This is one of a series of articles for school and district leaders about strategic planning, organizational change, and how AI can be leveraged to operationalize a school district's mission, vision, and core values.
In my previous articles for educational leaders about strategic planning and organizational change, I spoke to the importance of revisiting your mission and vision and the power of core values in educational leadership (links above). These foundational elements seek to describe why our institutions exist, their aspirations for the future, and how our stakeholders should ‘behave’ when working together to improve the lives of students. With cloudy fiscal conditions on the horizon, divisive politics, and the impact of disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), now might be the right time for leaders to spend some time reviewing their mission, vision, and core values to ensure that they are truly student-centered and forward-thinking.
I recently attended the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) annual National Conference on Education a few weeks ago in San Diego. As expected, AI was well represented in the sessions, with a particular emphasis on developing policies that encourage its use in our schools with the appropriate ‘guardrails.’ There were also some great sessions that focused on how AI can be used right now in a smart, responsible, and practical way to improve educational outcomes. It is the latter that I appreciated the most. I agree with my colleague and 2024 conference blogger Dr. Allan Mucerino’s observation that AI is not feared; instead, as he describes it, AI is “becoming embraced as a tool that can be leveraged to improve productivity, operational efficiency, and student achievement.”
As I reflected on the lessons I learned about how to best integrate AI into our work as educational leaders, I thought about its potential for operationalizing the mission, vision, and core values of a school district by supporting the efforts of human resources (HR) teams. One of the challenges of district leadership is successfully recruiting (and retaining) candidates who are a true match with these foundational principles. Getting this ‘wrong’ is costly, as the expense invested in onboarding (both capital and human), training, evaluating, and supporting an employee who turns out not to be who you thought they were, is significant. Likewise, the negative and often disruptive impact to those we are here to serve – students – can have a detrimental effect on the entire organization.
How can AI help? The questions asked of candidates during the interview process are critically important. It is not unusual for a district to have a standard set of questions, especially for first round interviews, that are somewhat generic, non-specific, and a bit out-of-date. In many districts, there is often a sense of inertia for addressing such things; when it does happen, the process can sometimes be lengthy due to the amount of collaboration required and the editing and revision process. Even after a district goes through such a process, a final product that truly aligns with its mission, vision, and core values might not be the result. Utilizing AI can address all of this.
When I was Superintendent of the Monrovia Unified School District, I had the opportunity to lead the district through a process to revise its mission and vision and develop new core values. As an example, I asked ChatGPT 4 to closely examine them, and then gave it the following prompt:
Draft six specific scenario-based questions that can be used by a selection committee that will interview high school principal candidates. These questions have two objectives. First, they should help the committee determine if each candidate believes in the district's mission and vision. Second, they should help the committee determine if each candidate embodies its core values. After each question, please give a specific description of how it will help achieve those two objectives. Remember, make the questions specific and root them in scenarios that are common for high school principals to address.
In ten seconds, Chat GPT 4 generated the questions below as well as an accompanying rationale that explains how each aligns to the mission, vision, and core values.
Scenario on Enhancing Student Voice: "Can you describe a program you would implement to increase student participation in school governance, ensuring their voices are heard and acted upon?"
Rationale: This question examines the candidate's alignment with the core values of collaboration, trust, and student-centered decision-making. By asking for a program that enhances student participation in school governance, it specifically gauges how the candidate plans to empower students, giving them a voice in decisions that affect their education and school environment. This approach not only supports the district's vision of engaging and personalized learning experiences but also demonstrates a commitment to building an inclusive, respectful, and collaborative school culture. Through this, the committee can discern the candidate's ability to foster an environment where students feel valued and are actively involved in shaping their educational journey.
Scenario on Fostering Resilience and Life Skills: "A group of students are struggling with stress management and resilience. How would you integrate life skills education into the curriculum to support their well-being and future success?"
Rationale: This question assesses the candidate's commitment to the core value of being "Student Centered," specifically, how they prioritize the academic success and overall well-being of students. It evaluates their approach to integrating life skills education into the curriculum, aiming to support student well-being, resilience, and preparedness for challenges in life, thereby reflecting the district's dedication to what is best for the students.
Scenario on Promoting STEM Education Among Underrepresented Students: "How would you address the gender gap in STEM fields among students in our school?"
