School Values to add more stability to our foundation

The business dictionary defines values as "important and lasting beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable." I like what John Wink writes about values. He states that schools do have values, it's just that often times, they are all over the place. As principal, it would do no good to come in to my campus and create values for the staff to abide by if they do not truly believe in them. I have also learned that what is allowed, gets done, and furthermore, values allow behavior, whether good or bad. Wink also stated, "By using the collaborative process to align values throughout the building, staff members can align individual values which can congeal into campus values that would by far supersede any expectation written by the best campus principal. Campus values are commitments that staff members make to ensure that every student reaches academic success daily. They reflect the behaviors that all staff members must exhibit instructionally as well as systemically. Values are specific details that help flesh out the mission and vision. They help teams clarify how they will work together." As we come back as a team August 20, we will not only review our values, but continue to delve deeper into them, examining what each of them are, what they do and don't look like, as well as what it sounds like. In essence, we will be creating a mental model of each of our values so that we can continue to ensure student success and make sure that all staff members are in alignment with the campus and on the "right bus", as Gordon uses metaphorically. Creating a mental model is an important piece of being an effective organization, it is one of Senge's Five Disciplines. His disciplines for building a learning organization are the foundation of a PLC--shared vision, mental models, personal mastery, team learning, and systems thinking. While a PLC may not have all 5 going on at the same time to the same degree level, it is certainly the goal a PLC is working towards. Last year our efforts were spent to work on shared visions, personal mastery, and team learning. To continue strengthening our campus' foundation, we will spend our first day back with mental models of our values. Getting in touch with the thinking going on about change on the campus, challenging or clarifying assumptions and encouraging people to reframe is essential. Wheatley best stated this as "only as we're engaged together in work that is meandingful do we learn to work through the differences and value them. Change becomes easier when we focus on creating a meaning for the work that embraces us all (2006). When mission, vision, and values are extracted from WITHIN the organization, real and meaningful change can occur at the personal level regardless of the organizational flowchart. Our campus will continue to challenge the status quo and improve our organization through our strengthened commitment to our mission, vision, and values.