be able to access the mission statement so that they can become participants in their own education.

3.    Clearly Displayed

A mission statement does no one any good if it’s kept locked up in the office or just posted on a web page. In order for a school’s mission statement to be of any use, it must be displayed in places all over the school environment. In hallways and on distributed materials, discussed in classrooms and assemblies. If a school wishes for its mission statement to drive the school culture, then it must be part of the school environment and conversation.

4.    Present in the Classroom

Besides being displayed and talked about in the school, the mission statement should be the primary driving force for teachers when they are planning and implementing lessons. This is something that can take some acclimation for teachers, who are might be reticent to change their focus when planning lessons. However using the school’s mission as a focus and a trigger point will help students to have a unified educational experience, which will help them to solidify their learning across the school setting.

5.    Actively Modeled

In addition to all of this, the mission must be expertly articulated by the school’s top administrators. If the mission has an academic focus, then that needs to be actively backed by the administration. Stakeholders will have a hard time pushing the mission of the school if they believe that there is a lack of integrity in the execution of it, for example if the mission pushes academics but the school more actively focuses on sports or societal concerns. Of course even with that academic heartbeat that’s driving the school’s mission, there will continue to be ancillary projects and activities going in in the school, but with that the pulse must still be academic, and that pulse is derived from the actions of administrators.

Applying Research to Mission Building

Instructional leaders should apply research to their mission building strategies. One key way to do this is to ask questions about the mission statement as it is in development and then later as it is implemented.

• Are the goals clearly articulated and easy to understand?
• Are the goals visible throughout the school environment?
• Are they familiar with all of the stakeholders in the school?
• Do the goals apply in the day-to-day activities at the school?
• Do instructional leaders consistently and actively reinforce the misson’s goals?
• Do all stakeholders in the school support the mission?

The Importance of the Mission Statement.

Direction-setting in the school environment is an essential aspect of instructional leadership. Framing and communicating the school’s goals through a mission statement is the perfect way to communicate the direction and focus of the school environment. Clear, measurable and time based goals are at the heart of the school experience. When these goals are communicated and achieve buy in from stakeholders within the school environment, then the school’s mission becomes attainable. Too often goals are not active drivers in the school community, but rather are sidebar considerations that don’t get much attention from school personnel. The mission is a wonderful tool to help create an effective school environment.

Nearly every school has a mission statement, and it can be a powerful tool that helps to codify and give direction to the enthusiasm, passion and expertise that educators bring to the classroom. Or it can be a jumble of letters that are posted on the wall of the office and left unnoticed. The choice is up to the leadership of the school environment. One thing that administrators must realize is that good goals, good mission statements that are well articulated and actively communicated, offer the possibility for radical change and success.

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How to Make Mission Matter at Your School

• Posted September 8, 2022
• By Danny Mucinskas and Shelby Clark
• Global Education
• K-12 School Leadership
• K-12 System Leadership
• Organizational Change

School mission statements today are pervasive. Effective school missions can communicate a vision and unify people around common goals, especially when systematically implemented. However, some missions may not even be known or observed by school stakeholders and become mere slogans. Therefore, while most schools have a mission statement, only some schools may be categorized as “mission-driven” institutions that specifically endorse and intentionally organize pedagogy to focus on specific philanthropic, civic, and/or community-based values and involvement.

Over the past several years, our team at The Good Project investigated the educational practices and outcomes of a set of mission-driven, diverse, and globally located international schools. Our primary partners in this research were the United World Colleges (UWC), a network of 18 schools that foreground student diversity and social impact. UWC’s mission is “to unite people, nations, and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” We set out to learn whether these schools and 13 others (which remain anonymous) around the world were actually achieving their aims.

We collected thousands of student and alumni surveys, conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews, and carried out observations at more than a dozen UWC schools. When we analyzed our data, summarized in a report available here , we discovered trends relevant not only to the participating schools, but also for anyone interested in creating a school or a curriculum that is mission based, including parents and teachers

Below are implications from our work regarding how to make a mission a powerful force for teaching, learning, and change.

