Vision Statement for Schools

A good ICT development plan should contain the following according to Heinrich (1995, as cited in Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000, p. 63):

• A statement of intent for teachers, governors and parents. • A commitment to equal opportunities regarding both culture and gender. • Strategies for monitoring assessment. • Specifications for selecting, funding and purchasing hardware. • A consideration of resource availability, access, safety and maintenance. • Plans for ongoing replacement and development of equipment. • A curriculum map of proposed ICT usage including clear learning progression and continuity. • Considerations of training needs of teachers and other staff.

One of the most common products of developing your school’s strategic plan in ICT is its vision in ICT. This is not in terms of resources or assets, but in terms of measurable benefits over a 5-10 year period. The school’s vision in ICT might be summarised in a ‘vision statement’ which is written out in general terms and which should be owned by all staff members.

A vision statement is a good way to begin writing your ICT policy for the school. It is a public declaration of the values of the school and is central to its ICT planning.

What are the benefits of a Vision statement for schools?

Effective vision statements support and enhance the school’s aims in terms of teaching and learning, and management and administration.

They are reliable representations of what schools stand for and requires discussions about:

• School priorities; • Principles, aims and goals related to student learning progression in ICT capability and; • Overall and specific expectations associated with any shift or change in direction of technology integration in schools.

In some countries like the United States, the vision statement is established by the school district. Where this occurs schools are required to develop a pertinent vision statement.

Sharing perspectives in ICT Integration

Your strategic plan may be in place, however, without a shared vision for ICT integration there will be no spark to ignite the change. Educational leaders such as yourself, whether you are a principal, ICT coordinator or a learning technologies coordinator, are the spark that should ignite this shared vision for how technology will be integrated into the school in a comprehensive way.

As a digital leader, it is your role to guide the evolution and realisation of a vision that can support transformation at your school.

To develop a shared vision in ICT integration you could:

• Show videos of students and teachers working with technology in the classroom. • Show videos of students talking about digital-age learners and how important accessing information and technology is to them.

Example of a Vision Statement for Schools in ICT Capability

As part of your school ICT policy, you will need to ensure that your vision statement is related to how ICT will be used and ICT capability developed, in the teaching of all subjects.

“ICT will be used effectively to raise awareness of the benefits and uses of technology, to enhance learning and teaching in all subject, to improve school management and administration processes, to promote home-school links, and overall, to improve the attainment of all students.” (Hall, 2010, p. 160)

Developing Technology Vision Statements for Schools

The purpose of your school vision statement in relation to technology is to communicate what the members of the school community understand and believe about how technology can support teaching and learning in education.

Its goals should coincide with the goals for education and the learning experience your school has to offer students.

It is also a non-static document which should be monitored and reviewed either annually or every few years particularly as the needs of students’ changes along with the developments of technology in society.

The Key Elements of a School Vision Statement Each element of your school vision statement should address how technology will be used in the:

• School community. • Treating and supporting students and their parents. • Aspiration of students. • Teaching and learning with and of ICT.

The elements should focus on:

• Why the school is focused on using technology; • How the school sees technology as part of what it does and offers students and parents and;

You may wish to include a statement of where the school currently is in relation to technology use and where it wants to go in the future, a list of shared core beliefs concerning education, instruction and the development of ICT capability, and perhaps some goals and behaviours that would evidence having reached them.

A further note could be placed as to who was involved in the creation of the vision.

Eliminating Obstacles

The greatest obstacle which you will ever face as an educational leader is change. People fear change and teachers in particularly do as well. However, as educational leaders you must be the change that you want to see occur in your school. If you choose tell people what they want to hear then you will only strengthen the status quo and things will continue the same. The alternative is for you to take them where they need to be.

If you want to create or adjust a vision statement then you need to understand that change is imminent.

Change can only be sustained if the roadblocks are removed and putting them on the table at the outset can help you create a stronger vision and plan for implementation.

Potential obstacles include:

• This is too hard! • I don’t have the time for this (probably the most common excuse) • Lack of collaboration • Directive approach • Hierarchy in schools • No support • Fear of change • The naysayers and antagonists

• Poor professional development • Frivolous purchases. (Sheninger, 2014)

As a method of helping staff members to overcome these obstacles, the following questions by Gabriel and Farmer (2020) can provide some answers:

• What is the need for a new vision? • Will I be able to live with the new vision? • Will I be able to support the new vision? • What will the new vision expect of me? • How will my world change as a result? • Will I be able to continue doing what I’ve always done? Why or why not? • Do I believe in this new vision? • Do I believe in my school’s ability to achieve this vision? • Do I believe I can help make the vision happen?

“Sustaining change is accomplished not only by dealing with apparent roadblocks as they appear, but also by recognizing potential ones before they happen. Digital leadership is not only a change in mindset, but also a change in professional behaviour that will pave the way to create a more relevant school through the seamless integration of twenty-first-century tools. It is not about changing who we are as leaders, but changing the way we do things that will transform school culture to better meet the needs of all stakeholders in the digital age.”

(Sheninger, 2020, p.78)

Share examples of Vision statements

Sharing examples of vision statements can give your team a great way to grasp what it is your school is aiming for as a vision. It will help them understand what a vision statement is and help the school or faculty work towards the vision.

After presenting it to them, follow up with the following questions as suggested by Gabriel and Farmer (2020):