ESU #1 Vision Statement

I like the fact the vision statement is measurable and has a time frame. Thanks for allowing me to comment.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity. I think this is a lofty goal considering our area of the state. I don't know how our vision can be measured by someone else's success or lack of it. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I know that we provide innovation, leadership and support, but . . . what our schools do with it and how effective we are is very difficult to measure by their students success. Seems to me, the measurement is of things that we don't have control over. Again, I might just not get it. And if that is the case, I apologize.

I think this is an awesome vision statement! It provides both direction and a timeline and it is a very bold statement. I completely understand and respect Jim's comments and I agree that this is quite a lofty goal. However, I think that ESU #1 has and can continue to accomplish great things - why not something as great as this? I can't help but think of the quote that mentions reaching for the moon because even if you don't quite make it, you still land among the stars. I think that a vision is designed to inspire and for us, that means more than just inspiring our own employees. We need to inspire and excite our school districts at every level - from the administration to staff, teachers, and ultimately the students. How powerful might this statement be to some of our schools if we are saying that we envision this as a realistic possibility? That we believe that all of our schools have the potential to be more than just adequate, but outstanding? Can the confidence this might foster in our schools help motivate them to create innovative ways to utilize and incorporate the very skills and services that we are providing?

And on an agency level, I can't help but begin to think about ways that this might impact different departments and areas. If we can really rally behind this vision, it has the potential to create opportunities to do some of the very things that we've been discussing, and perhaps even things that we haven't yet imagined. At our Vision Retreat, I remember discussing things such as collaboration, innovation, technology, and communication. What ways could our departments begin working together to make things happen? What ways can we start to implement new technologies or improve the technologies our schools are currently using? How can we communicate this vision to our employees, our schools and the public in a way that gets them excited about the prospect? Think about the students that we are talking about when we say 2020. My pre-kindergartner will be in high school in 2020. If we start working to foster this confidence and start moving towards this goal now, what great things will she and her classmates accomplish in ten years? This could literally incorporate every department at ESU #1 - from early childhood to transition and everything in between!

Yes, in many ways, this vision takes the control out of our hands and gives it to the schools. But, isn't that what we are supposed to do? We equip the schools with the skills, provide the services, share the innovation, and offer the support, but ultimately it is the schools themselves that take those pieces directly to the students. In my mind, that does not diminish our importance or impact on the students.

Okay...I'm getting a little wordy here (alright...a lot wordy!!) but I will admit that I find this exciting! I see how this can have potential to rally not just ESU #1, not just ESU #1 school districts, but ultimately the kids - our future citizens. And, in all reality, isn't that what a vision statement is supposed to do? I truly believe that if you can foster a sense of confidence that a particular goal can be reached and couple that with the skills and support necessary to reach that goal, great things can happen....and I for one can't wait to see what those great things might be!

This is an ambitious, aggressive goal/vision. I believe in setting high expectations! This vision is definitely a high expectation. Can we meet the desired 25%? It's worth a shot!

I agree with Jim in the fact that there are variables we can't control. We must accept that fact and push forward. Our schools want success. By role-modeling expectations for success, we can bring our districts along. Education is all about change and challenge. I feel we have captured that in our proposed vision statement.

Academic achievement is important. We want our students to work hard, learn a lot, get good grades, and make something of themselves in life. But does a school achievement score ranking in the top 25% of Nebraska schools necessary define that success?

The state test that has been developed for language arts is narrow. There will be 60 fill in the blank questions. Forty of the questions will be related to comprehension, twenty on vocabulary. Does high achievement score resulting from an hour long a fill in the blank test with a narrow focus demonstrate that students are or will be successful in our 21st century world?

What about the student who excels in foreign language, or carpentry, or economics, or the multitude of subject areas that aren’t tested. What about the student that is incredibly creative, or a compelling public speaker, or has other valued, high demand skills that are unable to be measured by a test. I would like to think that we are able to see success far beyond what achievement scores say or don’t say.

While policy makers and others not in the field of education have decided that state tests will help us identify high achieving and low achieving schools, don’t we, as educators believe that student success can be demonstrated through many different avenues some of which are far more meaningful and relevant than a paper/pencil test?

We live in a world that is plagued with issues such as poverty, injustice, violence, starvation, prejudice, war and disease. I would argue that students will be far more ready to take on these challenges and those to come if they have been encouraged to experience both academic and nonacademic pursuits, where they begin to understand themselves as leaders, develop their creative and problem-solving abilities, and enhance their social skills. Is the best way to equip our kids with skills to deal with these problems to spend time preparing for narrow focused fill in the blank tests?