1)  Does your school have a unified idea of your mission? When school mission statements are clearly stated, focused, and understood by school stakeholders, they have the power to unify people around a common idea. We saw in our study of UWC that the mission statement was interpreted in a variety of manners: different elements of the mission (such as sustainability or peace) were foregrounded to different degrees depending on school context and personal preferences. For mission-driven schools that seek to effect social change, it is important for people to share a unified understanding of the meaning of the mission; what it looks like in practice; and the steps that can lead to its fulfillment.  

For example, if your school’s mission is “A cleaner world for all,” some questions to ask would include: What does this mean to the different stakeholders in your institution? Does it mean simply recycling every day, or does it mean protesting for climate change (or neither)? Could “cleaner” mean cleaner morals or character to some people? A common understanding of an institutional mission and how it can be embodied can have a trickle-down effect throughout an organization by uniting people at all levels in common purpose. 

Consider as well: 

• How are conversations about the mission happening at your school? 
• What messages are students receiving about the mission explicitly and implicitly? 
• What parallel visions of the missions might exist? 
• What steps are you taking to align all the stakeholders at your school around the mission? What can you to bring about better alignment?

2)  What type of citizen do you hope your school is fostering? Once you’ve agreed on what your mission statement means for your school, ask yourself: What type of message does your school’s mission send about how students are meant to be as citizens in the world? Throughout our study, we asked participants questions like, “What does making an impact mean to you?” and “What does it mean to make a difference in the world?” Interviewees were asked to rank four different profiles regarding who was making the “most” impact keeping the UWC mission in mind.

What did we find? Overall, there was not a singular aligned vision across the UWC movement, or even within particular schools, about what it means to “make a difference.” Many participants in our study were relativistic in their thinking about impact, wanting to reserve judgment about whether any one type of action or type of career or action was right or wrong, or impactful or not impactful in positive ways for the world. For example, is an investment banker making a difference in positive or negative ways? What about compared to a nonprofit worker or parent? 

There is nothing inherently wrong with people having different ideas about how to make a difference in the world . One might argue that we need these divergent means of impact to tackle real-world problems. However, if educational institutions are dedicated to having their students make social impact, it is necessary that they have a defined understanding of their desired impact.

Alternatively, as Walden University did when confronted with the fact that they did not know how to define the idea of “positive social change” in their mission, schools might create functional models of changemaking that students should embody in order to be agents of social change, such as cognitive and practical skills as well as values and ethics.

In thinking about these questions, consider: 

• How large of an effect do you expect your students’ impact to have? Should they affect society as a whole? Or maybe just their local community? Or perhaps just their family? 
• Are there certain topics they should focus their changemaking efforts on? Take the school above with their environmental mission– perhaps the students should focus their efforts solely on sustainability. 
• What methods of change should your students use? Maybe your school focuses entirely on social entrepreneurship. Or instead, you’d rather your students learned how to advocate through protesting and political change. 
• How should your students' changemaking efforts address issues of justice ? Do you think that your students should focus on the root causes of issues, or that they should address more pressing or symptomatic issues? 

3)  How does the mission translate to pedagogical practice? Our research displayed that, once a strong mission and associated conception of how the mission is shaping students has been established, it’s crucial to embed these ideas into the pedagogy and educational practices being offered by the school. In the schools we worked with, many of which were focused on developing intercultural understanding and fostering social impact, mission-aligned activities included:

• Volunteer and community service programs in which students got to experience collaborating with community stakeholders.
• At UWC schools, project weeks, in which students designed a week-long learning experience away from the school that required problem-solving, often involving travel to a new location.
• Extra-academic activities, including student-run conferences and clubs focused on mission-aligned topics like sustainability and peace building.
• Academic environments, most often courses like global politics, history, economics, and literature, that permitted conversations about school mission.

Throughout these activities, we saw that when students were afforded opportunities to bring their perspectives to the fore, and to feel autonomy and agency in the learning process, students learned more and developed skills and dispositions such as open-mindedness and greater confidence.

At your school, consider questions like:

• Where in the day are students most likely to experience the mission in action?
• How can the mission be embedded into environments that give students the chance to exercise autonomy?
• To what degree are our educational programs aligned with the mission we want to achieve?

While many schools today have mission statements, we hope that the themes and questions we have explored here can help to bring about greater mission clarity and implementation for institutions of learning.

