Internationally-minded, uniquely Florentine

MISSION, VISION and STRATEGIC PLAN

“The future does not exist. There is only the present, but within this present, there is the idea that we have a future. And there are also within this present, the attitudes, behaviour patterns and habits that constitute both our history and institutions. The future is not therefore something to be discovered, like an existing terra incognito. The future is to be created, and before being created, it must be conceived, it must be invented and finally willed.” UNESCO

INTRODUCTION TO MISSION, VISION AND STRATEGIC PLAN

Faced with a social and educational landscape that is shifting rapidly, even well-established institutions such as ISF need to ask afresh ‘What now counts as a meaningful education?’ This allows us to reflect on what should be our appropriate identity, purpose and ambition in the face of emerging challenges and opportunities. Throughout the course of the 2018-2019 school year, we used a variety of community meetings as well as formal planning processes to address these questions. The outcomes of this engaging collective effort are reflected in our new Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan. These will act as our roadmap for the future as well as representing a series of commitments for which we can all be proud, and to which we can all be accountable.

We are therefore delighted to envisage a future for ISF that will be distinguished by core characteristics that will allow the school to offer an educational experience that is interna-tionally-minded, uniquely Florentine, outward looking and research-led in its commitment to educational innovation. The principal agents of change will be the young people in our com-munity as they learn and work together to shape a shared future. The challenges that they will face are diverse and complex, and will require original, critical and creative response. To that end, we should be prepared to experiment, foster new forms of professional engage-ment for teachers and aim to be a hub for international best practice.

At the heart of any meaningful and rewarding learning experience is the wellbeing of the learner. At ISF, we will continue to educate the whole person, recognizing that the definition of success, as well as the path to achieve it, is as diverse as the community we serve. Indeed, our cultural and linguistic diversity are our greatest assets and these need to be reflected in the values that we uphold, and how these shape our daily interactions with each other and a wider world.

It is difficult to imagine a more interesting time to be involved in learning and teaching. The challenge of change is also the excitement of opportunity. It seems entirely appropriate that innovation, authenticity and experiment, all hallmarks of our city’s past, should also be the distinctive signatures of our school’s future.

Simon Murray - Head of School Marco Uzielli - Chair of Board of Directors

MissionA laboratory for learning where we collaborate to add meaning

to a shared future.

VisionWe aspire to build communities of creative makers and doers.

MEANINGFUL LEARNING AND STUDENT AGENCYCultivate growth through a meaningful

and inspiring learning experience

• Provide relevant innovative methods of student and professional learning consistent with inquiry• Empower students to take ownership of their learning experiences• Ensure that student wellbeing is at the core of our practices• Promote and honor home language learning in recognition of our unique identities• Embrace, foster, and promote diversity within our community• Draw upon the unmatched learning opportunities of Florence• Recognize the impact of our actions on our interdependent world and promote a culture of solidarity

Strategic Plan

CONNECTING WITH PURPOSE

Communicate and reflect our unique, shared identity and connect effectively with local

and international partners

• Communicate our shared identity effectively• Develop a strategic marketing plan that addresses the aspirations of the school• Cultivate dynamic relationships with local, national, and global partners

Enabling ChangeDevelop constituencies for change

• Develop a culture of participation to define the direction of the change demanded by our Mission and Vision

• Ensure regular and purposeful communication regarding changes

and their benefits

ENABLING CHANGE

Develop constituencies for change

• Develop a culture of participation to define the direction of the change demanded by our Mission and Vision• Ensure regular and purposeful communication regarding changes and their benefits

LEADING BY EXAMPLEFurther a virtuous culture of leadership

and governance

• Ensure that whole-school structures and systems continue to reflect evolving international best practices • Ensure that roles and responsibilities continue to be clear • Harmonize internal strategies with external obligations • Implement frameworks of self-and collaborative appraisal

FINANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Build sustainable financial and risk frameworks to ensure

achievement of strategic intents

• Implement and monitor a long-range budgeting process• Ensure the cost efficient use of available resources• Support the development of a variety of income streams• Ensure that risk is effectively monitored and managed• Ensure that all financial and risk management strategies and actions remain consistent with the Mission and Vision

“So whether it’s the fault of my drawing or the fault of the possible buyer, let the two of us agree that we shan’t immediately let ourselves be frightened off by the failure of the experiment were it not to succeed.” Vincent van GoghWHAT IS AN IB EDUCATION?

“In our highly connected and rapidly changing world, IB programmes aim to develop international mindedness in a global context. The terms ‘international’ and ‘global’ describe that world from different points of view - one from the perspective of its constituent parts (nation states and their relationships with each other) and one from the perspective of the planet as a whole. Sharp distinctions between the ‘local’, ‘national’, and ‘global’ are blurring in the face of emerging institutions and technologies that transcend modern nation states. New challenges that are not defined by traditional boundaries call for students to develop the agility and imagination they need for living productively in a complex world.”

[International Baccalaureate, 2013]

We would like to offer our grateful thanks to the many members of our school community whose collective efforts produced our new Mission, Vision and Strategic Plan.

Special thanks to our students who produced all of the artwork

International School Of FlorenceJunior School - Via del Carota, 23/25 - Bagno a Ripoli - tel. +39 055 646 1007

Upper School - Viuzzo di Gattaia, 9 - Firenze - tel. +39 055 200 1515www.isfitaly.org

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too highand falling short, but insetting our aim too low,and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo Buonarroti