People are different and have different aspirations, different needs, different interests, and different capacities. Values such as honesty, integrity, courage, trust, empathy, and hope are qualities that make life worth living and that deserve to be considered as important goals in the educational process, however are not able to be measured on a math, science, or language arts achievement test.

If ESU #1 achieves the goal of having each of our school’s student achievement scores in the top 25%, do we know that we have prepared students to be 21st century workers, thinkers, and citizens? I don’t think that connection can be made and as such, would like to encourage the Unit to broaden the vision and consider more than simply achievement scores to guide, lead, and define our success. It is my belief that we are, and should continue to be about so much more.

Shannon has made some valid points. Are we using the right "measuring stick" for our success at ESU #1? Do we allow a high-stakes testing process dictate achievement? How do we take the unique success stories occurring in our schools into account? More food for thought I believe. Thanks for your insightful comments Shannon!

I think our vision statement should be something each of our departments can claim as their own. What really can we see that will say that we succeeded, that we are number 1 in each of our departments. There's got to be some commonness among us that will continually spur us on.

I think test scores are one piece of the puzzle when looking at measuring success, but not the whole picture. We should be looking at each department in ESU to be included in the vision.... how does Tower, early childhood, OT, PT, office staff, speech, vision, etc.... fit into the vision?

Disclaimer…I am feeling wordy again today! ☺

First of all, I just have to say that I consider myself very fortunate indeed that I work with people of such high caliber! I have been conversing with one of my coworkers about this very issue and although we don’t disagree, per se, we are definitely viewing this vision statement through different perspectives. I think that is awesome and I enjoy the dialog that results from such conversation and I look forward to reading these and all of your comments.

With that said, I appreciate Shannon’s perspective. I think that she has definitely made some very valid points that are worth considering. I understand Shannon to be questioning whether the student achievement scores are really an accurate assessment of whether or not a school is producing effective students and 21st Century learners. I think that because of her direct work with the standards and the scores, she has more expertise and knowledge in this area than I do and for that reason alone, I hold her comments in the highest regard.

I think it is fair to say that we all want to do what is best for the students and we all want our vision and our agency to be able to help schools produce better learners - graduates prepared to face the changing world in which we live. So Shannon’s question, if I am understanding her comment, is whether or not helping our schools rank in the top 25% of the state is an accurate reflection of that goal and that vision of helping students and doing what is best for them. I don’t know the answer to that…I really don’t. However, I think that can bring some additional considerations, which I hope will lead to additional discussion.

I can see the very valid argument that the two pieces, the scores versus the actual student achievement, can be unrelated. However, my question then becomes do they have to be unrelated? Can we successfully do what is best for students, helping prepare them for life after school in the 21st Century and still improve the scores? I would sure like to think so, but perhaps that makes me too optimistic or naïve or maybe I am just too far removed from the standards themselves…I don’t know.

In my mind, what we are talking about here is the mechanism. And, unfortunately, the testing and standards are mandated for us. So then, if this is the mechanism, or vehicle, that we are given, can we take it and make it work? And if so, what will that look like? Again, I’d still like to believe that we can do what it takes to encourage and foster 21st Century learning, perhaps even in spite of the testing, and still improve student achievement scores and I think that is something that we should strive for. We do not get to choose the required testing or how that is used to rank the schools. However, can we adapt our model and help the schools achieve both? How can we work with the system that is in place and make it work successfully for us?

Is the mechanism that we are given faulty? Absolutely! But I ask…is there another model, something that is measurable and that would directly correlate to what one might consider a “good” school and/or productive students…something that says, here, see…THIS school is successfully producing 21st Century learners? I guess I don’t know of one. So then I come back to the question are we willing to work with the vehicle we’ve been given and do the best we can with it? Again, maybe it is the eternal optimist in me, but I hope that we can. As for what the means or what that looks like, I’m not sure. I would like to think that we can and will help schools produce high-quality students in the hopes of achieving higher scores and not help them improve the scores just hoping that it will produce higher-quality students. Is there a correlation between high-quality students and higher scores? Can we avoid teaching to the tests and still do well?

You know, I can’t help but think of the video that I watched in preparation of our Vision Retreat – the spaghetti sauce video. The message demonstrated that even when you give people unlimited options, there will still be patterns or clusters that emerge. Does every student have different strengths, different ways of learning, different areas of struggle? Absolutely! Will there be students that do poorly on tests no matter what we do for them? Of course! Will there be students who test well no matter what we do (or don’t) teach them? You bet! But, I am speculating that the majority of the students probably fall somewhere in the middle and if we work on helping our schools improve the quality of their students in all areas (and not just what is tested) that they will be more creative and better learners and that will ultimately help them improve their achievement test scores.

