A Mission Statement Does Not a Mission Make: A Mixed Methods Investigation in Public Education

David Coker

doi:10.5539/ies.v15n1p210

Abstract

Public schools widely use mission statements, and many educational administration programs teach mission statements as a necessary lever for school improvement. A mixed methods investigation examined three levels. An experiential phenomenological analysis examined graduate students&rsquo; experiences with mission statements within their own schools and professional life. A thematic analysis examined 80 schools in the Midwestern United States, broken down by high and low performance on state academic testing, ecological differences, quantitative structures of the mission statement, and qualitative themes and dimensions. A meta-synthesis compared findings with previous research. There were structural differences in mission statements, but the conclusion was mission statements were a legacy practice which served the political spectacle, and practitioners adopted the practice out of conformity. There was no direct evidence mission statements achieved the stated purpose. Recommendations were made to refashion mission statements and the school improvement process around four factors.

Highlights

Students in educational administration graduate programs have long been expected to develop a mission and vision statement for their organization as a rite of passage
Ecological factors and themes related to the structural differences of mission statements in high and low performing schools were explored with thematic analysis using qualitative and quantitative methods
The relationship of mission statements to what graduate students working in education found about mission statement implementation within the public schools was explored using an experiential phenomenological approach

Summary

Introduction

Students in educational administration graduate programs have long been expected to develop a mission and vision statement for their organization as a rite of passage. Since the 1970s, Drucker’s (2011) admonition to answer five questions around what is the mission and Robert Townsend’s (1970) Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits have been at the center of school and organizational improvement efforts. Organizational research suggested mission statements produce a small, positive effect (David et al, 2014). There was an examination using an experiential phenomenological approach of the lived experience of school employees and their understanding of mission statements. A discussion follows, with recommendations on how to operationalize and improve mission statements and strategic leadership within the public schools

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion