The Awesome Threesome: Vision, Mission and Culture, combine to support each other and guide the school to success. All leaders have a personal vision for their school. The high-performing leaders have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop, articulate, and implement a shared vision, that is supported by the larger organization and the school community.
The Vision may be thought of as the destination.
The Mission is the roadmap to the desired destination.
The Culture is the collective traditions, expectations, norms, and shared experiences, which form the vehicle used to get to the desired destination.
Reflect on the Vision, Mission & Culture presentation given by Ms. Maria Tracy. Post your comments.
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32 comments:
Ms. Tracy's training was relevant especially in the school I work in. Most of the staff have been in place for many years and the culture which is not always a positive one, is firmly entrenched. Hearing Ms. Tracy say how she "speaks from experience" when dealing with difficult school cultures reaffirmed that all school have areas in which to strive for change, however long that change may take. I will continue to work with staff to encourage them to give us the commitment our students deserve, instead of just the compliance we sometimes get.
I found the Vision/Culture training to be very eye-opening. Vision and culture are too concepts often mistaken as synonyms when they are actually different. This idea was made clearer to me through the training. Right now, my school has a very positive culture. A lot of this positive culture comes from the deep history that has been built here, including the fact that we have a veteran staff of teachers, many of whom have been here for more than twenty years. We also have many faculty and staff members who are alumni of this very school. Something that I plan to do at my school to support this positive culture is to speak with SGA and see if we can add a little twist to our Homecoming celebration this year. There is a class (I want to say 1963) who will be having a reunion this month. I want to have our SGA communicate with them and include some of them in our Homecoming celebrations (not just the game). I also would like to do this for the alumni that are on staff as well. This has not been done in the past. However, I know that this will be well-received and could possibly become a tradition and add to the already positive and rich culture at the school.
The presentation and the activities from yesterday's meeting demonstrate how important it is for a school to identify the key focus areas that are important for all their stakeholders (parents, students, teachers, community, clerical staff, custodial staff, and business partners). Then, they need to clearly and simply capture those thoughts in a vision and mission statement that embody those ideas. I realize how important it is for the leadership team of any organization to have a direction in which to steer its employees. With a vision and a mission, staff are aligned and all know the direction in which the organization should be heading. As more and more staff members align to the vision and mission, the culture of the organization develops. It is the glue that holds the organization together when times get rough.
It was refreshing to listen to Maria Tracy's presentation on Vision, Mission and Culture. She was able to clearly define and make a clear distinction between Vision and Mission. She used good examples and was able to hold our attention with well thought out activities. The activities also shed light and insight as to the dynamics of our own team in class. More importantly the sharing between colleagues is one I treasure because it allows us to see each others perspective as future principals.
Ms. Tracy's training brought back how important it is to revisit your vision and mission. Does it address the current culture and state of the school? Is it easily understood by all stakeholders? Is it full of educational jargon and not connected or understood by those it serves? I know SHS has not visited the mission for several years, so this is something to consider/revisit with our staff for the near future. I would love to have a simple vision/mission -- catchy, relevant and fits on a pencil!
The training on "Vision, Mission, & Culture" helped me to re-focus on the importance and relevance of the vision to the culture of a school.
I particularly liked the analogy of "building the dream house, relating the vision, mission, and culture.
As a leader, I will always think of what I need to do to support the vision and mission of the school.
Reginald Pierre-Jerome
Vision and Culture is extremely important at all schools at every level to ensure the focus of the principal circulates continuously throughout the school.
During the training, Ms. Tracy did a remarkable job in presenting the main facts in Vision and Culture. Through the workshop activities, everyone involved was able to identify with the foundation of establishing and preserving a vision and mission. A strong vision will maintain a positive school culture so students have an effective environment to increase learning gains.
I think that the training we received from Ms. Tracy on Vision, Mission and Culture was a perfect topic of discussion. I remember back a few years ago it was a big push in the North Area to revisit your Vision, Mission and Beliefs. At that time, the school I was at hadn't looked at their Mission in several years. We also created a Vision, which wasn't in place. For a few years we were good about going back and revisiting the mission and making changes as we felt were needed. This year we have a new Principal and this brings a perfect opportunity to readdress the Vision, Mission and culture to see if we are still working in this direction. The culture piece is such an important part of a school and developing a community.