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[Editor’s Note: This article is re-posted with permission from the CACE blog , where it first was published on October 3, 2018].

If you have read enough mission statements to develop a love-hate relationship with them, you are not alone. When a mission statement defines a school so well that it feels somewhat like strategy or a clear understanding of who they are and why they exist, you love it. When the mission statement is generic, stale, copied from the best statements of sixteen other similar institutions, you tend to hate it. If you are wondering which category your school’s mission statement falls into, try a blind screening test with a parent, maybe a new parent with whom you have built up a good amount of trust capital. Ask her to read your mission statement and a couple others. Can she tell which one is yours?

The mission statement describes the reason for existence as well as a reference point, a reminder. Along with the core beliefs and core values, a mission statement provides the boundaries for which the school stakeholders agree to work creatively within. The work they engage in is designed to achieve a shared vision, a public declaration that schools use to describe their highest-level goals for the future. In other words, what a school hopes to achieve if they successfully fulfill the school’s mission.

Mission statements represent the intellectual and cultural memory, and the will of the local place and people. Mission statements are common statements of mutual understanding that reflect local habits, place, and legacy. Mission statements answer four key questions:  Who are we? What do we do? Why do we do it? For whom do we do it?  A vision or aspiration statement is precise, adaptive, and responsive. Its tenets should be reflected in curriculum, assessment, instruction, projects, and learning artifacts.

A simple analogy might be arrows and a target. One might immediately associate arrows and vision, right? The arrows, shot from the bow, are what we use to accomplish the mission. The arrows, however, represent the mission in this analogy. They are the reason the school exists and remains the same. The target represents the vision or aspiration statement. It can change and should change periodically by assessing the needs of the families and students who are choosing your school.

Steps for Writing Your School’s Mission Statement

Some suggested steps as you begin to write (or re-write) your school’s mission statement:

1. Imagine a family moving into your community and making the decision about which school to send their children to. Use your imagination to see why they are exploring your school, how they find you, and what would be the result of sending their children to your school. Write this story out and add as many details as possible. Encourage other leaders at your school to go through the same process. These are the stories that describe what it looks like when your school is doing their best work. Share your stories and keep these stories in mind as you begin the rest of the process. These stories are the background of the mission statement, the context behind the actual words.

2. Make a list of what your school does and does not do. Start with the good and don’t undervalue what you provide. Schools operate within communities, alongside families, churches, and a multitude of organizations that provide value for children, but your school has a unique calling in the formation of children. Define what your school does for families who choose you. The business (for-profit and non-profit) community offers some interesting examples to help spur on good thinking. For example:

• Apple Computer’s 2017 Mission Statement reads, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.”
• A different approach comes from IKEA who begins with a broad statement followed by a sentence that could only be IKEA: “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We make this possible by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home-furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”
• Or from the non-profit world, “ The Vs. Cancer Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving kids’ lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts.

3. Discuss, digest, cut, polish, review, revise. And then listen. Show drafts to others, ask for opinions, and really listen. Don’t try to convince them; just listen and then revise again.

Exemplars We Admire

Here are a few mission and vision samples we admire, as our nature is to be shaped by exemplars:

• Hope Academy . Mission : To foster hope in God within the inner-city neighborhoods of Minneapolis by providing youth with a remarkable, God-centered education. Vision : Believing that all children are created for God’s glory and endowed by Him with an inalienable potential to acquire wisdom and knowledge. Hope Academy covenants with urban families to equip their children to become responsible, servant leaders of the 21st Century. Committed to the truth, discipline, and values of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Hope Academy pursues this aim by mobilizing educational, business, and community leaders towards the important goal of serving the children of Minneapolis with a remarkable education, permeated with a God-centered perspective. This inter-denominational school will seek to unleash kingdom citizens who work for justice, economic opportunity, racial harmony, hope for the family, and joy in the community.
• Chattanooga Christian School . Aspiration : Chattanooga Christian School desires to be a leading Christian school that is distinguished by its redemptive discipleship through rigorous curricular programs promoting Christ-centered critical thinking and co-curricular programs that allow students to fully display their diverse talents and skills while fostering an enthusiastic love for their school community.
• Unity Christian Academy . Mission : Empowering a diverse community, united by Christ, to achieve excellence in education for the flourishing of all creation.
• South Christian High School . Vision : to be a spiritually vibrant educational community that reflects God’s Kingdom. We seek God’s leading in providing exceptional offerings, culturally relevant methods, and a service-oriented community with a heart for students.

