Stockdale Redux: Who are We and Why Are We Here?

In 1992, highly decorated retired Admiral James Stockdale was running for Vice-President as Ross Perot's running mate. In the Vice-Presidential debate, Admiral Stockdale began his opening statement with the unforgettable words, "Who am I? Why am I here?"




A few days ago, I spent a couple of hours speaking with Nehimia "Nammie" Ichilov, the dynamic Head of School of the King David School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The King David School is lucky to have him. Nammie "gets it" with regard to the issues facing Jewish Day Schools and the importance of each school having its own purpose and raison d'etre. Only when the school knows precisely what it is trying to achieve can it actually work to achieve it. And this centrality of purpose energizes the school community and helps make it successful.

Creating and refining vision is hard stuff. In a 1993 study, David Conley, a professor at the University of Oregon, examined 79 strategic plans of schools. Based upon this review, he created a vanilla mission statement:

"It is the mission of ______________ to enable all students to become responsible citizens and lifelong learners in a changing global society. This will occur in an environment where diversity is valued and the potential of each student is developed to the fullest, with an emphasis on excellence in all endeavors. This can only occur as a result of a partnership between and among the school district, parents and other community members and agencies."

Conley, and others, however, have found little evidence that such a generic mission statement actually contributes to a school's success, as defined by superior educational performance.

At Kadima, we have a non-vanilla Mission Statement, although it may be a bit outdated and I'd bet that most of our community is not familiar with it. Moreover, in recent years we've struggled a bit with a tendency toward vanilla bromides and confusion about who we are and why we are here. Much of the reason for this is because of the practical difficulties associated with operating an independent Jewish Day School in a rapidly changing environment under extreme economic and other pressures. Simply put, much of the leadership spends its time ensuring that the kids receive an excellent Jewish and secular education and leave Kadima as mensches; as a result, they have little extra time to engage in philosophical discussions.

The hiring of a new Head gives all stakeholders, in conjunction with the new Head of School, the opportunity to engage in some self-examination and reflection. A new Head--and one that is a strong leader-- will work with all stakeholders to help all of us better define Kadima's vision of itself, and clarify the school's central purpose. This will be difficult but rewarding work.