A mission statement that is weathered, tethered, and measured!

As a new elementary school in 2014, we developed the following mission statement. 

Let's build a school that parents value, where teachers thrive, and children learn and grow. 

Our simple mission statement has weathered our opening, our first accreditation review visit, state accountability reporting, SIC oversight, PTO leadership transitions, as well as steady enrollment and staff growth.  All the while, our mission has remained constant ... and embraced by our school community.  Though often mission statements change regularly, our weathered approach has offered purposeful efficiency, consistency, and direction.  

Tethered to our mission is our emerging growth as a Professional Learning Community.  Here is the alignment.

• Professional describes a school where teaches thrive as individuals and teams ... both personally and professionally.
• Learning is the obvious and authentic result in an environment where children learn and grow.
• Community originates and flourishes in a school that parents value.

Our mission is measured in numerous ways.  Parental value is assessed through involvement and leadership (including PTO participation), volunteer efforts, fundraising support, as well as formal and informal feedback (including yearly surveys).  

A school where teachers thrive can be measured via student engagement and growth, teamwork, teacher leadership, teacher evaluations and growth, professional development (required and voluntary), teacher retention, yearly formal and informal feedback/surveys, and most importantly (to me) a work/life balance that offers adequate/prioritized time to honor family, community, and personal commitments.  

Finally, a school where children learn and grow can be measured by literacy development (reading, writing, speaking), social/emotional maturation, progress monitoring, engagement, performance growth, grades, test scores, authenticity/application/connectivity of learning, learner independence, as well as student/teacher/parent feedback.  

Some mission statements are impressive, yet long and full of big words not even the staff can remember.  For our school, a simple and focused approach was what we needed then ... and now!