Mission, Vision, Values, Goals

Building a Foundation: The Four Pillars of a Professional Learning Community Mission,Vision, Values, Goals Whittier City School District

Six Essential Characteristics of a PLC • Shared mission, vision, values, and goals • Collaborative teams focused on learning • Collective inquiry • Action orientation and experimentation • Commitment to continuous improvement • Results orientation

Objectives & Outcomes • To understand how school culture plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of a PLC. • To gain a deeper understanding of the four pillars of a Professional Learning Community: • Mission, Vision, Values and Goals • To discuss how to incorporate the four pillars at your school site.

Common Scenario • On the opening day of school Principal Greatintentions assembled the entire staff to share her enthusiasm for PLC’s and her plans for bringing the concept to the school. She emphasized that she was committed to transforming the school into a PLC. The first step in the process was to develop a new mission statement that captured the new focus of the school. She presented the following draft to the staff and invited their reaction:

It is our mission to ensure all our students acquire the knowledge and skills essential to achieving their full potential and becoming productive citizens.

After the principal’s presentation • The teachers and counselors challenged the mission statement. They argued….. • student learning was dependent upon student’s ability and effort • “ensuring” all students would learn because it placed too much accountability on teachers • too much emphasis on academics and not enough on emotional well-being

Revised Mission Statement It is our mission to give each student the opportunity to learn according to his or her ability and to create a school that is attentive to the emotional needs of every student.

After time… • Principal Greatintentions remained hopeful that the revised mission statement would inspire new effort and commitment from the staff. However, there was virtually no evidence that this new mission had impacted either teacher practice or student achievement. After months of trying to implement PLC at her school site her efforts were unsuccessful. • Reflection- Turn to your elbow partner and discuss: • Why do you think her efforts were not successful? • What should she have done differently?

School Culture • If we think of “school culture” as involving, at least in part, “how we do things around here,” then we need to consider two key questions: • How are things done in a professional learning community? • What cultural shifts need to occur if our schools are to become professional learning communities?

Four Types of Schools • School #1 Charles Darwin We believe all kids can learn…based on their ability • School #2 Pontius Pilate We believe all kids can learn…if they take advantage of the opportunity we give them to learn

Activity- Four School Types • School #3 Chicago Cub Fan We believe all kids can learn…something, and we will help all students experience growth in a warm and nurturing environment. • School #4 Henry Higgins We believe all kids can learn…and we will work to help all students achieve high standards of learning

Revised Mission Statement It is our mission to give each student the opportunity to learn according to his or her ability and to create a school that is attentive to the emotional needs of every student.

Reading • Make the Words of Mission Statement Come to Life by Rick Du Four • Read the article • As you read underline any words or phrases that stand out to you • Give one, Get one • When you hear the signal move on to share with another person

Core Beliefs • All Kids Can Learn- What does that mean? • Take a piece of paper and write on it all the “if only” disclaimers you have heard others say • Example: All kids can learn if only… they came from supportive families • All kids can learn if only…..

If Only Statements…… • Indicate set levels of expectations for certain students without knowing their capabilities • Disregard student potential for learning if given the right support and time • Not within our sphere of influence and control

All Kids Can Learn “In today’s Information Age society, however, … it is the purpose of schools to bring all students to their full potential and to a level of education that was once reserved for the very few… Only the fourth school… offers a viable, modern-day response to students who are not learning.” -Richard DuFour and Robert Eaker (1998) “Professional Learning Communities at Work”, p. 61

All Students Can Achieve • 90/90/90 Schools • Breaking the cycle of predictability • We need to believe all students can learn even if all the obstacles are in place. • Have you ever had a student who… • does better in one class than the other? • was in Special Ed and became proficient? • was an English Learner and reclassified?

Objectives & Outcomes • To understand how school culture plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of a PLC. • To gain a deeper understanding of the four pillars of a Professional Learning Community: • Mission, Vision, Values and Values • To discuss how to incorporate the four pillars at your school site.

Four Pillars- Foundation of a PLC MISSION VISION VALUES GOALS WHY? Why do we exist? WHAT? What must our school become to accomplish our purpose? HOW? How must we behave to achieve our vision? HOW WILL WE MARK OUR PROGRESS? FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE COMPELLING FUTURE COLLECTIVE COMMITMENTS TARGETS & TIMELINES Establishes Priorities Gives Directions Guides Behavior Clarifies Priorities and Sharpens Focus

We would argue that it is impossible to develop a results orientation unless we are clear about the core of the enterprise (mission), about the kind of school we’re seeking to become (vision), and the attitudes, behaviors and commitments we need to promote, protect and defend (values). -Du Four & Eaker

Four Pillars- Foundation of a PLC MISSION VISION VALUES GOALS WHY? Why do we exist? WHAT? What must our school become to accomplish our purpose? HOW? How must we behave to achieve our vision? HOW WILL WE MARK OUR PROGRESS? COMPELLING FUTURE COLLECTIVE COMMITMENTS TARGETS & TIMELINES FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE Establishes Priorities Gives Directions Guides Behavior Clarifies Priorities and Sharpens Focus

