SETTING GOALS

Setting Goals



Setting Goals

Goals correspond to future tasks and results to be achieved in an organizational system. The task of setting goals is derived primarily from a management or business discipline. When applied to the field of education, it is recommended that goals be established at all levels of the school organization so as to provide direction for all school participants. Goals can be considered the links that move the school forward toward a unified direction(Cromwell, Carmen, 2008). State departments of education and school boards expect school leaders to develop goals for a school or district. School leaders and administrators are expected to take the lead in setting goals over the long range and short range to meet the diverse needs of school stakeholders, such as students, teachers, staff, and interested members of the school community.

Goal setting is a valuable management tool and an integral part of the leadership process within the school organization. The development or setting of goals derives from classical or scientific management principles. Within the disciplines of business or management, goal setting is usually an integral part of the planning function but is often closely linked to other management functions, particularly the evaluating function (Marcellino, 2006).

For example, once goals are decided upon, they are then tied to an evaluation par or standard in order to assess whether the goals of the organization are actually being achieved and carried out by organizational members. Management theorists posit that goals can keep employees, groups, and teams focused and facilitate activity if they are tied to performance standards within the organization. In the field of education, values and beliefs are embedded in the process of setting goals. It is believed that in order for the individual to identify with the school organization, professional values and beliefs are ...