RUNNINGHEAD:MISSIONSTATEMENTCRITIQUE

Mission Statement Critique

Kaitlynn Austin
Montclair State University

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Abstract

The Counseling Center and Student Services are accessible and sensitive to the ethnic and
cultural diversity of our community. Counselors are aware and encourage all students to have
access, support and resources to achieve in school and to become productive citizens.
The Counseling Center continues to be committed to providing all their counselees with
opportunities and challenges suitable to their needs and talents.

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Mission Statement Critique

The purpose of a school counseling mission statement is to identify the focus and
direction of the program and how it will reach the vision of the school. The ASCA National
Model (2012) states a mission statement is supposed to have one central idea that the school
counseling program will help all students attending the school (p. 24). There is a set criterion that
is in place in order to judge how strong or weak a schools mission statement is. This critique is
focusing on Colonia High Schools mission statement.
Strengths
One of the biggest strengths of this mission statement is the opening line. It immediately
recognizes the ethnic and cultural diversity in the community and states that the counseling
services are available to everyone in the school community. It continues this theme by stating
that the counselors in the school are aware of the diversity and encourage every student to be
successful. The ASCA National Model (2012) standards for mission statements include that it is
inclusive and stresses equality for all students (p. 24). I believe the mission statement
acknowledges both cultural diversity and other obstacles students may face due to being
different. It states that they are able to provide their students with suitable challenges and equal
opportunities, which addresses the difference that exists between student capabilities.
It is interesting that Colonia High School focuses on cultural diversity in their first line.
The town is predominantly Caucasian according to New Jersey Demographics, with a small
Asian population and small percentage of African Americans (2015). Before looking up the
towns demographics I believed this town would have much more diversity. It seems that the
mission statement really stresses the need to be inclusive and works hard to make the
environment suitable for all students. For parents, this can be an important quality for a school

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counseling program to possess. Guardians may be comforted to know that their child will be
treated the same in the counseling setting and given the same support to succeed in high school
and after.
The second strength this statement possesses is that it focuses on the students. As stated
before, it mentions the diversity of the high school student body. The main idea of the second
sentence is the availability of services for every student to succeed in high school and aid in them
becoming productive members of society. Although there are many individuals involved in the
school, the main focus should always be the students (American School Counselor Association,
2012, p. 24). The role of a school counselor is to help their students with whatever issue they
face, so the mission statement should be aimed towards them.
I believe that this mission statement makes its purpose clear. It is lacking in some areas,
which I will discuss next, but it is concise. For what the school is trying to convey it gets the
point across to the reader. After going through this, as any stakeholder, you will know that the
school is mainly concerned with giving all their students the tools they need to succeed. It is also
able to describe the purpose in an appropriate length. While searching for a mission statement I
found some that were almost two paragraphs long. I do not think that the students nor their
parents would read through a statement that lengthy. Colonia High Schools mission statement is
brief but appropriately written.
Limitations
The biggest limitation of this mission statement is the omission of the three big domains
of school counseling. ASCA considers academic, career, and personal/social development to be
the three main factors of effective school counseling (p. 24). Although some people believe one
is more important than the others, there is no doubt that each of these areas has a huge role in a

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students life. School counselors are constantly working on developing these three domains with
a student. Each of them exist throughout a persons academic career, sometimes one being more
important than the other at a certain time in life. It is important for parents to be aware of what
will be the main areas of focus in a school counseling setting. Any mission statement that does
not mention them directly or mention them indirectly is incomplete.
There is also no mention of the stakeholders which this mission statement is informing.
As stated previously, the main focus in this was the students, but it should have mentioned the
other people involved in the school environment. A great mission statement should mention
parents and guardians as well as members of the community along with the students as the main
focus (American School Counselor Association, 2012, p. 24).
ASCA requires that mission statements include long term goals (p. 24). Although Colonia
High School states that it will help the students become productive members of society it does
not go into any detail. I believe that briefly stating that the school wants the students to become
productive members of society is a very vague statement. It does not describe how it will ensure
that or make it possible for the students. I think it could include a much more detailed description
on what they want for the future of their students. According to US News and Reports (2016),
Colonia High School scores very low on the college readiness index. I believe this combined
with the lack of long term goals in the mission statement hinder the effectiveness of the
statement.
Lastly, I explored the schools mission statement and compared it with the counseling
departments statement. ASCA (2012) believe that a good mission statement will have goals that
align with the schools overall mission statement (p. 24). Colonia High Schools school mission
statement states our mission is to develop, through a technology infused curriculum, life-long

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learners who are responsible citizens prepared to make positive contributions to the global
society. We are committed to engaging all members of the community in the process of providing
a learning environment that fosters interdependence, embraces change and values diversity.
Although both of the statements mention diversity and developing productive citizens, I believe
they could have more in common. The schools mission statement focuses more on global
change, including the utilization of technology in schools. It is also more eloquently stated than
the one by the counseling department. In my opinion the lack of similarities is a weakness, even
though they do share some common themes.
Conclusion
The mission statement of Colonia High Schools counseling department is strong, but
there is room for improvement. The inclusion of long term goals, the three main domains of
school counseling, and addressing stakeholders would clarify the goals of the department for
those reading it. I believe this can be done while still keeping it brief and concise. Overall I
believe this mission statement was average compared to others I read during my research.

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References

Colonia High School. (2016). Retrieved October 16, 2016, from

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-jersey/districts/woodbridge
township-school-district/colonia-high-school-12827
Colonia, NJ Demographics. (2015). Retrieved October 10, 2016, from
http://www.areavibes.com/colonia-nj/demographics/
Bowers, J., & Hatch, T. (2012). The ASCA national model: A framework
for school counseling programs (3rd ed.).
Woodbridge Township School District / Homepage. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2016, from
http://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/