VISION IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD

I am now working as an educational consultant, a process coach, for several inner city schools. I have spent two weeks visiting these schools in an effort to determine where I can be of the most assistance to small learning community (SLC)stakeholders. I am finding one common misplaced piece in each of the SLCs I have visited, a lack of common vision. By sharing with others what I am learning from this new experience, I hope that we can make a difference in the lives of our students, and in the working conditions for our adults through blog conversations.

My August 24, 2008, blog entitled "Need for Change in Our Schools", I describe a number of areas where change must occur, but none are more important for sustainable change than the development and group acceptance of an SLC vision. I recognize that many, and perhaps most, educators see the vision building process as “fluff” and overly time consuming. I see it in a very different way. It is my strong belief that the vision, when owned and accepted by the entire community, will drive the necessary changes in school practice and student learning that will be required in this century.

Why should vision even be discussed? Mark Twain is frequently quoted as saying, “He never let his schooling interfere with his education.” We are now in a period in the history of this nation that if our educational practices don’t meet the needs of our students as they prepare for a 21st century world, then there will be no need for formally educating our students at all. Our traditional public educational systems are being challenged by politicians, parents/guardians, and even by other educators. We frequently find that school staff members are living with an educational vision that no longer fits the world that we live in or the world that is evolving. Only by creating a current vision, can we hope to change teaching and learning in our schools in order to support our students who will live in a world that we can’t even define yet.

I helped school communities to develop school redesign plans for the last four years of my career. However, I am seeing that these plans that began with the development of a common vision are not changing our high schools from comprehensive to something new. I am seeing that the visions that were presented by SLC teams as the first step in their redesign planning were either not really accepted by the community, or have been forgotten very quickly.

A flexible and living vision that allows for constant change to meet the changing needs of the students in a community will be the driving force for moving our schools from lock step teaching institutions, to educational centers that provide for the differentiated needs of each child. The 21st century requires a new outlook on our work. It certainly requires a new set of goals for our children. We no longer live in an isolated world, and therefore, as a nation we must compete with other nations. This will require a new vision for everyone in all aspects of our nation. Perhaps a new vision has to begin within our schools, since our educational system is meant to prepare kids for the world of their future.