Crafting a clear mission statement is essential to defining how a school fulfills the responsibility of educating its students. More than just words posted in the lobby and on classroom walls, the mission statement offers direction for how leaders lead, teachers teach, and students learn. Board members and school administrators take the responsibility of writing a mission statement very seriously, often spending hours, days, and weeks refining the language.  Whether your school is developing a new mission statement or revising an existing one, here are some guidelines for the process.

Keep It Clear, Achievable, and Repeatable

The mission statement is not a multi-point dissertation about a school’s philosophy of education. It is a simple articulation of the school’s educational goals. So, keep it simple, but significant.

1. Easy to Remember & Repeat – 25 words or fewer is the goal so that every staff member, student, parent, and Board member can recite the statement from memory.
2. Believable & Achievable—The statement should focus on realistic goals within the school community and include provable, measurable results. This is important when it comes to reauthorization and accreditation.
3. Rooted in reality – Idealistic statements lack authenticity and are often difficult to validate.

Your Mission Statement is a Living Document

Many schools treat the mission statement as untouchable. This may be a mistake. Schools are innovative places. Does a mission statement written decades ago reflect how students are learning today?

The school I attended – and loved – has a 100-word mission statement that has not changed in its 150-year history. It’s more of a historical document written in the 19th century than a reflection of the 21st-century education the school now offers.

While the mission statement does not need to be constantly reviewed, an occasional assessment is valuable. Is the school now doing what we said we were going to do when we wrote this?

Changing Your Mission Statement

Schools grow and evolve, and their mission statements should do the same. Nothing should be set in stone. If a school’s mission no longer aligns with its students’ needs, it may be time for a revision. Even a few words or phrases that reflect the new direction add value to the statement.

Who Should Be Involved in the Process?

Every member of the school community should believe in fulfilling the mission statement. Giving them the opportunity to participate in crafting it not only ensures buy-in but also makes the message authentic.

1. Board Members often kick off the process as the ones responsible for vision-casting and governance.
2. School Leaders & Teachers, the boots-on-the-ground whose daily work reflects the mission, can add value to the words.
3. Parents & Families add perspective as the consumers.
4. Students, the beneficiaries of the mission, will offer honest feedback and insights into what truly matters in their school experience.

How to Gather Input Effectively

Managing input from multiple groups can be tricky, but there are ways to streamline the process:

1. Surveys & Word Clouds – Ask stakeholders to submit keywords that resonate with them.
2. Draft and Revise – Have the Board create a draft, then circulate it for feedback, empowering readers to add suggestions.
3. Student Focus Groups – Students can provide real, unfiltered insight into what their school represents.

A school’s mission statement is an important guiding star. Creating one that is realistic, achievable, and measurable is critical to accomplishing the school’s educational goal.

About the Author

Susan Solomon Yem is a content strategist on the Enrollment Marketing Team at Grow Schools, where she helps schools define and communicate their mission and vision. She has worked in radio, television, film, and publishing, telling stories that resonate with educators, community leaders, and parents.

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