Finally, here are a couple of good reads as you consider developing (or re-developing) your school’s mission statement:

• ASCD – How To Help Your School Thrive
• Top Nonprofits

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47 Best Teacher Vision Statement Examples

A teacher vision statement ( often also called a mission statement ) is a statement that a teacher often puts within their teaching philosophy portfolio. This is often submitted in job applications to show your skills on a teaching resume .

It can also be a vision that a teacher sets for themselves at the beginning of their school year to motivate and guide them as they go about setting up their classroom culture.

Vision statements reveal the teacher’s personal values , teaching philosophy, and personal goals .

The following are a list of vision statement examples for teachers of all age groups: preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, and college students.

Teacher Vision Statement Examples

Preschool and kindergarten teachers.

My vision is to …

• …help children to develop the cognitive, language, physical and social skills required to succeed in their formative years.
• …create play-based learning environments where children can learn through different types of play .
• …help inspire students to develop the self-confidence required to succeed in school in the coming years.
• …promote a cooperative play environment where students learn not only from their teachers but each other.
• …develop a Montessori-inspired learning environment that is rich in resources and gives students the chance to learn through active play.
• …encourage engaged and creative minds through ongoing and daily student-centered active-learning lessons.
• …prepare students for big school by giving them the social and communication skills that they will require in the next stage of their lives.

Read Also: A List of School Mission and Vision Statement Examples

Elementary Teachers

• …support children as they discover and explore new ideas in a safe, welcoming classroom environment.
• …support children to become confident and capable members of society.
• …be an inspiring and empowering force in children’s lives so they are excited and motivated to learn.
• …help all children find a sense of purpose in their lives through education.
• …ensure all lessons are student-centered and differentiated so that all students get the support they need.
• …utilize humanist and socio-cultural principles so students can learn through discovery in safe and collaborative environments.
• …ensure assessment, pedagogy and curriculum are student-centered so that learning is always relevant to the lives of my students.
• …develop an inclusive classroom atmosphere in which all students learn to appreciate and respect the diversity in their class.
• …show all boys and girls that they can be anything they want to be if they put in the effort and have the mindset to achieve.
• …promote both hard and soft skills in my students, including STEM skills and important emotional skills such as compassion, resilience and work ethic.
• …give students the cross-curricular foundations for a successful life as active members of their chosen communities.

Read Also: A List of Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples

Middle School Teachers

• …raise kind, caring and compassionate young people with the skills to apply their values in their lives outside of school.
• …help young people find their passion and path in life.
• …ensure all children regardless of gender, race, ability or social class have the opportunity to succeed in my classrooms.
• …create a collaborative learning environment where students learn from and inspire one another.
• …develop a forward-looking, technologically enhanced, and motivating learning environment.
• …acknowledge and appropriately reward hard work and self-growth.
• …be a positive and constructive role model for all students who enter my classroom.
• …raise students with the thinking and learning skills that they require in order to continue to learn well after they have left my classroom.
• …inspire a lifelong love of learning by creating lessons that are exciting, authentic, engaging, and relevant to the lives of my students.
• …to create visible and real change in the lives of all students in my classroom, be it cognitive, social, or personal.

Read Also: A List of Education Slogans, Mottos and Taglines that Pop!

High School Teachers

• …help my students identify the passions that they will pursue in their final years of schooling and beyond.
• …help students to develop individuality as they near the time to go out into the world and serve their fellow citizens.
• …help students to develop important democratic values of youth citizenship , community and equality.
• …create the leaders of tomorrow with the skills required to succeed in the 21st Century .
• …facilitate a culture of learning and risk taking in a challenging yet safe educational setting.
• …set high expectations for all my students so they come to class engaged and excited to learn every day.
• …encourage critical thinking that enables students to become powerful and thoughtful leaders for their school and community.
• …prepare students for their next steps beyond high school, including in the workforce, their communities and their personal relationships.
• …develop resilient social actors who have the self-belief and skillset required to overcome challenges in life.
• …provide students with the academic foundations that will put them in good stead to achieve in college.

