Developing a Mission Statement for the Middle Level School

Developing a Mission Statement for the Middle Level School

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A mission statement, properly constructed, empowers everyone in a school to assume responsibility for the school's ultimate direction. This document is accordingly designed to help middle level schools begin to develop such a mission statement. Parts 1 and 2 define a mission statement and discuss the confusion that is likely to occur in its absence. Part 3 identifies common elements of a mission statement: a statement of purpose, an indication of uniqueness, an explicit statement of commitment, and a clear value position. Part 4 lists general principles to guide the development of a mission statement, followed by a 10-step process for developing it: (1) solicit commitment, (2) assemble a working group, (3) gather data, (4) analyze preliminary data, (5) create an instrument to seek consensus, (6) draft the mission statement, (7) solicit agreement, (8) prepare a final draft, (9) disseminate the final draft, and (10) assess its effects and review the statement. Parts 5, 6, and 7 discuss uses of a mission statement: to review programs, policies, and practices; to make daily decisions; to set goals and priorities; to reward and reinforce people in the school; and to provide a set of criteria by which to judge a school's effectiveness. A brief sample mission statement is included. (TE)


The School Mission Statement

The School Mission Statement

Author: Damian Bebell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-08-06

Total Pages: 213

ISBN-13: 1317923537

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a must-have resource for busy educators involved in creating, improving, or reevaluating their school mission statements. The authors provide numerous examples of mission statements from a diverse range of preK-12 schools, offering readers an extremely valuable resource for developing an understanding of various themes and ideas in American education today - all to be better prepared to formulate their own schools' mission statements. Whether you are preparing for accreditation reviews, seeking a broader knowledge base, or are engaged in policy discussions, this practical, readable guide is packed with valuable information to help you reach your professional goals.


Restructuring the Middle Level School

Restructuring the Middle Level School

Author: Sally N. Clark

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1994-01-01

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 9780791419212

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book provides middle level teachers and administrators with a rich resource on restructuring schools to help young adolescents achieve intellectual, social, and emotional success. It is a comprehensive volume that describes the leadership knowledge bases, skills, processes, and attitudes necessary for successful middle level school restructuring. Major themes in the book include: trends and issues in middle level schools; characteristics of young adolescents; middle level curriculum; instruction and assessment; successful middle level school programs; leadership skills and collaborative decision-making; school restructuring; staff development; program evaluation; and maintaining a climate for change.


This We Believe

This We Believe

Author: National Middle School Association

Publisher: National Middle School Assn

Published: 2010-01-01

Total Pages: 66

ISBN-13: 9781560902324

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Stop Leading, Start Building!

Stop Leading, Start Building!

Author: Robyn R. Jackson

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 1416629866

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

You are a school administrator—a principal or maybe a district leader. You're doing everything "right"—poring over data, trying new strategies, launching annual initiatives, bringing in outside trainers. So why do the outcomes you seek still seem so far away? The problem isn't you; it's that you were trained in school leadership, and school leadership just isn’t up to the challenge. Each year, Robyn R. Jackson helps thousands of administrators stop wasting time and energy on flawed leadership approaches that succeed only with the right staff, students, parents, budget, and boss. As they have discovered, it's possible to transform your school with the people and resources you already have. The secret? Stop leading and start building! In this book, you'll learn to use Jackson's breakthrough Buildership Model™ to escape the "school improvement hamster wheel" and finally create the school your students and teachers deserve. The work involves a handful of simple shifts in how you approach . . . • Purpose: Instead of chasing tiny gains or the "next new thing" every year, you'll establish and use an ambitious vision, mission, and set of core values to galvanize your staff, keep everyone focused, and create true accountability for achieving your goals. • People: You’ll discover new ways to help every teacher grow one level in one domain in one year or less and, ultimately, develop high levels of both will and skill. • Pathway: Instead of trying to tackle every problem at once, you'll identify the biggest obstacle standing in your way right now and figure out exactly how to remove it once and for all. • Plan: You'll learn a new process for solution implementation that is iterative, cyclical, and capable of powering both short-term wins and ongoing transformation, year over year. When you stop leading and start building, you let go of the idea that you need to work harder to make your school "work better." You no longer settle for incremental improvement when what you really want is dramatic change and better learning outcomes for all. It's time to make the shift from leadership to buildership. Get ready to turn your school into a success story.


How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank

How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank

Author: John G. Gabriel

Publisher: ASCD

Published: 2009-02-20

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1416616454

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank will help you improve your school without investing in externally developed, expensive, and time-consuming reform programs or initiatives. It's packed with replicable strategies and practical tools that educators in any school can incorporate to transform the culture and improve student achievement and professional practice. You'll learn how to * Hone your own leadership and grow new leaders among your staff; * Develop a vision and a mission for your school; * Promote excellence among both staff and students; * Make the most of your time and facilitate effective meetings; and * Mine and use data with purpose. For most schools, times are tough and money is tight—but school leaders must still focus on how to steadily improve student achievement. Academic performance will improve in the long term only if your school has a healthy culture marked by integrity, a strong work ethic, collaboration, and reflective risk taking. Strengthening those foundational elements will help you sustain positive change in your school, even in difficult economic times. The good news is that you already have the resources you need to help your school thrive. This book will help you to maximize them.


The Leader in Me

The Leader in Me

Author: Stephen R. Covey

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 147110446X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.


This We Believe-- and Now We Must Act

This We Believe-- and Now We Must Act

Author: Thomas Owen Erb

Publisher: National Middle School Association

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9781560901679

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In 1995, the National Middle School Association published a position paper defining foundational characteristics of developmentally responsive middle schools and program components that would create the kind of schools young adolescents need and deserve. This book provides a comprehensive, whole vision of schooling for the middle grades and makes more practical and accessible the basic concepts set forth in the 1995 position paper. The chapters are: (1) "The Imperative to Act" (Thomas O. Erb); (2) "Educators Committed to Young Adolescents" (C. Kenneth McEwin and Thomas S. Dickinson); (3) "Developing and Implementing a 'Shared Vision'" (Sue Swaim); (4) "High Expectations for All" (John Arnold); (5) "Advisory: Advocacy for Every Student" (Ross M. Burkhardt); (6) "School, Family, and Community Partnerships" (Joyce L. Epstein); (7) "A Positive School Climate" (Marion Johnson Payne); (8) "Curriculum That Is Challenging, Integrative, and Exploratory" (Chris Stevenson); (9) "Varied Teaching and Learning Approaches" (Barbara L. Brodhagen); (10) "Assessment and Evaluation that Promote Learning" (Gordon F. Vars); (11) "Flexible Organizational Structures" (Deborah Kasak); (12) "Programs and Policies that Foster Health, Wellness, and Safety" (Jean Schultz); and (13) "Comprehensive Guidance and Support Services" (Sherrel Bergmann). All chapters contain references. (KB)