Abstract
D.Ed.
Schools have to provide quality education and maintain appropriate educational standards. Over and above that, schools have to deliver acceptable results. That will be the hallmark of schools being effective. Again, modem day schools can no longer be managed on an old fashioned way like in the past. School conditions have changed and keep on altering. Effectiveness and ineffectiveness could result from the changed teaching and learning environment. The main focus of this study is to investigate how public secondary schools in the Northern Province could be assisted to overcome ineffectiveness through the employment of vision and mission statements. Attention is placed on how clearly formulated vision and mission statements could be utilized to create effective schools. The main research question which has been driving the entire study is:
What is the role and importance of clearly formulated vision and mission
statements in developing and promoting school effectiveness in schools in the
Northern Province? What are the perceptions of educators (principals and
teachers) and parents with regard to the development and implementation of
vision and mission statement in their schools? As already stated, the principal
focus of the research is to address the problem of ineffectiveness as witnessed by some public secondary schools. The problem of ineffectiveness by schools is investigated from the point of view of vision and mission statements. This therefore, suggests that vision and mission statement have to be comprehended as interventionist strategy to assist ineffective schools to replace ineffectiveness with effectiveness.
Vision and mission statements are located within a school as a learning
organization. The reason for this is that in a learning organization every member feels an urge and drive to contribute his or her talent to the development of school as an organization. Again, in a school setting, these statements need to be approached as part of the school's comprehensive strategic plan. It is in that way that vision and mission statements could impact the school's organization structure, management process, management strategy, innovative ideas, values and culture. This will enable these statements to facilitate the occurrence of quality teaching and learning in schools.