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The Roadmap SeRieS

AL 1he AS1 loundauon, we have more Lhan a decade of experlence worklng dlrecLly
wlLh schools and communlues ln Lransluon and have ldenued key benchmarks
essenual Lo successful school Lransformauon. uslng an anLhropologlcal framework, we
oer powerful analyucal Lools Lo undersLand boLh Lhe vlslble dlverslLy of communlues
assoclaLed wlLh a parucular educauonal sysLem, as well as Lhe hldden commonalues
Lhey all possess. Large or small, urban or rural, from whole dlsLrlcLs Lo Lhe one-room
schoolhouse-Lhe AS1 loundauon has eecuvely parLnered on all levels Lo galn an
eecuve undersLandlng of a seL of conslsLenL benchmarks LhaL serve as crlucal levers ln
shaplng successful school Lransformauonal ouLcomes.
1hls 8oadmap reporL ls Lhe rsL ln a serles of publlcauons LhaL oer an opporLunlLy for
you and your organlzauon Lo beneL from whaL we have observed and learned Lhrough
our work ln a dlverse seL of communlues ln muluple sLaLes across Lhe counLry. Lach of Lhe
8oadmap publlcauons wlll hlghllghL eecuve processes assoclaLed wlLh key Lransformauonal
lmplemenLauon sLraLegles essenual Lo achlevlng Lhe necessary culLure shl, embeddlng and
susLalnlng Lhe success of Lhe Lransformauon. ln Lhls rsL reporL, we sLarL by deLalllng commonly
shared aspecLs of communlues-ln-crlsls dened by grassrooLs level of communlLy conversauon
and engagemenL.
Roadmap To CommuniTy engagemenT
1he 8oadmap Lo CommunlLy LngagemenL for S1LM Lducauon, presenLs a case sLudy of
communlLy lnvolvemenL ln Lransformlng an urban area pre-k Lhrough 12 school feeder sysLem
ln Lhe Llnden communlLy of Columbus, Chlo. As Lhe rsL school feeder sysLem Lo Lransluon Lo
S1LM ln a large school dlsLrlcL, Lhere ls value ln looklng aL Lhe sLakeholder process conducLed
[olnLly by Lhe communlLy wlLh Lhe school dlsLrlcL Lo evaluaLe how Lo besL meeL Lhe educauonal
needs of Llnden's youLh. 1he Llnden communlLy process oers a nauonal roadmap" for urban
communlues where publlc educauon ls rlpe for revlLallzauon ln ways LhaL musL also address
muluple, relaLed lssues LhaL exLend Lo Lhe soclal and culLural aspecLs of a communlLy. 1hls
case sLudy, chronlcllng Lhe Llnden communlLy experlence, ldenues crlucal componenLs of
Lhe process LhaL launched Lhe parLnershlp of agencles, organlzauons, and lndlvlduals who
[olned ln an eorL Lo ldenufy S1LM educauon as a vlable soluuon for Llnden's communlLy
schools and lLs sLudenLs.
T r a ns f or mi ng T he s chool hous e :
knowledge capture program
by Monica S. Hunter, Sheli O. Smith,
Annalies Corbin & Maria G. Cohen
knowledge capture program
The design process was really a combination of community
folks working alongside district staff, and really putting the
ownership of this process in everyones hands.
QUOTE [ 506- 22A]
www.pastfoundation.org
iT all BeginS WiTh KnoWledge
lnluaung publlc school Lransformauon Lo S1LM educauon beglns wlLh ldenufylng Lhe
fundamenLal lssues LhaL exlsL wlLhln a school. Lngaglng Lhe communlLy-aL-large ln Lhls
assessmenL assures LhaL dlerenL prlorlues, values and perspecuves are Laken lnLo accounL
when declslons are reached abouL Lhe besL paLh forward.
undersLandlng Lhe way ln whlch people can work LogeLher Lo ldenufy common goals ls an
lmporLanL parL of seelng how eecuve soluuons Lo problems ln publlc educauon can be creaLed
Lhrough collaborauon. CaLherlng knowledge galned from Lhe experlence and lnvolvemenL wlLh
communlLy acuon Lo lmprove Lhe quallLy of k-12 educauon ls where knowledge CapLure oers a
perspecuve on Lhe posslblllues for generaung a communlLy engagemenL process Lo supporL Lhe
shl Lo S1LM educauon.
hoW We CapTuRe KnoWledge
Peaded by anLhropologlsLs, Lhe knowledge CapLure rogram aL 1he AS1 loundauon uses
muluple eLhnographlc meLhods such as sLrucLured observauons, lnLervlews, focus groups,
and onllne surveys. 1hese research meLhods provlde quanuLauve reporung of measurable
quallLauve daLa. 1he Leam produces a robusL, case-sLudy-sLyle analysls Lo help gulde real-ume
course correcuon Lo achleve crlucal ouLcomes.