Rationale: This question probes the candidate's innovative strategies and commitment to the core values of equity and excellence in education. It aims to uncover how the candidate plans to address and reduce the gender gap in STEM fields, fostering an inclusive environment that encourages underrepresented students to pursue and excel in STEM. By focusing on specific actions to enhance STEM education accessibility and attractiveness to all students, this scenario reflects the district's mission of providing an exceptional education that prepares students for college, career, and life. Moreover, it evaluates the candidate's ability to implement policies and programs that not only elevate academic standards but also ensure equitable opportunities for all students, demonstrating a deep understanding of and dedication to the district's core values and vision.
Scenario on Improving Academic Performance Through Data-Driven Decisions: "Suppose a particular academic department is consistently underperforming. Describe how you would use data to identify the root causes and develop a targeted improvement plan?"
Rationale: This question assesses the candidate's commitment to the core values of accountability and excellence, as well as their proficiency in using data-driven decision-making processes. By asking for a specific approach to tackle underperformance through the analysis of educational data, it evaluates how the candidate plans to implement evidence-based strategies to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. This approach reflects the district's mission of ensuring all students receive an exceptional education by identifying, addressing, and monitoring areas needing improvement. Additionally, it demonstrates the candidate's ability to lead with a focus on continuous improvement and results, ensuring alignment with the district's vision for academic success and operational efficiency.
Scenario on Improving Teacher Morale: "There has been a notable decline in teacher morale. What initiatives would you introduce to improve it and why?"
Rationale: This question delves into the candidate's strategies for enhancing teacher morale, a pivotal factor in realizing the district’s mission of providing exceptional education and its vision of empowering students through innovative and engaging learning experiences. A supportive and positive environment for teachers directly impacts their ability to deliver high-quality, personalized education, fostering student achievement and well-being. By exploring how the candidate plans to address teacher morale, the selection committee can assess the candidate's commitment to the core values of Collaboration and Trust, recognizing the importance of building a cohesive, respectful, and professional educational community. This approach ensures that the school leadership prioritizes both educator welfare and student success, demonstrating an understanding that the cultivation of a motivated and well-supported staff is foundational to achieving the district's overarching goals.
Scenario on Addressing Digital Divide: "Given the increasing importance of digital literacy, how would you ensure that all students have equal access to technology and digital resources?"
Rationale: This question assesses the candidate's strategies for addressing the "digital divide," ensuring that all students have equitable access to technology and digital resources, directly aligning with the core values of Equity and Excellence. It evaluates how the candidate plans to implement technological solutions and support systems that bridge gaps in digital access and literacy, reflecting the district's mission to provide an exceptional education for all students. By focusing on the candidate's approach to overcoming this divide, the selection committee can discern their commitment to creating an inclusive learning environment where every student can fully participate in digital learning opportunities. This initiative is critical for preparing students for a future where digital literacy is essential, thereby supporting the district's vision of empowering students to reach their highest potential through engaging and innovative learning experiences.
Are these perfect questions? No. However, they are very good questions and are a terrific start to the process. Moreover, the rationales that ChatGPT 4 provided are very well thought out and represent a high level of sophisticated 'thinking.'
A team that undergoes a similar process would spend less time tailoring the questions to their needs and ensuring they are unbiased compared to creating them from scratch. Perhaps most importantly, the bulk of time could be spent discussing ‘listen-fors’ in the answers of the candidates and calibrating expectations. Going a step further, the team could also consider asking the AI to develop a rubric to rate responses.
In conclusion, AI transcends the role of an ‘on-demand butler’ that assists with routine tasks, emerging instead as a helpful ‘thought partner’ in producing high-impact outcomes like operationalizing a district’s mission, vision, and core values. Its potential to improve a critical function like the recruitment process is just one of many examples of how AI can improve our educational practices. The shift towards integrating AI into our work in practical ways like I have described in this article offers an opportunity to reimagine educational leadership, with innovation leading the way.
Dr. Ryan Smith, with 20 years of leadership experience in public education, is dedicated to ensuring every student receives an outstanding education and reaches their highest potential. Through his service as Superintendent of the Monrovia Unified School District and in other key leadership roles, his commitment to putting students first has driven success and positive change across various schools districts. Learn more about Dr. Smith at his website, on LinkedIn, or X.