Shared Vision of Learning
(K-12 Administrative Standard #1)
Since its founding in 2010, I have served as a member of the Board of Directors at Hinoki International School, a Japanese-English bilingual immersion charter school, in Livonia, Michigan, USA. I originally resisted taking on this volunteer obligation in addition to my "day job" as Dean of the Graduate College at Siena Heights University, but it was ultimately the vision of the school's founder, Ted Delphia, that convinced me to join the handful of individuals collaborating to make Ted's idea a reality.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY OF HINOKI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
In 2003, Ted Delphia, a secondary English and math teacher, and his wife Mitsuyo, a preschool/kindergarten teacher from Japan, founded Himawari Preschool, a full-immersion Japanese-language preschool, in Livonia. Serving both ex-patriates from Japan living in Michigan for temporary stints of 3-5 years, as well as families of immigrants from Japan, Himawari Preschool grew to a total of over 50 students, in three classes (for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds) by 2008.
At that time, Mr. Delphia began exploring the possibility of establishing an elementary school that could help create Japanese-English bilinguals, for both native speakers of Japanese and native speakers of English from Wayne, Washtenaw, and Oakland Counties. He established collaborative relationships with Livonia Public Schools (LPS), the Japanese School of Detroit (JSD) which offers supplemental classes on weekends only, and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) which is the main source of Japanese-certified teachers in Michigan, among other groups. He skillfully brought together a diverse collection of volunteers of different nationalities, language proficiencies, and professional fields to support the creation of a new dual-immersion school unlike any other in Michigan.
VISION/MISSION OF HINOKI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The school’s mission--as stated in Section 2015 of the Board Policy--is: “To provide Japanese and American students with an opportunity to learn from each other, and become bilingual, bicultural, globally-minded individuals.” The school's goals, as listed on its website, are to "create a global learning community, taking the best practices of both the Japanese and American schools, to give students a nurturing culturally rich learning environment and successful educational experience in both Japanese & English."
These ideas are expanded further in Hinoki's 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan, which outlines a commitment to also:
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER REFINEMENT
Now that Hinoki International School has survived "infancy" and grown from its initial start of just 13 kindergarten students to over 120 students in grades K-3 expected in Fall 2013, we have the opportunity to further refine and expand stakeholder ownership in the vision, mission, and goals of our school.
As explained in the School Communications Plan that I developed for Hinoki in Fall 2012, we need to continue to expand upon efforts to invite and gather feedback from relevant stakeholder groups throughout the year, and use it for continuous improvement.
I envision periodic "Town Hall" or "School Improvement Process" meetings including families, teaching & administrative staff members, board members, and other stakeholders, aimed at gathering input about what our school can and should be, and building a common vision supported by active volunteer and other efforts. Such efforts can promote intercultural teamwork and communicate respect by “anticipating stakeholder needs,” paying attention to details, being available and prompt, and promoting transparency (Porterfield & Carnes, 2008, p. 28-30, 36-37). Once a clear, concise mission (in both English and Japanese) is collaboratively identified, it can be featured on all of Hinoki's communications, marketing materials, websites, meeting agendas, and so on, to maximize reinforcement and buy-in.
REFERENCES
Delphia, T. (2008, Oct. 22). Japanese-American School of South-East Michigan (JASSEM): A proposal for Wayne RESA Charter Schools Office.
Gunther, V., McGowan, J., & Donegan, K. (2011). Strategic communications for school leaders. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Hinoki International School. (2013). School website. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/hinokiinternational/about-us
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy. Retrieved from http://nationalcharterschools.sharepointspace.com/hinokiinternationalschool/SitePages/Home.aspx?RootFolder=%2Fhinokiinternationalschool%2FShared%20Documents%2FBoard%20Policies%2F2000%20Program&FolderCTID=0x0120002A5B35075E5EDD4DA66A08FA1E99DE52&View={3F7CC57D-A00D-446A-9379-154C22EDB8DE
JASSEM/Hinoki International School. (2012). School improvement plan.