And, when we are talking about student achievement and doing the best that we can for our students, I think we can connect that to each department, each area of ESU #1. In my position in the Central Office, I may not directly impact student achievement as much as some of our other staff members might, especially those that work more directly with the teachers and students. However, I can see the indirect affect, the connectedness if you will, that ties us all together and ultimately unites us in this quest to help our schools produce great kids. Will this be hard? Will this require a lot of dialog and a lot of work? I’m confident that it will. Can we do it? I’m confident that we can. If we keep our focus on the students and doing what is best for them, I think we can all get on board and together I believe that we can accomplish great things. Call me optimistic, but I wouldn’t be nearly as excited about my job if I didn’t believe that!

These are some great comments about our Vision Statement and I believe that I understand the rationale behind each of them. I will admit that when I first heard the proposed statement, my initial reaction was one of surprise and apprehension, especially when considering the part about “student achievement scores ranking in the top 25% of the state.” However, the more I thought about what a great vision for our Unit would look like, the more I like this one for a number of reasons.

Spending time thinking about ranking in the top 25% made me realize that in the next ten years, multiple types of assessments will be used to determine this ranking, from ACT, NeSa, NAEP, Technology assessments, local assessments, etc. I thought of this measuring stick the same as we would a data retreat using a variety of data sources to determine our schools rankings. Also this makes me think of what our role will be – that in order for a school to be ranked in the top 25% all of our programs and supports for districts will have to be excellent. Will students and staff have to have great tech skills, have great sped programs, top-flight staff development activities, great pre-school programs, etc? In order to keep students factitively engaged schools will have to teach 21st Century skills, have a variety of class offerings, teach via synchronous and asynchronous technologies, while offering everything from AP classes to specialty classes based on student interests. In addition, the Unit will need to work closely with each of our school partners to meet their specific needs based on their student populations.

The proposed Vision Statement also sends a great message to school administrators and staff in our Unit. The message is that we think you do a great job and as educational partners, we can have great success working with students. Our Vision also says to all current and new staff members that we expect to have a great Unit. We have great staff working on “cutting edge” educational initiatives and we strive for excellence in everything we do.

In conclusion the question I asked myself is “What if we do succeed in Meeting our Vision Statement?” If ESU #1 is successful meeting our Vision in 2020…WOW!! If not, by trying to be successful will we help many students and teachers along the way and will we move further along the achievement continuum by undertaking such an ambitious Vision? I definitely believe this statement could add enthusiasm and energy to our agency improvement activities and stimulate very interesting discussions over the next ten years.

I have looked up some definitions about what a vision statement is.... this is what I have found.
* A vision statement is sometimes called a picture of your company in the future but it's so much more than that. Your vison statement is your inspiration, the framework for all your strategic planning. The vision statement answers where do we want to go? When creating a vision statement it is articulating the dreams and hopes for the business. It reminds you of what you are trying to build. The vision statement doesn't tell how you are going to get there, but it does set the direction for your business planning. The vision statement should be for you and the other members of your company and not for your customers or clients. The vision statement should have an influence on decision making and the way you allocate resources. ( vision statement by Susan Ward, About.com)
Another source...
The vision and mission of a company should be a driving force, setting the strategic direction of the business. They defined vision as a description of the business as you want it to be in. It is a mental image produced by the imagination. It involves seeing the optimal future for the business, and vividly describing this vision. The description might include, How things will be, Where, Who with, What you will be doing and How you'll feel.
The vision and mission should be able to Bring focus and clarity to the desired future of the business, inspire people to work towards that future, and guide people in their decision-making as they reach for this future.
(Marketing Definitions Buildingbrands)
I still think what is unique for our business is that there are so many of us doing such a variety of things. If our vision statement is going to inspire our staff then the statement needs to apply to each of us in some way, if it doesn't then that group or person is not going to feel part of our company.

What about this? Shannon and I were visiting about the vision and messing around with it... what if we would keep the first part and change the second part to something like this?
The innovation, leadership and support that we provide will result in ESU #1
students, familes, and professionals to achieve
their highest potential.

Way to go. You've all got me thinking. What about looking at this from the other perspective? Because ESU #1 is made of professionals who are being equipped to provide innovation, leadership and support to our schools, students and families, we expect each to achieve their highest potential. Play with that for a while. Just another thought.

As I was not able to be at the Retreat with everyone, I don't have the benefit of knowing how the day went or how the conversations evolved. I must admit, when I read the Vision Statement I was disappointed. I don’t believe that it fits ESU #1 from the aspect that it does not include all departments/programs (my opinion). Once again, it’s difficult to see where I fit in this Vision. I would really like to feel a connection to the Vision, one that inspires me, and one that I could share with each and every employee with enthusiasm, regardless of his or her position. For me, this isn't it. Maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong perspective and look forward to a more in depth conversation on Friday.

