IMPROVEMENT PLAN PART 1: VISION ANALYSIS 1

IMPROVEMENT PLAN PART 1: VISION ANALYSIS AND REVISION PROCESS

Debbie Grierson

School of Education, Liberty University

EDAS741: Theories of Educational Leadership (B02)

Dr. Orlando

May 30, 2021

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Maritime Academy Charter School is in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and is amongst over 100

charter schools in the School District of Philadelphia. It is amongst the 34 schools, which include

high school grades starting from 2nd grade to 12th. Maritime has 818 people, and the teacher-

student ratio is 18:1. The school's vision statement was approved by 9 board members on

11/12/15.

Vision Statement:

“In cooperation with the maritime industry and educational partners, Maritime Academy Charter

School endeavors to enable each cadet to become capable and respectful members of society,

ready for post‐secondary education or gainful employment in either the private or public sector

upon graduation” (Maritime Academy Charter School, 2021).

Evaluate the Vision:

The vision statement is fifty words long and is clear and concise, so, it is easy to understand. It is

narrow enough to maintain the readers' focus, yet wide enough to allow for flexibility; the

statement is brief enough to be remembered because it is said in under fifty words long. For these

reasons, the statement is simple enough to be understood and is realistic enough to be achievable.

The school’s mission states a what, who, how & why and answers the following three points:

The vision statement answers the Who question in that the Maritime School will help every

student. The Why question is also answered in that the school will help the Cadets develop a

purpose to become capable and respectful members of society. The How question is answered in

that in cooperation with the maritime industry and educational partners this vision can be

accomplished. What question appears unanswered? For this reason, one does get a total picture

of the vision for this school. According to Kouzes & Posner (2017, p. 132). The word vision

itself has at its root the verb “to see.” Vision statements, then, are not statements at all. They are
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pictures— word pictures.” Although the vision statement seems easy to remember and looks

professional, there are questions that have not been answered. Hence, we may not get the full

picture from this statement.

The vision statement reflects the distinctive competence of the school, and it appears to be the

model or the template for which all decisions for the schools are made; for example, Maritime

Charter school sponsors The Dante Mattioni Division (DMD-043) U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps

(USNSCC) program. In addition, Maritime created the Naval League Cadet Corps program at

the Maritime Middle School. They now have 17 students participating as high school students.

(Maritime Academy Charter School, 2021). In addition, students are taught self-discipline,

patriotism, physical training, with an emphasis on academic excellence, high self-esteem, and

personal achievement (Maritime Academy Charter School, 2021). Hence, the statement of vision

reflects the values, beliefs, and ideas of the organization. As well, the vision statement is an

energy source and a rally point of the organization. For example, the Maritime School reflects a

military organization whose vision statement sets expectations for high school graduation to be

celebrated. In addition, because it is the school reflects the armed forces, The celebration will

happen as often as any military organization.

Review and Revision Plan:

Currently, the nine board members hire the CEO/Principal of the school; they all provide a

strategic vision role in creating the vision for the school. On the third Wednesday of the month

the board holds all meetings; the vision statement, the mission statement, and updating the

strategic plan reviewed during each summer. Creation of the updated vision includes teachers

and other school personnel. According to Kouzes and Posner (2017, pg. 97). "Shared vision

attracts more people, sustains higher level of motivation, and withstands more challenges than
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those that are exclusive to only a few.” The visions statement said it was in cooperation with the

maritime industry and educational partners, therefore, they appear to include these partners input

as well in their vison for the school.

References:

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge (6th ed.). Hoboken,
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NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Maritime Academy Charter School (2021). Retrieved from

https://www.maritimecharter.org/Content2/8#:~:text=VISION:,or%20public%20sect

https://www.maritimecharter.org/userfiles/34/my%20files/sea%20cadets%20at%20macs.pdf?

id=519274

The Dante Mattioni Division (DMD-043) U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) program is sponsored by the Maritime

Academy Charter High School. The unprecedented success of the program at the Maritime High School, has led to the

creation of the Naval League Cadet Corps program at the

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