Make the Words of Mission Statements Come to Life
By Rick DuFour
JSD, Summer 1997 (Vol. 18, No. 3)
In schools that function as learning communities, teachers are guided by a shared purpose and take collective responsibility for student learning (Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). Many districts try to foster this sense of shared purpose and collective responsibility by developing a mission statement for their schools. While writing a mission statement can be beneficial, they tend to sound pretty much the same–something like this:
It is the mission of our school to help each and every child realize his or her full potential and become a productive and responsible citizen and lifelong learner who is able to use technology effectively and appreciate the multicultural society in which we live as we prepare for the challenges presented by the 21st century.
Mission statements inevitably articulate the premise that every student is capable of learning. In fact, the phrase, "we believe all kids can learn," has become commonplace, a kind of mantra for educators. There are few contemporary teachers and principals who would publicly dispute this fundamental assertion. In fact, asking the question, "Do you believe all kids can learn?" reveals very little about the beliefs, expectations, and practices of the educators in a given school.
A much more relevant and useful question to raise in trying to build a sense of shared purpose and collective responsibility is simply, "If we believe all kids can learn, how do we respond when they don't?"
Presented below are four very different kinds of schools, all of which would contend they subscribe to the theory, "all kids can learn." Consider each school carefully and identify which most closely resembles your school.
1. We Believe All Kids Can Learn Based On Their Ability. We believe that all students can learn, but the extent of their learning is determined by their innate ability or aptitude. This aptitude is relatively fixed and, as teachers, we have little influence over the extent of student learning.
It is our job to create multiple programs or tracks that address the different abilities of students and then guide students to the appropriate program. This ensures that students have access to the proper curriculum and an optimum opportunity to master material appropriate to their ability.
2. We Believe All Kids Can Learn If They Take Advantage Of The Opportunity To Learn. We believe that all students can learn if they elect to put forth the necessary effort. It is our job to provide all students with this opportunity to learn, and we fulfill our responsibility when we try to present lessons that are both clear and engaging.
In the final analysis, however, while it is our job to teach, it is the student's job to learn. We should invite students to learn, but honor their decision if they elect not to do so.
3. We Believe All Kids Can Learn And We Will Accept Responsibility For Ensuring Their Growth. We believe that all students can learn and that it is our responsibility to help each student demonstrate growth as a result of his or her experience with us.
The extent of the growth will be determined by a combination of the student's innate ability and effort. It is our job to encourage all students to learn as much as possible, but the extent of their learning is dependent on factors over which we have little control.
4. We Believe All Kids Can Learn And We Will Establish High Standards Of Learning That We Expect All Students To Achieve. We believe that all students can and must learn at relatively high levels of achievement. It is our job to create an environment in our classrooms that results in this high level of performance. We are confident that with our support and help, students can master challenging academic material, and we expect them to do so. We are prepared to work collaboratively with colleagues, students, and parents to achieve this shared educational purpose.
Although the faculties of each of these schools would contend they believe in the capacity of every student to learn, they will respond to students who are not learning in very different ways.
The first school views failure to learn as an indication that the student lacks the ability or motivation to master the content. Creating a less rigorous program is their solution.
The second school sees failure as an important part of learning. Students who don't put forth the necessary effort to succeed must be taught that they are responsible for their decisions. To ensure that this important lesson is learned, teachers must allow students to fail.
The third school is prepared to accept responsibility for helping each student demonstrate some growth, but contends it has little influence over the extent of an individual student's learning.
The teachers in each of these schools may believe they are acting in the best interests of their students, but they are not acting as a learning community. Only the fourth school is worthy of that designation.
A learning community demands that we get beyond the superficial and trite to examine what we truly believe about our shared purpose and collective responsibility. Are the teachers in your school willing to identify relatively high levels of performance they expect all students to achieve? Are they willing to articulate specific criteria by which they will assess student work and progress? Are they willing to work collaboratively to improve their effectiveness?
Most importantly, are they willing to accept responsibility for ensuring that all students achieve the high standards that have been established? If not, your school has not met some of the essential prerequisites of a learning community.
Reference
Newmann, F., & Wehlage, G. (1995).
Successful school restructuring: A report to the public and educators by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools. Madison, WI: Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools.
About the Author
Rick DuFour is superintendent of Adlai Stevenson High School District 125, Two Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire, IL 60069, (847) 634-4000, ext. 268, fax (847) 634-0239, (e-mail: rdufour@district125.k12.il.us).
