Giving Compass' Take:

• The author discusses prime examples of schools that freshen up their missions to best understand students and encourage community involvement.

• How are these tactics improving school environment? How can donors assist in promoting communities to engage in school culture?

• Read about what impactful education funding looks like.

During a recent interview with Tom Vander Ark, we talked about fresh school missions. “Some schools focus on pedagogical frames (like design thinking) or underserved groups (like over-aged, under-credited students). Some focus on bargains (like early college or P-tech), or attractive job clusters (like robotics or biotech). The point is that all good schools stake a claim. They stand for something, pick a lane and go hard. They don’t accept what they inherited as a given.”

My brother and I had the opportunity to tour Brooklyn High School of the Arts (BHSA). BHSA has a fresh school mission. It replaced the troubled Sarah J. Hale High School in 2000. At that time, a lot of voices were against having another arts school. The Hale kids weren’t all guaranteed a place, while NYC had a lot of stellar art schools.

We saw a beautiful school turnaround story. It went from being a building riddled with violence a few years ago to a vibrant tapestry of student self-expression and experiential learning.

Why was Brooklyn High School of the Arts a success and how did a fresh mission contribute? Who knew Brooklyn needed another arts school? How do you uncover the best school mission for your school?

As change accelerates, schools need to frequently engage their communities. That’s how you find your fresh mission.

What happens if you don’t get out of the building? As the community changes and people’s needs shift, a void appears between the school and its constituents. When we don’t offer value in the eyes of our customers, we unintentionally turn them off.

The secret ingredient is talking to your customers. This is called, “customer development”. It is the opposite of the “if we build it, they will come” mindset. Instead, don’t build it; reach out to your community and design it together. Steve Blank, who writes extensively on the topic, says “There Are No Facts Inside Your Building, So Get Outside”.

Read the full article about refreshing schools' missions by Andrew Marinopoulos at Getting Smart.