Impact Statements

School Boards are challenged to fulfill their responsibility to establish the non-negotiable outcomes to be accomplished to fulfill their school's stated Mission and to hold the School Head accountable for their attainment. Many board members are familiar with the concept of "Ends Policies," as used in Policy Governance® (Carver Model), while others reference "Student Outcomes." These policies are intended to set the school's reason for existence by clearly stating the intended effects to be produced through the school's staff, programs, and services.

In recent years, I've chosen to reference these statements of outcome, or Ends, as IMPACT STATEMENTS, with the hope of convincing Board and school leaders that mission fulfillment is a consequence of achieving the desired and intended impact in the lives and futures of the students the school serves. The Board's role in this process is to state the desired and intended impact clearly, monitor the Head's work in pursuing this impact, and hold the Head accountable for its attainment.
The most common resistance to taking on this challenge is based on the difficulty of developing reliable metrics to determine if the impact is being attained and to what degree. Indeed, many non-academic statements of impact cannot be measured easily or precisely. However, if we aspire to have an impact, and it is essential to the attainment of our Mission, we can find a means of measurement that will not only demonstrate the level of attainment but also provide the data and understanding necessary for improvement efforts, further program development, and decision-making focused on greater success.
World-class schools aren't satisfied with publishing and citing lofty aspirational statements of purpose but also take the next step to ensure that their Mission's desired and intended impact is operationalized, with mechanisms in place to ensure ongoing assessment, growth, and improvement for the benefit of all students.
By Dr. David Wells