Seattle Schools Strategic Plan Motto

Every Student.

Every Classroom.

Every Day.

Three Goals, 50,000 Journeys.

What do you think?

I'm good with this.  I just would like to see the entire plan more streamlined and focused as the motto.


Comments

Anonymous said…
I saw it on some printed SPS materials recently and I actually really like this. A lot. And agree with it too. It's about the journey, not the destination.

-katy.did
Jon said…
I like it too. Every child matters. The public in public education.
Anonymous said…
Looks like the Tacoma school district's with an extra two lines added.

-SWED
Anonymous said…
Hmm. Not sure how the district can support class size increases if this is the new motto.
-Gretchen
Anonymous said…
Yes, it sounds nice. But what exactly are those three goals???

HIMSmom
Eric M said…
More students. Same classrooms. Fewer resources.
seattle citizen said…
I like that it except that....what ABOUT every student, every classroom every day?

It sounds like merely an attendance mandate. I'd like to see sort of goal(s) attached:
"every inspiration" or
"every inquiry" or
"every dream"
Anonymous said…
Beats Goodloe-Johnson's Every Student Achieving. Everyone Accountable.

That one always gave me the picture of a minder with a whip thrashing the minions of students and staff alike.

There was also the problem that not all students were achieving and not all staff was accountable.

Onward.

DistrictWatcher
Patrick said…
I think mottos and vision statements are snake oil sold by consultants. We can tell what the district values by what they do.
Anonymous said…
Big deal. It sounds exactly like the previous motto. SPED and ELL students were not served by that one either.

reader
TechyMom said…
Huh? There aren't any verbs. What does this even mean? What goals? I kind of like 50,000 journeys, but the rest is completely free of content. It can mean whatever the reader wants it to mean.
Anonymous said…
Bravo, the reign of terror is officially over. We have just exited the worst 5 years in SPS history. The past administration set SPS on a negative course, there are still some bad performers (T and L), but nothing is worse than a supt. that hated teaching/teachers. Goodbye old motto!

Is there anything we could do to stop the individualization of programs? The good ole' days meant going to school with your neighbors. Let's return to neighborhood schools, even for the APP students. Smart is one thing, but gifted is another.

Teacher

Charlie Mas said…
I think the best mission statement would be to have none. If you need to state the mission of your organization that means that people need a reference to know it, which means that it isn't really the mission of your organization. The mission of an organization should be unmistakable to any participant or observer.
mirmac1 said…
I wonder how much Strategies360 got paid for that. I'm guessing $5K per word.
Anonymous said…
Once upon a time, I was sitting in a staff meeting with the rest of the teachers, listening to the "highly paid consultant" someone had hired to motivate us, when we heard the eight words that strike terror into the hearts of people everywhere:

"We need to look at your mission statement."

At the next break I went to my classroom, fired up my computer, and went to the Dilbert.com random mission statement generator.

I wrote down the output, replacing the word "business" with the word "education" and took it back to the whole staff.

They loved it so much that after some minor wordsmithing, it's what they eventually adopted.

The big joke was that I was the only one in the building who knew the truth that in the tradition of Jerry Seinfeld, it was "a mission statement about nothing".

The moral of the story:

Don't confuse a mission statement with hard work or productivity. Our staff was extraordinarily hard working and productive and our students learned a tremendous amount while in our care. The change from the old mission statement to the new mission statement had zero effect on that level of effort or that level of productivity.

Neither will this mission statement at the district level

Ex-SPS
Ex-SPS, I get exactly what you are saying but they are still going to have one. I hated MGJ's so this is better for me.

"Let's return to neighborhood schools, even for the APP students."

Okay, teacher, explain to us how ALL students, even APP students, will be served at their neighborhood schools.
Anonymous said…
I would rather see a better math curriculum for all students than any motto. Way overdue from the district.

S parent
Valley Girl said…
They should have a contest.
My entry would be:

Students, staff and teachers

Working as one to create a better world

For the whole world

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