Set specific, short-term goals. Any new organization with a broad and
compelling mandate faces a dilemma between setting reasonable, short-term
goals and narrowing its scope too much at the outset. Testing new collaborations,
and not knowing which initiatives are going to be successful, a coalition
is tempted to try too many things. Instead, a sensible strategy is to set
two or three concrete goals and try to achieve these, while at the same
time finding ways to educate your members.
Educate yourselves and spread the word. Educating your
community about middle school reform creates a common core of understanding,
which becomes increasingly valuable as your coalition moves on to more ambitious
goals. Jackson's coalition has put a lot of effort into forums that feature
presentations by exemplary educators and involve local teachers, students,
and parents. "Everyone learns," says Winifred Green, "including
members of the coalition."
Some opportunities to learn--a presentation, a newsletter, a web page, a
special event--can be designed to address local priorities, while also pointing
out how your efforts connect with the national movement for middle school
reform. Raising money to send teachers to professional conferences is another
eminently "do-able" project, as sponsoring Junior Leagues in Baton
Rouge, Wichita, and other cities have shown.
Do something tangible. Try to mix learning projects with
practical ones that draw on the knowledge and connections of coalition members
outside the educational system: publishing a newsletter, hosting a meeting
for business leaders, organizing a career day for middle school students,
reviewing school budgets and performance data, recruiting volunteers, helping
with grant applications. Catch people for whom schools aren't part of daily
life and give them something to do; otherwise, they're likely to drift away
or take on other commitments.
Maintaining the agenda. It is not necessary that a coalition
produce quantifiable changes right away. It is, however, important to reiterate
fundamental principles regularly, to reaffirm the coalition's commitment
to improving education for middle school students. It is surprisingly easy
to stray from this agenda--as many schools amply demonstrate.
Within the framework of school improvement, the coalition should become
an arena for people inside and outside the school system to exchange ideas
and clarify expectations. Being exposed to the standards and habits of businesspeople,
for example, is healthy for educators; similarly, understanding the constraints
within which schools operate helps businesspeople understand that even simple
solutions can be difficult to implement. In the long run, different points
of view can come together to become an engine for constant, pragmatic school
improvement.
An effective coalition can eventually spawn dozens of collaborations and
projects. Some of the best ideas and most committed work will probably come
from people who work every day in business, government, social services,
higher education, or other sectors. At the outset, these people are likely
to know very little about middle school education. They need time to learn,
and the coalition as a whole needs time to understand its strengths and
limitations.
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