Philosophical Foundations

Linking Mission to Priority with Theories of Action

We begin with our district mission, which promises three things for all of our students:

1. 1. intellectual engagement

   2. a love of learning for its own rewards

   3. preparation to be a contributing member of a multicultural society

In order to link this to outcomes for students, we must develop theories of action.

Theories of action are "if-then" statements that move us from aspirational goals like those in our mission, through action by expert educators, to measurable impact. In this, we must be careful to measure actual change rather than merely whether or not we complete an activity.

Here is an example theory of action, which we have drafted to guide our K-5 literacy work. In order to fulfill our mission through this theory of action, our curriculum will need to advance assessments that prove that we actually realize each bulleted statement.

If we:

• • • equip all students to identify, understand, interpret, communicate, and create through reading, writing, speaking, and listening;

    • empower all students to build social-political consciousness by questioning, examining, and evaluating multiple positions and perspectives in print and media;

    • fuel all students’ curiosity to develop knowledge about new people, places, things, concepts, and ideas and integrate that knowledge with their understanding of the world;

    • ensure that each student takes meaningful action based on their new knowledge;

    • affirm students’ multifaceted identities and support them in learning about their cultural histories and those of others;

    • cultivate joy and wonder in our students through opportunities to observe beauty, art, imagination and freedom in themselves, their communities, and all of humanity;

… then K-5 literacy learning will enable our teaching and learning theory of action for each of our students.