Vision statements help organizations chart where they want to go. They are optimistic by nature. In fact, they may not even be entirely, 100 percent reachable. But they can spur an organization to go farther, faster than anyone thought possible. They are real and meaningful, and will cause an organization to focus.

As an organization, we have not had a clearly understood vision statement for the last few years. I realized in my first year as superintendent that part of my job was to help create a focus and passion that staff, parents and students can commit themselves to, something that would help move this district to even greater accomplishments.

Over the past year I spent a great deal of time listening to parents, staff, and students talk about the future and what our system needs to look like in order to prepare students for that future. From these discussions, along with educational and industrial research, work with our elected school board, and my own personal experience and passion, a new vision statement for Lake Washington School District emerged. In August, I shared with all staff our new vision statement. I am excited about the work we have ahead to make this vision a reality. That vision statement is:

Every Student Future Ready
Prepared for College, Prepared for the Global Workplace, Prepared for Personal Success

These words have been selected carefully and intentionally. Let me explain a little more about what the statement means. “Every student” is personal, individual and inclusive. It reinforces that every child is unique and important to this district. Every child has their own strengths and unique needs. It means we can’t be satisfied with getting most students to succeed.

“Future ready” is forward looking, as a vision should be. It is our responsibility to prepare our students for an unpredictable, global, and increasingly competitive and complex future. Too often we shape our system on our past experiences rather than on our best prediction of what the future may look like. Our vision must be future oriented. It is also intentionally flexible. We know that what we think the future will be is constantly changing and that the future never turns out to be exactly what we anticipated. If we create a system that will only work to prepare students for what we think today about what the future will be, that system will be obsolete before we finish implementing it. The system must be consistently changing to meet the future needs of students.

The subtext of our vision further explains what we mean when we talk about being “future ready.” “Prepared for College” speaks to the preparation required for post-secondary education. I am often asked if every student should go to college. My answer is no. However, when I’m asked if every student should be prepared to go to college, my answer is absolutely YES!! When students are prepared for college they will be prepared for any host of experiences after high school, not just a four-year college experience. Being prepared for college gives students choices about their future, and gives them the capabilities to be successful no matter what they choose. As students discover their interests, passion, and resources, they will then be able to choose the path that best suits them. But is it our goal that each student will have a choice.

It is also becoming clear that students will be required to participate in some form of post-secondary education to earn a livable wage. This experience may be a technical college, community college, four year college, an apprenticeship, or a certificate program. We are also finding that students will likely return to school during their career, which will require the learning skills that they learn from us.

Being prepared for college is more than courses and credits. Preparation includes hard work, understanding competition, organization, focus, problem solving and thinking ability. Dr. David Conley has identified key cognitive strategies that students need to be prepared for college. They include:

• Intellectual Openness
• Inquisitiveness
• Analysis
• Reasoning, Argumentation, Proof
• Interpretation
• Precision and Accuracy
• Problem Solving

Aren’t these aptitudes we want for all students, whether they attend college or not? Being prepared for college will pay off whether a student steps foot on campus or not.

“Prepared for the global workplace” is a necessity these days. Just down the road from our district is Microsoft, a company that has locations around the world and that brings people from around the world to work here in Redmond. Toyota builds cars in Tennessee and Dell makes computers here from parts made all over the world. Today intellect trumps geography. Much of the work in this country can be done in virtually any location. Working in an international environment requires the understanding of other cultures, competition, communication, creativity, technology, logistics and global economics. Working with a diverse population, which was once an issue of human dignity, is now an issue of economic survival. Our students must be prepared to enter this global workplace.

“Prepared for personal success” is a reminder that our responsibility is the development of the whole child. There are skills that we teach at home and in school that will contribute to a students’ personal success. Our goal is to ensure that students learn to develop empathy, persistence, listening skills, resiliency, optimism, courage, humor, compassion and loyalty from their experiences as well as from examples adults they interact with model. Watching the Olympics this August reminded me that talent alone is not enough. Hard work, persistence and commitment are required even for the most talented athletes. School can play an important role in helping students learn skills for personal success.

The vision of Lake Washington School District, Every Student Future Ready, is supported by the district mission developed by the school board. The vision sets the direction, and the mission determines how we will get there. Our mission states that:

Each student will graduate prepared to lead a rewarding, responsible life
as a contributing member of our community and greater society.

Graduation is our goal and our school board works closely with the district to determine the requirements for our students to graduate.

A vision and mission, once clearly articulated and understood, must be accompanied by a strategic plan. As a school district, we are now working on Vision 2020, which will be our strategic plan to ensure that our vision and mission become reality. “Vision 2020” refers to the class of 2020, today’s first graders, and making sure that our system is changed to meet their needs in our system. Over the next year, you will hear more about our planning and the work that we will do to make this vision a reality.

I hope you will join me in the wonderful challenge of shaping a school system that will make sure that “Every Student” is “Future Ready.”

Sincerely,

Dr. Chip Kimball
Superintendent
Lake Washington School District