"A Shared Vision in not an idea....it is rather, a force in people's hearts....at its simplest level, a shared vision is the answer to the question "What do we want to create?" -  Peter Senge

Phase I

Through the process of data collection, we determined that Dobbs Ferry Middle School maintains high academic expectations and provides numerous opportunities for student enrichment, both academic and extracurricular.  However, parents highlighted a number of areas of concern including student writing skills, availability of acceleration, and the need to raise the state test scores to exceed state standards.  Students expressed a desire for more meaningful learning, and emphasized the importance of highlighting the role of technology.  Teachers emphasized the weaknesses in the original vision, specifically that the meaning was lost and overall, was unfamiliar to staff, an element that needed to be addressed in our marketing plan.

We felt it was important to develop a vision that was succinct and written in narrative form.  We maintained several of the main themes; specifically, the emphasis on varying ability levels, the rigor of the academic curriculum, and the student-centered curriculum; all of which the Dobbs Ferry Schools are known for.  We felt it was important to highlight the writing curriculum and the focus on 21st Century learning.  Given the school-wide positive behavioral interventions, we felt it was valuable to emphasize the focus on character skills within the curriculum.  Because of the emphasis on academic excellence raised by parents, as well as the statistical data we collected, we felt it was important to define the variability in skill level as well as the emphasis on success across levels.

Original Vision:

The Mission of the Dobbs Ferry School District is to provide a high quality education whereby all students are empowered to reach their individual potential, respect and value themselves and others, and become lifelong learners.

To accomplish our mission, our actions will always strive to be consistent with the following fundamental beliefs:

• Our students are respected as individuals with different potentials, interests, and needs.
• Our students can only be considered fully educated if they possess the academic, social, and technological skills required for an increasingly complex and diverse world.
• Our students’ individual needs should be considered of primary importance in every decision and at every level in our district.
• Our students are capable of taking on leadership roles and reaching their full potential. “All students can learn"

• Our faculty combines an expertise in content areas with a true love of learning to actively engage and challenge all students.
• Our faculty respects, identifies, and meets the individual needs of all students and families.
• Our faculty is an integral part of the decision - making process, supported in their ongoing professional development, and deserving of the community’s respect and admiration.
• Our faculty dedicates themselves to the idea that students can and should learn.

• Our parents provide physical and emotional support to ensure that our students come to school eager to learn and excel.
• Our parents are active and informed partners in the educational process, respecting and valuing the work of our staff.
• Our parents set high standards for students and our schools and help provide the support to achieve them.
• Our parents and community take pride in their schools and their students achievements.

• Our schools are communities where all members relate to each other with trust, respect, and compassion.
• Our schools provide (physically and emotionally) a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment in which our students can learn and our teachers can teach.
• Our schools are places where students think, create, solve, discover, and collaborate.
• Our schools provide staff with the support and tools they need to grow and learn as educators.

Revised Vision:

The Mission of the Dobbs Ferry Middle School is to provide all students with a rigorous academic experience that will empower them to maximize their social, emotional, and cognitive potential, respect and value curiosity and learning, celebrate cultural diversity, and model good citizenship.

To accomplish our mission, Dobbs Ferry Middle School will always strive to be consistent with the following visions:

To provide our students with a rigorous academic experience that will challenge students of all ability levels. The school community promotes a culture that embraces a way of thinking about teaching and learning that explores the individual needs of every student. Educators consistently use a range of appropriate instructional approaches and technology to address the needs of diverse learners and support student growth. The curriculum is differentiated to meet the needs of our students with an emphasis on challenging students through project based research and experiential learning. The school focuses on an enriched and sequentially organized K-12 writing curriculum. In the middle school years it focuses on the basic writing structure and developing writing for the 21st century.

To provide a supportive and positive social and emotional environment. Our staff focuses on educating the whole child. Our students are provided a comprehensive character education program across grade levels.

To provide our students with a relevant, socially conscious curriculum where they think, create, solve, discover, and collaborate to ensure that they have the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to be successful in a global society.

To ensure that our students have global awareness embedded in the curriculum and an understanding of global culture, social, and environmental needs of our society and subsequently become active citizens.

Please see attachment for the entire Vision Project.