Read Also: 59 Core School Values Examples

College Professors

• …prepare students to be change makers in their professional workforces after graduation.
• …help students identify and solve the major challenges facing civilization in the coming decades.
• …encourage open minds and creative thinkers who will meet the challenges of their generation.
• …encourage college students to embrace enterprise, self-confidence, creativity and social justice in all their endeavors.
• …inspire free thinking and individualistic mindsets among students and teach them to be gamechangers in their chosen professions.
• …create a culture of innovation and inquiry and show students that they are powerful actors in society.
• …promote the virtues of scientific method, research and scholarly inquiry so students can bring important critical thinking skills to their pursuits outside of college.
• …inspire the minds of a generation.
• …cultivate partnerships between my students and industry so that they leave university with both workforce ready skills and the social capital required for gaining meaningful employment in their fields.

Read Also: Is Being a Teacher Worth It? (Why I Quit a Good Job)

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Final Thoughts

A teacher vision statement is an important document that shows what you value. It should reveal both your pedagogical skills and beliefs, and your personal values.

The above examples are one-sentence vision statements. You may wish to mix and match the above statements so you have a full-sentence statement of your vision. Or, underneath your one-sentence vision statement, provide a list of 3 – 5 aims that show how you will go about achieving your vision in the school year to come.

Good luck with your vision statement and (of course) with your teaching goals this year!

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Animism Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 10 Magical Thinking Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ Social-Emotional Learning (Definition, Examples, Pros & Cons)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ What is Educational Psychology?

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The Importance of a School Mission Statement

• June 16, 2022

Home Educators Blog

A school mission statement is a living work that guides the daily decisions of the school. These statements should align with the school culture and climate to have substantive value. These statements combine with long-term vision statements, strategic plans, logos, and daily practices to create a brand for the school.

In order to create a positive school climate in which students want to attend, and parents want their children to be a part of a school, this brand must be relevant, purposeful, clear, and genuine.

What is a School Mission Statement?

A school mission statement is a sincere work that relays the purpose and guiding principles of a school. The statement should be concise, with each word having purpose and adding value. Mission statements are the “why” a school exists and what the learning, school community aims to achieve. The message must represent consensus and collaboration from all stakeholder viewpoints and needs.

School mission and vision statements should be written collaboratively with input and feedback garnered from all stakeholder groups. The final product establishes the tone and purpose for the learning community. To be effective, the statement needs to be memorable and genuine while representing the community’s varying needs.

Once a mission statement is drafted and approved, it must become the guiding force for the school’s daily interactions and decisions. Course offerings, staff recruitment and retention, instructional practices, and student engagement programs should align and grow from the mission statement. By communicating a mission statement with purpose, stakeholders should see that all other decisions are logical and align with the school’s purpose.

How to Support your School Mission Statement

Actions speak louder than words.

School mission statements are supported when staff aligns their daily choices with the purposes conveyed in the mission statement. For instance, if the mission statement includes belief in the ability of all students to learn and succeed, the staff should remain positive and collaborate on ideas to assist when students are struggling. Further, if academic achievement is noted, data-driven instructional practices should be in place to assess and refine classroom instruction.

Many mission statements relate to the value of a positive culture, preparation for the future, and community engagement . For these mission statements to have value, the schools should have expectations related to positive interactions, customer service, job and skill preparation, vocational training, and community outreach. The mission statement should be shared with the faculty, not just adorning walks within the physical structure. A school is made up of the interactions of the stakeholders that make up the school.

The aim should be for all stakeholders to know, understand, and apply the mission statement. As school leaders proceed with grade-level meetings, meeting agendas should reinforce the purposes outlined in the mission statement. A mission statement has no value if a school administrator, the school principal, or school leaders do not believe in and value the words.

Share the Mission Statement with Students

Teachers can share with students the purpose of the school’s operations and how those decisions align with the mission statement. For instance, if project-based instruction and authentic assessment are valued, those practices should be evident throughout the learning community. Teachers show support of the mission statement by teaching in ways that reinforce the school’s purposes.