A few years back there was a big push in the North Area to take a look at your current Vision, Mission and Beliefs. As a school, we had not visited this in several years. So as a community, parents, staff and community members we went through the process and developed a new Vision, Mission and beliefs for our school. For the next few years we were very good at revisiting these to insure we were all on the same page. With the increase in demands on student achievement and meeting AYP, we have put this on the back burner. After Ms. Tracy's presentation, I felt empowered to go back to my school and take a look at what we have in place. This year is a perfect opportunity to revisit what is in place and make changes as needed. The principal for the past 15 years retired this past year. Having a new principal allows the opportunity to readdress these elements. The school truly has a positive culture and a sense of belonging. Several of our staff members have been at this school for more than 15 years. As the demands in education change, so might the needs of your school. What I would like to do this year is to work with my new administrator and support team to address some of their concerns with our Vision, Mission and culture of the school. From this data, I would like to provide an interactive staff development on this issue. I think building a foundation on the value and beliefs of your staff members is the key to the longevity of your staff members.
The training was very effective. At my current school, the decisions we make as leaders support our mission that all students learning in a safe environment. Therefore, when we make instructional decision it should not be what is best for some students but what is best for all students.
If our mission is centered on students learning then we should believe that they can learn. We should have the expectation that they all can learn and have high expectations for all students which is one of the seven correlates of effective schools. For example, I observe my classes to monitor whether the students are receiving a rigorous, relevant, and engaging lesson. I provide teachers with professional development that will teach them high-yield strategies. Lastly, it is important to give teachers time to create lessons and to work collaboratively with their colleagues.
A safe school environment supports another correlate of effective school. At our school safety is a priority. If students do not feel safe it will hinder their ability to learn. I am sure we can all share stories of students bullying each other and how we handled this type of incident. However, we must consider the teasing and harassment that is happening in the classroom that many perceive as joking. This playful play of words that can take place between teachers and students can create an unhealthy classroom environment.
In summary, all decision whether large or small should support the mission of the school.
I loved Ms. Tracy's training on Vision, Mission and Culture. It reaffirmed my own beliefs that an organization must have a definitive purpose for its existence. I believe leadership should be the driving force for establishing the vision; otherwise, the organization will veer in several directions without meeting the needs of its clients. In education, it's paramount for leaders to provide a course of action for educating students and providing professional development for their teachers. Effective leaders establish a culture that embraces accountability, professional development and a high level of expectation for increased student achievement. As a result, positive results will occur for teaching and learning.
Maria Tracy’s training was extremely relevant and caused me to reflect and reexamine not only the Vision and Mission Statements of my school, but my personal vision and mission as well. Effective leaders have to be able to share their vision, and have the ability to work with others to make it a reality. The cooperative activities allowed me to converse with colleagues to identify commonalities between each school although we are at different school levels. As educators we would all agree that our schools should be a welcoming environment for all students and a place that holds them to high standards and expectations while providing them with the highest quality of education possible. But taking the written vision and making it a living culture is the job at hand. If all stakeholders, students, parents, teachers, and community members can look at the vision of a school and say yes, this describes my school, then it is a reality. If not, then we know that we still have work to do. As a school leader, I know that it is important for me to have clearly defined personal values. The research of Leithwood provided by Tracy reassured me of this, and reminded me that the mission is the most important avenue of influence in school improvement.
To support continued positive culture (climate) I have instituted a new organization on our campus entitled "Gator Nations". This group is made up of 1 student representative from each and every 2nd block classroom. The purpose of this group is to provide a voice, representative of all groups and grade levels on campus-to make sure their concerns have a forum in which to be heard and addressed. This organization will meet once a month with an agenda that includes polling the students on a given topic, a diversity component, updates that impact the student body, and a question and answer period to address student related issues and concerns. The desired outcome would be to unify the campus, increase student buy-in and ownership, and validate the importance of the role they play in the day to day climate on campus as a member of the Gator Family.
Thank you for this helpful and necessary training. It is a powerful reminder that: In addition to the ever present Continuous Improvement cycle, we must begin with the end in mind: Our Mission, Vision and Culture.
