New School Mission Statement Ties Purpose to Expected Outcomes

The elementary school where I work has a new Mission Statement. It reads:

“At [CBES] we will be a positive, supportive community focused on helping all children become responsible learners who are well versed in 21st Century Skills, and who are able to express a purposeful attitude of life-long learning by demonstrating consistent improvement of North Carolina Standards.”

The new mission statement makes a connection between the learning community the school wants to be and the accountability it must be responsible to fulfill without making those two efforts synonymous. CBES teaches students to be curious, to pay attention to detail, and to discover new ideas that will stay and serve them with them as they grow.

To some, it may seem as though the school is making a pledge to force students to go to infinity and then beyond, as if solid school-wide standardized testing scores are unattainable, and then to ask for more. Instead, the school’s intent is the other way around. If CBES helps students become thoughtful problem solvers with a useful vocabulary, the students will be able to navigate benchmark probes and End of Grade Tests as one more of life’s problems to solve. This way life-long learning comes first.

Accountability is necessary. The school’s new mission statement reminds the school community to stay on the track of ensuring that each student achieves his/her highest potential. It is a track that passes through successful End of Grade Testing.

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