Community Engagement

Central focuses of most schools include preparing good citizens and students who are prepared to succeed in college and contribute to the workforce. Showing that a school prioritizes engagement with its surrounding community is a given. Programs should aim to strengthen relationships with stakeholders and enhance community engagement.

Everyday Equity and Diversity

All students should feel represented in the mission statement. Schools must show value for students going to college and refining skills through strategic vocational trainings. Therefore, curricular options must exist for multiple pathways through and beyond the school.

Society needs people to bring various skills and talents. Schools must aim to eliminate stigmas and support all students so that they are equipped to have a bright future and become contributing members of society.

Common Problems with School Mission Statements

The most significant problem associated with many school mission statements is that they are drafted without purpose or intent . Further, these statements only sit on a shelf or hang on walls. These statements are often created in isolation who are looking to fulfill a checklist; stakeholders do not value these statements. Also, school mission statements that are too long and complex often produce few tangible results.

Mission statements must be concise and convey the purpose with the clearest possible language. Each word should be deliberated, and the words in the final statement should all add value and purpose. Leaders sometimes want to create a statement that is “fancy” and sounds scholarly. That is not the purpose; mission statements should represent everyone in a way that is easy to internalize, reflect upon, and remember.

Additionally, mission statements that are not student-focused and do not lead to enhanced outcomes are problematic. The purpose of a school clearly should be student-focused. Therefore, relevant school mission statements make the students the clear priority.

Also, the mission statement must align with the school’s strategic plan, brand, and goals. The best mission statement for school examples must become part of the overall package assisting the school in achieving these desired outcomes.

How to Create Mission Statements

Deep reflection.

These statements are written through reflection and prioritization. School leaders should invest time to ensure all stakeholder groups are heard and considered in the creation process. Drafting a meaningful mission statement takes time, and the time should be considered an investment in the betterment of the learning community.

School leaders must meet with school staff, community leaders, and other stakeholder groups early in the creation process. Conversations should center on what the school values and aims to become. Focus groups with staff and community leaders are an effective part of the process.

While town hall meetings should occur with students and the community at large, all persons should feel comfortable to share. These stakeholders need to be heard and see that their contributions are considered. While a mission statement can’t include each idea, the key is to arrive at a consensus.

Refining and Tweaking

Multiple drafts may need to be refined as the process proceeds. In the end, stakeholder groups need time to reflect and approve the final statement. Once the mission statement is complete, other brand components such as the strategic plan and logo should be revisited to ensure direct alignment. The key to an effective process is bringing people together and listening . The process should be clear, transparent, and communicated effectively.

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Mission, Vision, and Goals

School of Education Vision Statement

Graduates of the CSI School of Education continually examine what, how, why and who they teach. They embody compassion, empathy and respect for what every individual brings to the learning experience. They believe that all students can learn and that students’ learning potential is unknown and not pre-determined. They believe that the goal of the teacher is to develop students’ minds as powerful thinkers and problem-solvers. They view education as a profession in which practice and theory interact continually and dynamically to guide curriculum, pedagogy, and educational leadership.

School of Education Mission Statemen t

The School of Education prepares highly qualified, caring, and effective educators to meet the needs of students in diverse settings within the State of New York and beyond. We do so by linking theory, scholarship, and social justice. Our programs emphasize equity, academic excellence, reflective practice, curriculum integration, and advocacy. The programs promote meaningful fieldwork in which pre-service and in-service teachers engage with students, families, and other educators within diverse communities. Our students conduct research, understand educational policies, and develop the skills required to meet the needs of all students. Through their courses and fieldwork, our students develop the dispositions that guide and support their teaching and leading.

School of Education   Goals

To actualize our vision and mission, we engage with our students in the classroom and in the field to:

• Truly listen to one another and see the world from different perspectives.
• Recognize how race, ethnicity, class, gender, family, and context shape human values and experience.
• Understand the relationship between students’ academic achievement and their emotional well-being.
• Demonstrate dexterity in their use of curriculum theory, pedagogy, and assessment practices.
• Create classroom environments that respect all students and meet the needs of all learners.
• Conduct research with students, educators and school communities to generate new knowledge and strategies that contribute to the field.
• Critically analyze and thoughtfully engage in conversations around current educational policies that impact teaching and learning in classrooms.
• Develop professional dispositions that help them to recognize and utilize the “funds of knowledge” of culturally and linguistically diverse families and communities.
• Teach and lead in a wide range of local, state, regional, national, and international settings.

