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`SCHOOL`

What is the purpose of school? On this page, you will find reviews of empirical research, literature on educational philosophy,  case law, state constitutions, and surveys of business/industry that relate to this question.

Dr. Damian Bebell of Boston College and Dr. Steven Stemler of Wesleyan University have developed a model for thinking about school purpose that they call the MIA Model.



In short, this model states that schools should be in charge of defining for themselves what they believe their core purpose to be. Next, the curricular and extracurricular offerings should align with the school mission. Finally, assessments of success should be congruent with the unique mission of the school.

Although schools serve a wide variety of purposes, decades of research has shown that the most commonly mentioned purposes of  K-12 schooling in the United States tend to focus on three core elements:

Civic development
Emotional development
Cognitive development
These are certainly not the only elements that schools mention as core purposes, but they are the most frequently cited. Within the “Competencies” tab of this website, you will find the following information for each of the competencies listed:

Example Mission Statements that focus on the competency
Keywords used to indicate the competency
Organizations that are focused on developing the competency in students
Psychometrically sound measures for assessing the competency
These resources may be especially useful for those tasked with  revising their school mission statement and those grappling with how to demonstrate, via assessment, whether the school is succeeding in achieving its educational mission.





https://wesleyan.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_40KpaawGBmFBRzv

Blog
Creativity
Purpose of School Survey
Find out your own beliefs about the purpose of school by taking our brief, 5 minute survey

Historical Purposes of Schooling
Professor Steven Stemler of Wesleyan University briefly discusses how the primary purposes of schooling have shifted over time.
Featured School Leader
James Steckart, Head of the THINK Global School, discusses the Mission Deconstruction Activity and explains how it can be a powerful tool for educators.
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