vor-of-the-week statements can have a tremendous value internally if they r=
eflect a differentiation in your approach or a core value you can return to=
when making strategic decisions. The problem is they get conflated with m=
arketing efforts, and while they do overlap, they should be treated as sepa=
rate entities.=0A=0AI believe the problem is two fold. =0A=0A1. Often the=
y are derivative restatements of general principals that could be applied t=
o any educational institution. This lack of uniqueness, in turn, makes peo=
ple feel the mission statement lacks value. As long as you can return to i=
t for guidance in strategic decision making, it is valuable. There is a te=
mptation to allow marketing/industry terms to trickle into the mission (thi=
nk "differentiated instruction", "child-centric", etc.). Too often these a=
re thrown in based on trend and don't reflect a core value.=0A=0A2. That i=
f we believe in our mission we often want to share it with the world and us=
e it as marketing text externally. In generally mission statements are a p=
oor substitute for marketing text and yet we want to stick them on the fron=
t page of the web site, even though they frequently do not differentiate us=
in the market place. Your perfectly serviceable mission statement may app=
ly to other school in your area and almost certainly applies to another sch=
ool in your state. Even worse there will be a number of schools who use th=
e same language with completely different approaches (Just think of the var=
iety of interpretations in "child-centered learning"). If your mission tru=
ly reflects a unique attribute, then use it for marketing, but otherwise us=
e other more flexible language that is more easily changed to meet market n=
eeds.=0A=0A_J=0A=0A=0A ____________________________=0AJason at jasonpj@yaho=
o.com=0A=0A=0A=0A=0A________________________________=0AFrom: Peter Gow <pgo=
w@bcdschool.org>=0ATo: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU=0ASent: Saturday, June 6, 20=
09 8:16:51 AM=0ASubject: PRESS QUERY: Mission Skeptics=0A=0APlease excuse t=
he cross-posting.=0A=0AMission statements are the guiding beacons of the in=
dependent school=0Aworld. "Mission-appropriate" and "mission-driven" are re=
garded as=0Awatchwords of good management and good leadership. I'll go on r=
ecord here=0Aas saying that I very much support this point of view.=0A=0AFo=
r an article on mission statements that I am working on for the=0Aindepende=
nt school press, I am wondering if there are any independent=0Aschool educa=
tors out there at the "senior management" level who are NOT=0Abig believers=
in the concept of "mission statement as sacred text." I=0Awould be interes=
ted in speaking with a couple of people who are perhaps=0Amission agnostics=
or even mission atheists.=0A=0AI am not referring to educators who are out=
of tune with their own=0Aschools' missions but rather to leaders who belie=
ve in more pragmatic or=0Aother-directed approaches to guiding and running =
independent schools. Such=0Afolks might even believe that the "mission" con=
cept is overblown,=0Aunnecessary, or outmoded.=0A=0APerhaps such people don=
't exist, or perhaps they wish to remain anonymous,=0Abut if you know a hea=
d or other high-level administrator at your school or=0Aelsewhere who might=
fit the description of "mission skeptic," please pass=0Athis message along=
.=0A=0AI do request that responses be made off list, directly to me at=0Apg=
ow@bcdschool.org or pgow@mindspring.com.=0A=0AThank you very much--Peter Go=
w=0A=0APeter Gow=0ADirector of College Counseling and Special Programs=0ABe=
aver Country Day School=0A791 Hammond Street=0AChestnut Hill, Massachusetts=
02467=0Awww.bcdschool.org=0A617-738-2755 (O)=0A617-738-2747 (F)=0Apetergow=
3 (Skype)=0A=0A=0A[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]=0ASu=
bmissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non=
-commercial, share-alike license.=0ARSSFeed, http://listserv.syr.edu/script=
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