Michigan Department of Education. (2012). School improvement website. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_38959---,00.html
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
Porterfield, K., & Carnes, M. (2008). Why school communication matters. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY OF HINOKI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
In 2003, Ted Delphia, a secondary English and math teacher, and his wife Mitsuyo, a preschool/kindergarten teacher from Japan, founded Himawari Preschool, a full-immersion Japanese-language preschool, in Livonia. Serving both ex-patriates from Japan living in Michigan for temporary stints of 3-5 years, as well as families of immigrants from Japan, Himawari Preschool grew to a total of over 50 students, in three classes (for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds) by 2008.
At that time, Mr. Delphia began exploring the possibility of establishing an elementary school that could help create Japanese-English bilinguals, for both native speakers of Japanese and native speakers of English from Wayne, Washtenaw, and Oakland Counties. He established collaborative relationships with Livonia Public Schools (LPS), the Japanese School of Detroit (JSD) which offers supplemental classes on weekends only, and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) which is the main source of Japanese-certified teachers in Michigan, among other groups. He skillfully brought together a diverse collection of volunteers of different nationalities, language proficiencies, and professional fields to support the creation of a new dual-immersion school unlike any other in Michigan.
VISION/MISSION OF HINOKI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
The school’s mission--as stated in Section 2015 of the Board Policy--is: “To provide Japanese and American students with an opportunity to learn from each other, and become bilingual, bicultural, globally-minded individuals.” The school's goals, as listed on its website, are to "create a global learning community, taking the best practices of both the Japanese and American schools, to give students a nurturing culturally rich learning environment and successful educational experience in both Japanese & English."
These ideas are expanded further in Hinoki's 2011-2012 School Improvement Plan, which outlines a commitment to also:
- Having Japanese-American teams of teachers work together to develop students comfortable in both languages and cultures;
- fostering interaction between Japanese and American families;
- encouraging students to learn from their peers as well as their teachers;
- create a curriculum that fosters bilingual fluency during the initial K-6 period, and leads to bilingual curriculum at the middle, high school, and university levels (JASSEM/Hinoki International School, 2012, p. 5).
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER REFINEMENT
Now that Hinoki International School has survived "infancy" and grown from its initial start of just 13 kindergarten students to over 120 students in grades K-3 expected in Fall 2013, we have the opportunity to further refine and expand stakeholder ownership in the vision, mission, and goals of our school.
As explained in the School Communications Plan that I developed for Hinoki in Fall 2012, we need to continue to expand upon efforts to invite and gather feedback from relevant stakeholder groups throughout the year, and use it for continuous improvement.
I envision periodic "Town Hall" or "School Improvement Process" meetings including families, teaching & administrative staff members, board members, and other stakeholders, aimed at gathering input about what our school can and should be, and building a common vision supported by active volunteer and other efforts. Such efforts can promote intercultural teamwork and communicate respect by “anticipating stakeholder needs,” paying attention to details, being available and prompt, and promoting transparency (Porterfield & Carnes, 2008, p. 28-30, 36-37). Once a clear, concise mission (in both English and Japanese) is collaboratively identified, it can be featured on all of Hinoki's communications, marketing materials, websites, meeting agendas, and so on, to maximize reinforcement and buy-in.
REFERENCES
Delphia, T. (2008, Oct. 22). Japanese-American School of South-East Michigan (JASSEM): A proposal for Wayne RESA Charter Schools Office.
Gunther, V., McGowan, J., & Donegan, K. (2011). Strategic communications for school leaders. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Hinoki International School. (2013). School website. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/hinokiinternational/about-us
Hinoki International School Board. (2012). Board policy. Retrieved from http://nationalcharterschools.sharepointspace.com/hinokiinternationalschool/SitePages/Home.aspx?RootFolder=%2Fhinokiinternationalschool%2FShared%20Documents%2FBoard%20Policies%2F2000%20Program&FolderCTID=0x0120002A5B35075E5EDD4DA66A08FA1E99DE52&View={3F7CC57D-A00D-446A-9379-154C22EDB8DE
JASSEM/Hinoki International School. (2012). School improvement plan.
Michigan Department of Education. (2012). School improvement website. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-28753_38959---,00.html
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2011). Educational leadership program standards: 2011 ELCC district level.
Retrieved from http://npbea.org/
Porterfield, K., & Carnes, M. (2008). Why school communication matters. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.