See below for specific discipline Mission Statements.

Goals and Objectives of the Conceptual Framework

In order to achieve our primary purpose of preparing educators who possess intellectual autonomy and professional responsibility, our work centers on three goals and their respective objectives:

Goal 1: Gain Content Knowledge and Develop Pedagogy - Acquire an understanding of subject matter across the curriculum and apply it in pedagogically appropriate ways.

Objective A : Knowledge of Subject Matter. Demonstrate an understanding of the discipline, its central concepts, principles, and processes of inquiry. Outcome - Demonstrate breadth, depth, and accuracy of knowledge in the content area.

Objective B : Knowledge of Pedagogy. Design and implement instruction that demonstrates an understanding of the discipline, its central concepts, principles, and processes of inquiry. Outcome - Present subject matter to others in effective, concrete, and conceptual terms.

Objective C : Knowledge of Learners. Demonstrate knowledge about child or adolescent development. Outcome 1 - Demonstrate knowledge of cognitive styles and abilities Outcome 2 - Demonstrate knowledge of recognition of a variety of characteristics of children (e.g., culture, language, family).

Goal 2: Engage All Students - Design and implement instruction that motivates and engages all students.

Objective A : Skill of Planning. Plan instruction using various strategies that reflect an understanding of the cognitive, affective, and physical characteristics of each learner. Outcome 1 - Develop lesson plans, including attention to planning for diverse learners. Outcome 2 - Integrate ongoing, short-term plans with long-term goals and learning objectives that meet state standards. Outcome 3 - Consider alternatives in the event that the plan needs adjusting.

Objective B : Skill of Teaching. Implement effective teaching/learning strategies. Outcome 1 - Effective use of a variety of teaching methods. Outcome 2 - Implement and modify instructional strategies that promote cognitive, social, and personal development of all students. Outcome 3 - Accept and incorporate students' ideas and questions into the lesson. Outcome 4 - Integrate technology into the curriculum.

Objective C : Skill of Effective Classroom Management. Encourage respectful behavior from students. Outcome 1 - Use effective classroom management techniques. Outcome 2 - Create a learning environment that encourages positive interactions. Outcome 3 - Encourage responsibility and leadership.

Objective D : Skill of Assessment. Assess the relationship between instruction and student learning and adopt assessment practices that result in meaningful feedback and student accountability for learning. Outcome 1 - Select and administer a variety of assessment tools. Outcome 2 - Use initial and ongoing assessment to guide instruction. Outcome 3 - Use assessment information to identify supports and adaptations. Outcome 4 - Use information from multiple assessments to measure instructional impact over time and make necessary adjustments to instruction.

Goal 3: Demonstrate Professional Dispositions - Conduct oneself in contextually appropriate ways.

Objective A : Reflective Practice. Demonstrate continuous evaluation and monitoring of informed practices. Outcome 1 - Demonstrate purposeful self-reflection (e.g., using journals, portfolios) to enhance students’ cognitive, social, and personal development. Outcome 2 - Demonstrate purposeful self-reflection to advance teacher identity.

Objective B : Collaboration. Engage jointly with other professionals in reflective practice. Outcome 1 - Participate jointly in professional activities. Outcome 2 - Communicate and collaborate with P-12 students, colleagues, parents, agencies, and the larger community.

Objective C : Respect for Others. Develop positive school climates that reflect openness, mutual respect, support, and encourage inquiry. Outcome 1 - Respect the rights and responsibilities of individuals in a democratic society. Outcome 2 - Respect cultural, familial, and linguistic diversity. Outcome 3 - Respect colleagues, family, and community members.

