The Vision For A School In Transformation
Schools Can Change
This photo of the Gyanshree School Noida is for representational purposes only. The individuals in the photo include the current Principal, Priyanka Bhatkoti, Sandeep Dutt, and Brinda Ghosh, the former Principal.
It's important to remember that our destination is directly tied to the direction we're heading in. To successfully reach our intended goal, we must stay on course and remain steadfast in our current direction.
The most transformative feature of a school is its 'Vision' or what I would like to call the school's desired future. We must envision the school as a powerful societal change agent for the future, capable of bringing about significant transformations in learning and social development in any community or country. This Vision is not just a dream but a powerful tool that can shape the future of education.
First and foremost, we must list what a school's Vision must be:
The Vision must be initiated by the leader and developed with school personnel and all stakeholders.
It must provide future orientation.
Set an overarching direction.
Evoke an image of the future school.
Provide a standard of excellence and an ideal.
Is the Vision the basis for the unique contribution to students, school personnel, the community, and society?
Vision should be shared and supported by the internal and external stakeholders.
The Vision must be compelling and inspiring.
Finally, the Vision must live and evolve further as the change creation process rolls out.
Steve Jobs said, " Innovation requires a team, and you cannot inspire a team of passionate evangelists without a compelling vision; a bold, simple and consistently communicated vision."
Reading Schools Can Change by Lick, Clauset and Murphy and understanding the work of Learning Forward, I have crystallised a vision statement for The Fabindia School, and this is how the Vision could be read. "The Fabindia School will become a national leader in innovation by implementing new technologies in learning and offer affordable quality education." Another way to state the school vision could be "The Fabindia School will become a national leader in schools and become the favoured destination for English learning in rural India." The first statement is compelling and inspiring, and the second is a statement of purpose and explains to all the stakeholders what is in it for them. The statement of purpose is our goal and a part of our Vision, wherein we have set out to become an institution of excellence, and there is an element of dynamism in what we are doing. The Vision thus sustains over an extended period and is the direction for the ongoing mission.
Psychology Today Blog states, "The absence of, or poorly written Vision and Mission statements, are lost opportunities for attracting/engaging/retaining talent, building organisational culture, and increasing productivity while leveraging all resources to implement a strategic plan successfully."
A study by Bain and Company indicated that organisations with clearly defined Vision and Mission statements that align with a strategic plan outperform those without.
A Mission statement:
Defines the present state or purpose of an organisation;
Answers three questions about why an organisation exists -
What it does, Who it does it for, and How it does what it does.
Developing a plan around a clearly defined and well-written Vision and Mission is essential. Both serve essential yet different roles as core elements of a strategic plan. The Fabindia School's mission is to provide access to high-quality education for boys and girls at the rural level, using English as the medium of instruction. The school views primary education as a stepping stone towards social mobility, equality, and employment opportunities.
The Vision must encourage us to think big (overview), think for tomorrow, consider student and society contributions, and, most importantly, lead and help create the future.
Learning for Staff and Children
Motivate them and win them over with a bright future
Team up and deliver
Vision killers are often tradition (never done before!), fear of risk-taking, stereotypes, complacency, fatigue and short-term thinking. We must not look for quick results and look at details to help create the big picture.
The Vision must be Cognitive - to educate, Emotional - to motivate and Organisational - to coordinate. A compelling vision produces more efficient and coordinated action. It must be coherent and powerful, emphasise what is achievable and always clarify what the school should be.
Vision without action is a dream, and action without Vision is a pastime. A vision must be shared, as this alone will make it a reality one day.