I especially enjoyed Ms. Tracy's strategy: Through reflection and engagement, we discovered that we need to revisit and reaffirm our mission/vision with our leadership teams and staff.
What a privilege to partake in these experiences with the talented 2011-2012 Interns. I'm not only learning with you -- I'm learning a lot from you as well. Thanks. Have a great day. :)
How appropriate it is for today to revisit our "Vision, Mission and Culture" with all the emphasis on AYP sub groups, the changes in our culture, technological advances, and especially with the Federal mandates of meeting proficiency for each group.
Ms. Tracy's training was an excellent reminder for each of us to revisit our vision and mission and ensure that it is easy enough to remember (should be able to fit on a pencil) and reaffirm it with each of our stakeholders. Additionally, we should be mindful of the changes in our culture, both internal and external of the school, to ensure that the needs of students can be obtained.
Mrs. Tracy’s training was job embedded and relevant. Every school has a culture whether we are attentive to it or not. As administrators, we make a difference in the development of our school’s culture. By implementing effective strategies to improve the climate of our schools, we affect student learning and achievement. I plan to implement the following strategies to support or maintain a positive school culture:
1.As I walk every classroom everyday, I will try to focus more on conversations about curriculum and instruction and student learning. Every interaction, whether it’s a parent, teacher, or student will be an opportunity to reinforce the core values of my school.
2.I will continue to reinforce the positive parts of my school culture, such as building traditions and ceremonies.
3.Communicate a widely shared sense of purpose and values that is consistent and shared by all staff members.
4.Celebrate every success, no matter how large or small.
5.I will enhance staff member’s relationships by creating a Multicultural Club to celebrate the diversity.
6.I will reinforce our school’s slogan: “Rising Above The Rest”.
7.I will add live plants and new floor mats.
8.A greater focus on PLCs, staff development and sharing best practices during Faculty Meetings.
9.Staff will take responsibility for student learning.
Maria Tracy's presentation reiterated the importance that maintaining a positive culture is reinforced by a shared mission and vision that is supported by the larger organization and the school community. Something that we at CGHS take pride in and instill in our school-wide community is the ability to listen. Often, it becomes apparent that need supersedes want. Although we are the first to address our needs, we are also aware of the wants of our community. The strong relationships we have with all stakeholders allows us to have a culture of mutual respect and understanding. This is the first full year that Coral Glades has an established, active, working, and formidable PTSO. While we are still in the growing stages, we have been afforded a well-received outpouring of support from students, staff, parents, and community representatives. The interactions we encounter with the PTSO will help us to understand the community better, through mutual communication, and make us stronger as we continue to fulfill our vision and mission. This will ultimately continue to allow us to build on our school-wide culture that is positive and welcoming to all.
Mrs. Tracy's training helped me to realize how important the Culture of a school is...it truly holds the Vision and Mission together. She helped me understand the difference between a Vision and a Mission. The activities we did during the training were interactive and promoted group discussion. Mrs. Tracy did an exceptional presentation. I greatly enjoyed the entire session.
Steven Carruth
The training this month on Vision and School Culture by Ms. Tracy was one that is so important for anyone involved in a leadership role. The vision has to be one that is shared and takes all stakeholders into account when it's developed. A common mistake mentioned in the training is that many leaders have a clear vision of where they want to take a school or department but may run into resistance because they have not included others. In addition, each school has a unique culture and traditions that have to be understood for any change to happen that will be successful. It's also important to cultivate a culture at your school that is positive and helps to build morale. With a culture that is nurturing and aligned with the vision and mission of your school, the sky's the limit!
Vision, mission, and culture are the foundation of any school environment and crucial to school success. Ms. Tracy's presentation was engaging and made me reflect on my school. As a new administrator to a school with a wonderful culture, I am working to not only become entrenched in the culture, but to learn how it is nurtured and maintained. The vision and mission of this school is clear and frequently mentioned. I feel fortunate to work in such an environment.
Not only was the presentation eye opening but it provided me an opportunity to reflect on the role vision, mission and culture plays in a school environment. It's relevance in defining who we are as a school is crucial to ensuring the success of the students. This presentation also challenged me to go back and take a look at the mission and vision statements at my own location and the role they play in the established culture.