I tend to agree with Wendy and Shannon about keeping the first part and changing the last part to a more broad representation. I question how the ESU will engage larger districts that have the resources to do many of the professional practices that the ESU provides to the small schools. Keeping in mind that small rural schools will, in my opinion, benefit most. Small schools don't have the personnel and resources to do it all. We rely heavily upon the ESU for the expertise of many areas. However, along with the vision, how can we be more proactive instead of reactive to the ongoing changes that the legislature is posing us with annually.

I enjoyed the definitions that Bob shared. Not only does the vision need to create energy and innovation, but the ESU is looked to for guidance and direction. The vision, what ever is decided, will let the schools in ESU #1 know that you are on their side, working with them, for better opportunities for our students and communities. Careful consideration should be taken to ensure that it can be delivered out of the actual departments and into the schools as this is where many of the personnel are daily and engaging with the school district staff.

The dialogue that has been occurring is exceptional. I am once again proud and very impressed to be a part of the ESU #1 Community. You all show such passion, concern and ownership for the success of all aspects of education.

Wow. That's a lot of information this early in the morning! Reading everyone's perspectives and having those perspectives has changed my mind about 5 times while I read this. At first I thought, wow! That's a very high goal! With my school, that's a very lofty goal considering where we are in the ESU #1 norms. I would absolutely LOVE if we were in the top 25%. I'm just wondering if that's attainable. I'd like to think it is, and in order to do our part, we really need to start thinking about our role. For example, I think a lot of the reason that we have such low scores in our school is because of the lack of language development that happens at an early age. I've been playing around with an idea of starting a Family Reading Night (along with our school RtI committee) in order to bombard families and children with an enriched language environment. When our kids come to school they are unfortunately already behind in the rankings. If we could build an early intervention program that reaches most, if not all, kids BEFORE they are referred for evaluation, we could give them a chance at being successful at school.

Wendy and Shannon, I liked your interpretation of the statement, but how do we measure if a student is really achieving at their highest potential? I can tell you we have students that do what they need to do in order to get by and survive...potential unfortunately isn't in their vocabulary. I like that the statement as it is now IS measurable.

It's really tough. We want to have a high goal to reach, but we want it to be reachable. We want to have our students up there in the scores, but is that an accurate measure of their ability. By 2020, maybe we won't have standardized tests anymore! :) I think we're off to a great start!

This is very interesting. I have learned a lot about ESU #1 reading these comments and spending the day with everyone at the retreat. Being new to ESU #1 I have to admit that I do not even know what the test is that the vision statement would be talking about. Does every child of all grades and abilities take the test? How often is it given??? I believe the vision statement needs to be one that will motivate all of the staff to do their best which in turn will bring out the best in our schools and students. Is this the right statement to do that - for some maybe and for others it maybe a good learning tool to get them on the right track????

Here's a thought...what about including a statement that says something to the effect of providing services, which empower district success. What that success is can possibly be measured by each unique district. The measuring stick will look different in each district, but if achievement occurs, isn't that what we are after? Student/district achievement? If we provide services that enable schools to create/promote/stimulate achievement, we've made a difference.

I am with Nicole, I have changed my mind over and over while reading everyone's comments! I realize that our vision should be measurable, but I am still having a hard time with our measuring stick being totally based on student achievement, when many of the people at the ESU don't directly work with children in our districts. I strongly believe that all of us need to be able to see ourselves in the vision and I don't think all of us will if it stays as it is right now. I do like the suggestions of adding "schools, students, families, and professionals". Wendy thank you for looking up the definitions, I think looking over those more might help us. I also think that Shannon's points about how we measure student achievement should be considered. We are having great discussions, thank you!

First let me say I'm impressed with the time, effort and thought put into the responses. One of the things that can happen when you develop a vision is cognitive dissidence in the people it affects. A clear, concise vision statement draws a line in the sand which requires people to form an opinion. The vision of student achievement scores ranking in the top 25% of the state is such a line. There has been a healthy debate on whether student achievement scores are the best indicator of how well ESU #1 is doing or if some other indicator should be used.

I think the achievement scores ranking in the top 25% of the state is appropriate and will stretch districts and the ESU. What I try to keep in mind is that the vision doesn’t s preclude other important items (i.e. college / work ready, social emotional healthy adults and being a productive members of a democratic republic). All of the other items need to be included, but being able to read, write, and compute well is essential for everyone.