District Vision and MissionOskaloosa Community Schools

Mission or Mantra?

Jerry McGuire – Mission Statement

Why develop Vision/Mission

Helps organization focus on what is really important

Help us remember what is important as you get caught up in daily work

Lets others know who you are and what you want to do

Helps people see what you are about without having to dig or work hard for information Put on letterhead, posters, signs

Bound together in a common purpose

Constant reminder of what is important to organization

Vision vs Mission

Vision is your dream

Inspires people in organization to dream

Ideal conditions for your organization

If things were perfect, this is how it would look

Short phrases or sentences conveying your hope for the future

Beliefs and governing principles of your organization

Vision

Inspiring and uplifting

Fits on a t-shirt

“Caring Community”

“Healthy Children”

“Education for all”

“Prepare students for success by partnering with educational leaders, students, parents, and community to provide educational excellence through quality programs and opportunities while emphasizing character development”

Vision vs Mission

Mission is what the group is going to do and why it’s going to do it

Similar to vision statements – look at big picture

More concrete than the vision

More action oriented

Inspires members to action

Mission Statements Should

Express your organization’s purpose that inspires support and ongoing commitment

Motivates those connected

Convincing and easy to grasp

Use proactive verbs

Be free of jargon

Be short enough to repeat

Mission Statements1. What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to

address (The purpose of the organization)

2. What are we doing to address these needs? (The business of the organization)

3. What principles or beliefs guide our work? (The values of the organization)

Mission Statements

“Promoting community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources”

“Empowering all students for success”

Mission or Mantra?

Mantra – don’t write a Mission Statement!

Let’s Create!

Vision Statement1. Each person write a headline that might appear in a

newspaper 20 years in the future. This is your dream of what an exemplary school would look like or what you want for our students in the future.

2. Share out as a group and then come up with a shared vision statement involving all of the ideas in your group.

3. Place your vision statement on the sentence strip and put it up on the wall.

Let’s Create!

Mission Statement Look at the handout provided Answer the questions about the action Oskaloosa wants to

take that will bring the vision to life Small groups will then work to draft a Mission Statement

embodying the answers