Mission • Why do we exist? • What is our fundamental purpose? • Clarifies priorities and sharpens focus MISSION

Activity • Each team member will need a piece of paper. • On the piece of paper, each team member will have few minutes to write a statement regarding what they see as the purpose of schools (Why do we exist?). Don’t put your name on it because others will read it. (2 minutes) • Pass the statement to the person on the right. Each person will underline significant phrases or words. • Continue to pass the paper to the next person and keep passing the paper until all papers go all the way around the table. You may underline a word or phrase even if it is already underlined. • When you receive your own paper back, share with your group the phrases that were underlined the most. • As a group decide on the top 5 words or phrases that were underlined the most. Write each word or phrase on a post-it note and place them on the chart labeled MISSION.

Mission • Clarity of purpose should be the goal of any mission statement. Our “mission” gives focus to the question, “Why do we exist?” • “Learning” is the primary purpose of a school that functions as a professional learning community. Schools exist because their mission is “learning”.

If Learning is our Primary Purpose…. Critical Questions of a PLC • What knowledge and skills should every student learn as a result of this unit of instruction? • How will we know when each student has acquired the essential knowledge and skills? • How will we respond when some students do not learn? • How will we extend and enrich the learning for students who are already proficient?

Vision • Educators must move beyond writing a mission statement to first clarifying the vision, values, and goals that drive the daily workings of the school and align all their practices accordingly.

Vision Statement Questions • What do we want to see our school become? • What do we imagine regarding student achievement? • What contributions would we make to our students, and community? • What would we want our reputation to be?

Reading- A Shared Vision Leading Learning Communities

Vision Statements You are in a helicopter and you are flying over your ideal school, Dream Elementary School or Dream Middle School • What would you see? • How would people work together? • What would it look like if everyone believed all students can achieve?

Brainstorming Vision Statements • Draw a visual representation of your Dream School. • Include all of the components you think are needed to ensure all students have the best opportunities for success. • Write a Vision Statement that sums up the beliefs of your Dream School.

Vision- A Compelling Future Gallery Walk

Lunch Time Our work will resume promptly at 12:30

Values: Guide Behaviors • What changes in our behavior need to take place to advance our Vision? • Collective Commitments • They are our attitudes and behaviors that we must demonstrate in order to create the school of our vision • They are our observable actions

Creating Collective Commitments • Limit the number (5 or 6) • Make the actions specific • Do not include beliefs that are open to interpretation and difficult to monitor • Describe clear expectations about what each person WILL do now (specific behaviors)

Sample Values-Collective Commitments • Vision Statement: Every teacher, parent, and student is clear on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire in each course, grade level, and unit of instruction. • Collective Commitment #1: Each grade level will distribute monthly newsletters to inform parents and students of progress in ELA and math. • Collective Commitment #2: Teachers will unwrap priority standards during their grade level meetings to plan instruction based on specific skills and concepts.

You Try • The learning of each student is monitored on a timely basis. When students experience difficulty, the school has structures in place to ensure they receive additional time and support for learning. • Each teacher will administer at least two common formative assessments before each district benchmark. • Teachers will provide intervention after school for six weeks on a targeted concept.

Prioritizing Collective Commitment • Use a quadrant chart to prioritize the ideas of the group. • Write the collective commitments on a piece of paper and have everyone sign and date it.

Goals • How will we mark our progress? • Targets and timelines • Establish priorities GOALS

What are SMART Goals? Strategic and specific Measurable Attainable Results-oriented Time-bound

SMART Examples • Students who have attended District 54 schools for one year will read at grade level upon entering third grade. • At least 90% percent of all students will meet or exceed standards in reading and math as measured by both district and state assessments. • During the 2008-09 school year, non-proficient students will improve their vocabulary skills by 5% each trimester as measured by an increase in the ITBS vocabulary assessment.

SMART Goals • Things to remember when writing SMART Goals • Goals should be consistent with mission, vision, and collective commitments • Goals should meet SMART Goals criteria, if not rewrite • School SMART Goals can be written with • whole staff • leadership team with staff approval • Templates are available online at http://www.allthingsplc.info/

Four Pillars- Foundation of a PLC • Please put your materials away and sort the cards into the Four Pillars • Each column should have 5 cards: • Term • Definition • Description • Guiding Question • Example MISSION

Final Quick-write 1.What is the value of this process? 2. Which activities would you find valuable to replicate with the staff? 3. How do you see your school getting to the place where you have a mission, vision, value/collective commitment and goals that everyone in your school will share?

Objectives & Outcomes • To understand how school culture plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of a PLC. • To gain a deeper understanding of the four pillars of a Professional Learning Community: • Mission, Vision, Values and Values • To discuss how to incorporate the four pillars at your school site.

Mission, Vision, Values, Goals