A tale of two missions: the stated and perceived mission of three member schools of Christian Schools Australia

It was the purpose of this mixed method study to understand perceptions regarding the mission of three member schools of Christian Schools Australia (CSA) relative to schools’ founding and emerging ethos statements. The study involved multiple data sources: documentary analysis; interviews with two system founders, three ‘founding’ and three current school principals; and surveys of 88 current teachers and 162 past students. Findings reveal that: (a) These schools were founded in response to parental concerns regarding the secularisation of government schooling, but they grew in response to wider community perceptions of the quality of education being offered. The schools appear to be responding thoughtfully to changes in both enrolment and social context, which are moving them closer to more traditional private school patterns at the same time as their distinctives are moving those schools closer to them; (b) These schools are characterised by explicit mission statements, and these have expanded and diversified as the schools have grown. Teachers and teaching were perceived as central at the foundation of these schools, but the impact of external accreditation and examination pressures complicates their mission, which causes continuing concerns about the impact of staff commitment. (c) Teachers participating in this study were less positive about the Christian ethos of the schools in which they worked than they were about its educational purpose, with significant differences emerging by school, gender and age. Most participating teachers were positive about encouraging faith development in their schools but fewer were strategic about such development in their classes. Participating student responses to the purpose and impact of the school varied by school and students who graduated more recently were less positive. The implications of this study may suggest wider impact because generational change seems inevitable in passion-driven enterprises. Its findings suggest that staff are central to the maintenance of the founding intentions of such enterprises and their perceptions are a tipping point from which to begin to plan such continuity. Initial and ongoing professional development of staff is crucial to this process amid social and demographic changes.