This training was crucial as a reminder about the importance of establishing a vision and mission for our schools and allowing that to drive the culture of the organization. It served as a refresher and a reminder for me to revisit the mission and vision of my current location and its role in increasing the academic achievement of our students.
Maria Tracy communicated vision and culture in a structured way. She showed and articulated the the importance for these concepts to move a school and build a bridge for student success. The experience that she has gained as a principal shows someone who is committed to student success and increase in student achievement. My school is currently building a new culture to enhance learning in the 21st century. The administrative staff is supporting the new vision and ensuring teachers and all staff can articulate it. As a leader, I must be able and willing to invest time to move the school and build a safe learning diverse environment where all stakeholders can communicate the vision and culture.
The presentation revealed how important it is to consider the culture of the school when developing your vision and mission as a new principal. It is a process that must include your stakeholders in order to create the "collective identity" of your school. Ms. Tracy emphasized that knowing the "soul" of your school and community is critical. Without that knowledge, you are open to pitfalls along the way that may hinder the support you will need in achieving your mission.
I found the Vision training to be exactly what I needed. I know that my school has a vision/mission, as we work hard everyday to ensure the students have the optimum experience and learn to their highest potential. Yet, I am certain there are very few people who could actually speak to what our "Official Vision"is. I certainly have a new focus to concentrate on and that is very motivating for me!!
As an administrator, I definitely appreciated the Learning Gains Report by Teacher. At my school I use it to guide my data chats with teachers and we closely exam student progress by AYP subgroup. We pay closer attention to the subgoups that have not made AYP, and we alter instruction lessons to better serve the students. The graph and color coded report is reader friendly as it allows us to visualize student achievement levels of each subgroup so we can easily compare the trends of student achievement. It would be great to have this for all subject areas as we increase the literacy accountability across subject areas.
Ms. Tracy's presentation was outstanding! The session gave me a new and clearer outlook on the definition of Vision and Mission and its impact on the school culture. The activity on designing your "Dream House" was very effective and got someone like me who only draws stick people to create a pretty cool dream house with a purpose.
Thank you Ms. Tracy
Dynamic presentation on "Vision, Mission and Culture!" I was able to gain the essential skill sets needed to function effectively in a culture where my predecessor had been for over 14 years. My predecessor's leadership style was extremely different, therefore the barriers I faced as an incoming assistant principal were challenging. Thanks to Ms. Tracy's presentation and hands-on activities I have a deeper understanding of the difference between mission and vision. Understanding, recognizing and respecting an organization’s culture is vital, as it has an impact on how the stakeholders, clients and customers receive you as a part of their organization.
The "Vision, Mission and Culture" training by Maria Tracey was very timely to my development as a future principal. I often consider how will I observe, and grow to impact the culture of the school to which I am assigned. Through reflection on the elements of this training, I have learned that culture is created by the people in the school environment. For example, in my current school there is a very close knit family type of culture. Many of the staff in the school have been there for over 18 years. While there is a positive culture, there is a limited tolerance for change. Any principal coming into a new school will first need to observe the current culture of the school. Upon examination, then they may strategically identify "change agents" to being the work of transforming a school's culture.
Mrs. Tracy's presentation/training was dynamic. She brought home the importance of a leader's ability to positively impact the culture of the schools that they lead. She emphasized the importance of being involved at all stages in leading your school, not just taking the lead with the easy tasks, but also being involved in the most difficult aspects of leadership that are associated with being a change agent. More importantly, that a leader has to develop a paradigm that not only addresses flexibility, but being open and committed to the positive change that they want to see.
She also provide some a moment for us to reflect on, especially inthe area of active/transparent communication and who we really must continue to keep in the "loop". The importance of speaking from a higher level of awareness/sensitivity with your community, or bosses, teachers, parents and students. Without the backing of majority of those groups, the vision, mission, and culture at your site will suffer, we cannot allow that to happen and we must protect our important resource, the sustainability of the school.
Mrs. Tracy’s presentation was fantastic and it allowed me to reflect on many conversations my principal shared about her first year as a principal. Mrs. Tracy reiterated that a leader must understand the school’s culture in order to create a high performing environment where all stakeholders believe and are committed to the vision and mission of the school. This presentation was full of information, tips and experiences shared that would be practical at any school environment.
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