Literacy Discipline Mission Statement

The mission of the Literacy Discipline is to support our teacher education students in developing a strong theoretical understanding of literacy development and in enacting instructional practices that support students' literacy development at all grade levels and across the curriculum. Literacy includes the cognitive skills of reading and composing, as well as new literacies (digital literacy or "21st Century literacies") and multiple modes of literacy (for example, visual literacy). Our teacher education students will also become critically aware of how literacy is both a product of and a producer of the cultures within which it operates.

Science Discipline Mission Statement

The mission of the Science Discipline is to instill the understanding of the nature of science in the students we prepare as educators through the integration of the Scientific Practices as defined in the NYS MST Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards as listed below:

1.  Asking questions 2.  Developing and using models 3.  Planning and carrying out investigations 4.  Analyzing and interpreting data 5.  Using mathematics and computational thinking 6.  Constructing explanations 7.  Engaging argument from evidence 8.  Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information can support higher       achievement in literacy and mathematics.

The Science Discipline program focuses upon scholarship centering on issues of educational practice, intense science content knowledge and pedagogical strategies in the preparation of science teachers and teacher educators. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of scientific literacy so that students become inquisitive learners and effective problem solvers. Our mission is to enhance the relationship between science and society and to stress the concept of global citizenry to the future science educators in the program. Our faculty believes that improved scholarly practice will foster the continued expansion of scientific knowledge, recognizing the increasing impact of science and technology in our daily lives and on the environment.

Social Foundations Mission Statement

Social Foundations courses employ theoretical and methodological tools from at least one of several disciplines, including history, philosophy and sociology. The courses foster the development of a particular set of knowledge, skills, and dispositions significant to becoming a successful teacher. Specifically, Social Foundations courses develop candidates' knowledge of themselves and build their understanding of students, teachers, and schools and their communities, placing them all within the context of the larger society. The courses help candidates connect these understandings to their conceptions of what education means. In developing this knowledge, courses in the Social Foundations promote core skills of observation, listening, questioning, analysis, and argumentation. Finally, Social Foundations courses advance three important dispositions of prospective teachers: 1) civic engagement in issues that affect teaching and learning; 2) empathy for all students, families, and communities and; 3) an inclination to question prevailing assumptions about children and schooling. Through the acquisition, development, and demonstration of this set of knowledge, skills, and dispositions, the Social Foundations prepare candidates to confront the challenges of contemporary learning settings.

Social Studies Discipline Mission Statement

The Social Studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic awareness and engagement. Within the school program, the Social Studies provides coordinated, systematic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics and natural sciences.  The primary mission of The Social Studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. In essence, The Social Studies promotes open participation on public issues; ensures access to information for the purpose of responsible decision making, in order to develop an educated electorate; acknowledges the diversity of human forms and ideas; supports equal treatment and consideration of all citizens on matters with social implications (this includes, religion, culture, gender, and all areas of diversity); desires maintenance of and a reasoned respect for law, property and human rights; and highlights the acceptance of social obligations to reciprocate service and loyalty to society in exchange for the protection and promotion of individual liberty.

Students of The Social Studies demonstrate the skills and dispositions to: build constructive relationships with others; recognize and appreciate others; identify problems and challenging situations or contexts; practice decision making; workout suggestions and test alternatives; plan and execute ideas and apply findings to everyday life situations. These skills are fostered through the processes of discovery, inquiry, exploration, imagination, problem-solving; decision-making and reflection. The Social Studies promotes a change in how knowledge is being interpreted, by recognizing that what is empowering is the idea of democracy rather than the political ideal of democracy.

World Language Mission Statement

The mission of the World Language Discipline is to support our teacher education students in developing a strong theoretical understanding of the acquisition of languages other than English (currently Spanish and Italian) and learning and implementing instructional practices that support students' acquisition of a second language in secondary schools. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Standards undergirds the courses in the World Language Department as well as in the Education Sequence.  They are the five C’s of foreign language education: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities.  The Discipline’s mission is also consistent with the Department of World Language’s and the College of Staten Island's mission to foster international education, to further international understanding and cultural diversity among our students through the study of languages, literatures, and cultures of our interconnected world.

Home / Essay Samples / Life / Mission / Visionary Leader: Mission and Vision of School as a Student

Visionary Leader: Mission and Vision of School as a Student

• Category: Business , Life
• Topic: Effective Leadership , Leadership , Mission

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