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Mr Van spent some time on the internet researching Vision statements, and their applicability to educational settings under the management theory called "TQM" - Total Quality Management. He came across a book by Edward Sallis describing how schools can adapt the TQM management technique to schools. It is entitled, Total Quality Management in Education, and contains detailed descriptions for us regarding Vision, Mission, Values and Goals. Mr. Van says that what Sallis says about these four aspects of TQM is the same was what he learned in the Air Force -- but, obviously, we're not going to "Fly, fight and win!" He gave me a blurb on Vision statements, taken verbatim from Sallis: "The vision communicates the ultimate purpose of the institution and what it stands for. It needs to be short and direct and point out the ultimate purpose of the institution, for example: "All our learners shall succeed." (Mr. Van didn't particularly care for this vision for a school...short and sweet, but not inspiring enough). Some commercial examples include, "IBM means Service", or Disneyland's "We create happiness." Some organizations start with these short and easy to remember bullet points and then develop them with a further set of statements that flesh them out. For an educational institution, something along the lines of "Providing the Highest Standards of Learning" might constitute an appropriate vision statement (Mr. Van didn't like this one either, as uninspiring)." But, at least Sallis has given us insights about what a Vision statement looks and sounds like: short, direct, communicating the ultimate purpose of the institution. Ask Mr. Van about how the Vision differs from the Mission, Goals and Values -- he has a good "cheat sheet" from the Sallis book. = = This is Mr. Van's work above. -chris

Here's more of Mr. Van's work, as promised in the screencast:

Mr. Van was not a member so I wrote the paragraph above for him. What he did not say above (and what you can edit out if you want to, Bruce) is that his suggestion for a vision, according to the definition above, is this: **"Scholarship: inspired by wonder, achieved by study, built on rock-solid values."** I think he's done a nice job here bringing in the ROCKS piece that's so important to us. I love the "wonder" part of this and think it's a great word to describe kids' quest for knowledge of the workings of their world. I think the "achieved by study" part might work as well with words like determination, perseverance, diligence, dedication.

So then, would our __goal__ be the part that's measurable, attainable, etc? What do you think? ~ chris

I also like how the ROCKS piece is incorporated. I think Chris is right in that the goal is the measurable piece based on our vision. If my understanding is correct, then the mission is usually a reflection of our vision, but DES has a mission. Perhaps this is just my confusion. I thought also that "curiousity" might sound nice in place of "wonder"; however, both flow nicely. Great info and kickstart Mr. Van and Chris. I think this Wiki discussion board is great! ~ Nikki

Great thinking and conversation! I also posted a comment on the Discussion page. I'll stay tuned to see where you all go with this. Maryclare

Mr. Van's vision draft is something I could stand up and cheer for. It gives me the good kind of goosebumps because it combines our ROCKS/values, the hard work we're after, but doesn't forget the "love of learning" piece that is vital to our lives in the long run. I would be much more comfortable having goals that sound like educational objectives, not our vision.

Thank you, Chris, for setting up a wiki so that we can work together from afar whatever time of day inspiration strikes. We appreciate your hard work nudging us into the next tech zone. : ) Cherie

I echo Cherie's comments. thank you chris, and Mr. Van for getting this started.--Lynn

In my world of sped goals do need to be measurable. I love the way the vision is connected to our ROCKS mission. Thanks Mr. Van for getting started on this. This is a great start. Colleen

This is great....lets move on! Ann staff meeting Mr. Van- YOU ROCK! I absolutely love the words for our vision statement! Also, I can't believe I figured out how to wiki... Jeannette = = = = = = =Welcome to Your New Wiki!=

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