HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders

HAVE, DO, BE: A Shared Visioning Activity for School Leaders

Have you been hired as the new principal? Are you thinking making an adjustment to your school’s vision and mission? This cooperative process can assist you in ensuring that all stakeholders have the opportunity to share in what they want your school to acquire, to accomplish, and to be acknowledged for.

Four years ago, I stepped into a building that had just undergone the Differentiated Accountability (DA) process with the State and had lost approximately half the Staff, due to related stressors. With the new school letter grade designation of a “B” from the previous year’s “D”, it was time for our school to rebrand itself!

I gathered the Staff to meet in our media center during the preservice week, with a goal of learning about how the staff felt about the school. The dedicated employees that remained, after the mass exodus, had much to say about how they were tired of being “looked down upon”, as they worked harder than ever to address the diverse and extreme needs of our student population plagued by poverty and trauma. I can honestly say, after working in eight of our ten elementary schools, this was the most challenging work I would ever do.

I explained the purpose for the activity as essentially creating a wild wish list that we would all work together to achieve. The great part was…that nothing on that list was too wild. I would bring that list out several times within the next three years to show them what we had accomplished as a united body! The activity begins with archaic and wonderful tools- several pieces of plain white chart paper and colored markers.

Randomly assorted groups consisting of both instructional and support personnel came together to yell out and record their dream responses to the following questions:

ONE: What do you want our school to HAVE?  (Consider all categories)

·         Facility                                                

·         Resources                               

·         Personnel

·         Technology

·         Information

·         Relationships/Partnerships

·         Recognition

·         Leadership/Management

TWO: What do you want our school to DO?

• Programs
• Activities
• Research
• Accountability
• Budgeting
• Planning
• Communication
• Strategies and Actions
• Policies and Procedures
• Involvement of Stakeholders

 

THREE: What do you want our school to BE (known for)?

·         Character

·         Principles

·         Standards

·         Beliefs

·         Values

·         Assumptions

·         Reputation

·         Ethics

As they wrote feverishly about simple things like having more planning time and copy paper, to buying the newest technology and building the indoor gymnasium (never considered for our Florida elementary schools), I walked the room and asked questions, learning more and more about what was important to them. Then, I challenged them to put it all together to complete the session by creating a Vision and Mission statement- a wonderfully messy and exciting event where everyone adds to the ideas and crosses out verbiage to find the perfect words. And then, I asked the following questions.

1.      Is our vision, mission, motto a true representation?

2.      Can we verbalize it? Can we give a brief elevator speech about our school?

3.      Are we all on the same page?

4.      Will our vision drive our future decisions?

I learned a lot about the school’s culture that day in my very first preservice week, and I believe the staff learned quite a bit about me. At the very least, they learned that I wanted us to do it-together!

I collected those previously ordinary pieces of paper, typed up “the list” (see below), and turned it into my first, third, and fifth year goals (presented to the Superintendent, Staff, and families). After that, the real work started. Every action plan we enacted supported that collective Vision.

Pluses and Deltas 

Every year, during the last week before winter break, I pull teams together to complete the progress monitoring session for our Vision. Affectionately called our “Plus-Delta Meeting”, the Staff lists all of the positive things they have experienced in the year, thus far, and also the things that they would like to consider changing (delta) by adding, removing, or altering. Some things are simple and can be accomplished immediately, such as purchasing materials or adjusting a schedule. Other things, such as hiring new personnel (a Dean for instance), require me to review my budget and communicate with district personnel. The commonalities become apparent as each team views the previous team’s contributions to the t-chart, and you celebrate the small things. And in a year like this previous one…you celebrate big time.

                                                                

                                                                             Year 1
 

                                                                               Year 3

If you would like to learn more about how to create a shared vision and rebranding as a leader in a school new to you, please contact this Proud Panther Principal at Heidi.Keegan@yourcharlotteschools.net.  (941) 255-7627

Heidi L. Keegan, M. Ed Principal Charlotte County Public Schools

Heidi L. Keegan has served as a Florida public schools educator for 18 years as an elementary school teacher, Reading Coach, Assistant Principal, and Principal in Charlotte County. An administrator in six Title I elementary schools over the last 10 years, and a product of Florida public schooling, her experience lies in reinvigorating school culture and climate and instituting a systems-thinking approach to advocate for marginalized populations, with the ultimate goal of closing the achievement gap. Student achievement at the forefront, she has implemented various strategies to address the diverse needs of students of poverty, students of color, and students with unique abilities. She is a member of several professional organizations, including the Florida Association of School Administrators where she serves as the South Region Director for the Florida Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals. She has completed educational degree programs at University of West Florida, University of South Florida, and is currently seeking admission to the doctoral program at University of Florida.