For schools that have not had a history of working collaboratively, developing the vision for the school may be the beginning of creating a collaborative culture at the school–in other words, the collaborative context may not be in place at a school beginning its reform process, but it may begin to emerge as the school develops a vision.

According to SEDL program manager Shirley Hord, vision refers to mental pictures of what the school or its parts–programs and processes, for example–might look like in a changed and improved state. She acknowledges, "It is a preferred image of the future." In The Hero’s Journey: How Educators Can Transform Schools and Improve Learning, Brown and Moffett write, "[V]ision becomes the guiding and informing field that brings order and purpose to the complexity that challenges organizations...."¹ According to Peter Block, "A vision is strongly value-laden, alluding optimistically to possibilities of ‘greatness.’ It’s a ‘dream created in our waking hours of how we would like the organization to be.’"²

Again and again, research cites the principal’s role in setting vision for the school as a high priority, but as Michael Fullan, dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, observes, a good principal does not singly create a vision nor does he or she impose it; he or she must build a vision with other participants and stakeholders in the school organization. In this way "it becomes common ground, the shared vision that compels all involved."³ In Fitting the Pieces: Education Reform that Works, authors Klein, Medrich, and Perez-Ferreiro note, "When participants perceive that the reform objectives reflect many of their personally held beliefs about education, they are more willing to join in the process."⁴

Reaching consensus means school leaders must work with diverse groups to come to agreement as to what the school should accomplish. It is important for school leaders to realize that these diverse groups may include teachers’ unions or other teacher organizations as well as students, teachers, parents, and community members. Sharon Havens, curriculum coordinator for the Lonoke School District in Arkansas, says that "the parents’ perspective of what they want to see happening is really critical, and that information is taken and used in the initial assessment of where we are and where we want to be going."⁵

Brown and Moffett note, "Perhaps the most significant thing we have learned is the importance of respectful involvement of all stakeholders in the vision quest, including students, parents, and community members. Without their involvement, our visions become mandates without meaning. Our stakeholders feel discounted and marginalized. The result is a lack of understanding and commitment from those whose support we need most."⁶ So, unless there is consensus among teachers, administrators, parents, and the community, the reform process may be difficult to sustain.

Once the vision has been agreed upon, it is the principal’s role, however, to keep reminding stakeholders of the vision. School leaders must communicate and articulate "compelling images of what an organization wants to create, sharing pictures of the future that foster genuine commitment."⁷

Dennis Sparks, executive director of the National Staff Development Council, says, "Throughout the school year and around the school building there should be continual reminders of the mission–of high levels of student learning that the school is working on. You should see that displayed in hallways, you should hear it in faculty meetings, you should hear it at parent meetings."⁸

The vision must also be translated into plans and actions. The values and goals articulated in the vision will determine how staff spends their time, what problems they solve, and how resources are distributed.⁹

Louis and Miles write, "The process of spreading the vision is, however, less dependent on the articulateness and persuasiveness of the individual than on his or her willingness to structure opportunities for all interested faculty to discuss their aspirations for the change program and the school, and to be patient in trusting that staff members will take on the collective responsibility for refining the vision through shared action." They also observe, "Visions become strong not because faculty believe in the principal, but because they believe in themselves and their ability to really change schools for the better."¹⁰

Brown and Moffett also believe that personal responsibility plays a large part in the enactment of a vision. They write, "[E]ach of us must assume personal responsibility for translating vision to action. We cannot wait for others to do it for us, nor can we take shelter in capegoating."¹¹

In their study of high schools, Louis and Miles found that vision was spread through empowerment–in schools with a collaborative culture, that had committees that saw to implementation issues, real ownership of the vision evolved.

How Did Sierra Vista and Sunrise Measure Up in Creating a Vision?

One of the major problems at Sunrise was the vision. Although a vision had been established, the recent change in leadership left teachers feeling adrift. A couple of teachers who had been at the school many years believed that in the past the teachers held a vision of focusing on the students and doing what was best for them, but she did not feel like there was a current vision for the school.

At Sierra Vista, there was definitely a vision for change, and one that reflected input from parents as well as faculty. The fact that most teachers were able to discuss the vision easily is evidence of how it was kept before them. Teachers acknowledged that the school’s goals were based on the vision and several teachers mentioned that the staff reflects on the statement each year, sometimes making amendments, ensuring that the vision is an evolving one.

The importance of the vision cannot be overstated. It is the foundation for the school’s future and all decisions regarding instruction, resources, and professional development should be held to the test: Does this decision help us reach our vision?

1Brown, John, and Cerylle Moffett (1999). The Hero’s Journey: How Educators Can Transform Schools and Improve Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, p. 83.

2Block, Peter. (1987).The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work. San Franciso: Jossey-Bass. As quoted in Louis, Karen Seashore, and Matthew B. Miles, Improving the Urban High School: What Works and Why. New York: Teachers College Press, p. 219.

3Mendez-Morse, Sylvia. 1992. Leadership Characteristics that Facilitate School Change. Austin: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, p. 13.

4Klein, Steven, Elliott Medrich, and Valeria Perez-Ferreiro. (1996). Fitting the Pieces: Education Reform that Works. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

5SEDL interview with Sharon Havens, January 21, 2000.

6Brown, John L., and Cerylle A. Moffett. (1999). The Hero’s Journey, p. 87.

7Hord, Shirley M. (1992). Facilitative Leadership: The Imperative for Change. Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, p. 70.

8SEDL interview with Dennis Sparks, February 2, 2000.

9Critical Issue: Building a Collective Vision on the Web site of the North Central Educational Laboratory at http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le100.htm.

10Louis, Karen Seashore, and Matthew B. Miles. (1990). Improving the Urban High School: What Works and Why. New York: Teachers College Press, p. 327.

11Brown and Moffett. (1999). The Hero’s Journey, p. 87.