Mission Accomplished? How Faith-Based Schools’ Missions Inform and Influence Their Operations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the impact and influence of school-wide missions on the operations, curricula, pedagogy, practices, and students of faith-based K-12 institutions. Three research questions were examined: (1) How does a faith-based mission of a school inform and influence its curriculum and pedagogy, as perceived by the administrators and teachers of the school? (2) How does a faith-based mission of a school inform and influence its decision-making and organizational structures and practices? (3) What is the impact of a faith-based mission on students as perceived by stakeholders within the school? Organizational Identity Theory, an offshoot of Social Identity Theory, provided the guiding framework for this study. A review of related literature uncovered the core tenets and applicability of this theoretical framework, a historical educational trajectory of faith-based schools in the US, and the various functions of missions in schools. Cross-case analysis of three different case studies at three K-12 schools was conducted, with data emerging from interviews and focus groups at each site. School-wide identity – which, according to the theoretical framework, takes preeminence in helping to inform mission – was found to be rooted in schools’ history and tradition, intentionality of culture, collective understanding of goals, and constituent collaboration. Findings germane to the research questions supported previous mission-based literature and detailed the importance of visionary leadership, cultural intentionality, and communication around values and goals as crucial to making a school mission have impact. Though limited in scope to faith-based schools, this study’s findings may help to inform more comprehensive mission-driven practices in other types of institutions, as well.