Do you have Vision?

"Ms. Cornelius" writes:

They then wonder why they spend all their time putting out fires instead of taking a step back and seeing that the damn forest is tinder-dry, and that they are the rain gods. The administration sets the tone for the building, whether lax or regimented or chaotic or peaceful.

Many building level administrators have become reactionary in their duties as the instructional leader of a school. This process results in them becoming managers of problems instead of moving the school forward through its mission of teaching and learning. Where does this lack of leadership begin? I would propose that without strong leadership from the top level administrator in a school district the building level administrators are those left "tinder-dry". The top-level administrator must collaborate with others to develop and promote a Vision for the district. The Vision determines the destination of the district, leaving the building level leadership teams (which could/should consist of more than principals and assistant principals) to set the course for their individual schools in making their way toward that destination. The vision should be concise enough to give each building leadership team an understanding of where the district is going, but should be flexible enough to allow for a variety of methods for obtaining that goal. The vision is should not be determined solely by the top level administrator - but through professional discourse with others within the organization. This creates ownership and shared understanding among those given the burden of determining the methods for reaching the goal of the vision.

The vision is echoed among many educational scholars. Carl Glickman's League of Professional Schools refers to the vision as the Covenant (http://www.coe.uga.edu/lps/).

There are far too many schools operating without a vision. They are lost among the waves in the Sea of Ignorance (a quote from my high school Psychology teacher).