Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 32

30 Meetings. Curry (2013) stated, “leaders need to communicate information clearly, in a manner that promotes trust and confidence in your leadership” (p. 35). Superintendents responded to Question 19 of the Mission Drift survey used in the current study—you have consistency in your messaging and there is clarity in communicating your full mission—with a weighted average of 7.89, which emphasized and supported the literature of the need to clearly communicate to staff. Superintendents responded to Question 22 of the Mission Drift survey used in the current study—intentional reflection is fully integrated in decision making, in meeting structure, and as a weekly or daily discipline for staff— with a weighted average of 7.19, which further emphasized and supported the literature of the importance of using the mission in daily use. Professional development. “Professional development, if properly planned and implemented, can be a powerful force for teacher development and the improvement of teaching and learning” (Glickman, Gordon, & Ross- Gordon, 2014, p. 283). Superintendents responded to Question 25 of the Mission Drift survey used in the current study—compared to a year ago, staff and board members are showing increasing self-growth in relation to the mission—with a weighted average of 7.15, which further emphasized and supported the literature of the importance of professional development and growing individuals. Staff. Barrett (2017) believes in the importance of hiring the right person as seen in Figure 2. Superintendents struggle with this as well. Superintendents responded to Question 15 of the Mission Drift survey used in the current study— staff members know and believe the core tenets of your full mission—with a weighted average of 7.56, which further emphasized and supported the literature of the importance of having the full buy in of the staff. Mission. Brown et al. (2004) discussed the mission must be believable and achievable. Having a mission is one thing but living it is another (Davis, Ruhe, Lee, & Rajadhyaksha, 2006; Hader, 2006). Superintendents responded to Question 13 of the Mission Drift survey of the current study—the verbal sharing of the mission is actively and intentionally being discussed on a consistent basis—with a weighted average of 7.50, which further emphasized and supported the literature of the importance of keeping the mission front and center. Regulators. Gooding (2012) and Philp (2013) both understand regulators could cause additional stress on an organization. The regulators placed rules and restrictions on the organization that may force the organization to make changes to their mission. Funding. Funding is always a challenge for NPOs including Texas public charter schools. Jones (2007) referred to organizations seeking financial support from funders that may provide additional dollars to the organization if they are willing to do specific things with the money which he calls money with strings attached. Organizations need funds to operate but they should never “sell your soul” (Drucker et al., 2008, p. 15). Stakeholder input. Bart (1999) discussed including many stakeholders as a benefit of the evaluation of the mission as it provides a lots of different perspectives. He believed the ultimate success of the mission depended on the level of commitment of those involved (Bart, 1999). Unchanged. For whatever reason, there were those superintendents who responded that the mission has not been evaluated or changed since the charter was created. Curry (2013) discussed the importance of leaders being willing to review their mission to ensure that it is still relevant. Wrong Person + Wrong Skill = Disaster Wrong Person + Right Skill = Frustration Right Person + Wrong Skill = Burnout Right Person + Right Skill = Fulfillment Figure 2. The performance formula. Barrett (2017, p. 153) outlines the importance of hiring the right person with the right skills. Scott Fuller, EdD