1hrough our work wlLh a range of cllenLs-from small communlLy organlzauons Lo
sLaLewlde lnluauves-we've learned Lhere are as many approaches Lo success as Lhere are
sLakeholders. Successful Lransformauon of a shared endeavor ls fundamenLally dependenL
on the commltmeot of key potuclpoots from each sLakeholder group. knowledge CapLure
recognlzes Lhe lmporLance of ooJetstooJloq Lhose key sLakeholders, recordlng Lhelr myrlad
perspecuves, denluons of success, and percelved challenges. 1hls undersLandlng helps open
Lhe Lransformauon process Lo engagemenL--and commlLmenL--from all key paruclpanLs.
hoW We apply neW KnoWledge
knowledge CapLure ls beneclal aL all sLages of Lransformauon. 8efore Lransformauon beglns,
Lhe program provldes access Lo valuable lnformauon from oLher communlues. As sLraLegles
are dellberaLed, eLhnography ldenues commonallues and dlerences across groups, helplng
dene Lhe unlque conLexL of a parucular eorL, as well as Lhe essenual quallues for successful
lmplemenLauon. Aer lmplemenLauon beglns, Lhe process ldenues valld benchmarks and
mllesLones LhaL demonsLraLe elemenLs of change.
Along Lhe way, knowldege CapLure provldes a roadmap Lo help Lransformlng communlues
develop collaborauve approaches LhaL maxlmlze Lhe sLrengLhs of each sLakeholder, on Lhe road
Lo challenglng buL rewardlng ouLcomes.
knowledge capture program
www.pastfoundation.org
T R A NS F OR MI NG T HE S CHOOL HOUS E :
knowledge capture program
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F :
Transforming the Schoolhouse: Roadmap to Community Engagement
2013 1he AS1 loundauon
ISBN: 978-1-939531-03-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013941087
ubllshed by 1he AS1 loundauon ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes of Amerlca
www.pasuoundauon.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lxecuuve Summary lv
Partners 6
lnLroducuon 7
Academlc Coals 9
SLakeholder Coals 13
Collaborauve arLnershlps 17
SLakeholder Acuon 19
Stakeholder Consensus 23
Timeline 26
8ecommended Acuons 29
Concluslons 30
8eferences 31
Appendices
- How This Report Was Created 33
- lnLervlew Cuesuons 34
iv
A ROADMAP TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
ln educauon Loday, Lhere are few underLaklngs as complex as Lransformlng a perslsLenLly
falllng school. As Lechnlcal asslsLance provlders, we have been confronLed ume and agaln
by commonly held percepuons abouL why noLhlng works." LducaLors and admlnlsLraLors
express a very real sense of frusLrauon wlLh Lurnlng a falllng school, oen clalmlng, weve
tried everything already." When pressed Lo explaln why schools are falllng ln Lhe rsL place,
common sLaLemenLs lnclude we are underfunded," we lack technology," we have no control
ot lofoeoce ovet tbe eovltoomeot ooJ commoolty lo wblcb tbe follloq scbool llves,"-and Lhe llsL
goes on. 1he problems and consLralnLs low-achlevlng schools face are oen slmllar, regardless
of wheLher Lhe school ls urban or rural-as ls Lhe desperauon surroundlng how besL Lo make
Lransformauon happen. 1hese lssues range from concerns abouL shllng demographlcs and
Lhe local economy Lo nelghborhood safeLy and preservlng communlLy values and prlorlues,
and more.
AL 1he AS1 loundauon, we have more Lhan a decade of experlence worklng dlrecLly wlLh
schools and communlues ln Lransluon, and have ldenued key benchmarks essenual Lo
successful school Lransformauon. AS1 oers a Leam of experLs, lncludlng anLhropologlsLs and
educaLors, worklng collaborauvely Loward undersLandlng Lhe crlucal needs of educauonal
sysLems ln Lransluon. uslng an anLhropologlcal framework, we oer powerful analyucal Lools Lo
undersLand boLh Lhe vlslble dlverslLy of communlues assoclaLed wlLh a parucular educauonal
sysLem, as well as Lhe hldden commonalues Lhey all possess. Large or small, urban or rural, from
whole dlsLrlcLs Lo Lhe one-room schoolhouse-Lhe AS1 loundauon has eecuvely parLnered
on all levels Lo ouLllne conslsLenL benchmarks LhaL serve as crlucal levers ln shaplng successful
school Lransformauonal ouLcomes.
The kooJmop serles ls an opporLunlLy for you Lo beneL from whaL we have observed and
learned Lhrough Lhese parLnershlps wlLh a dlverse seL of communlues ln muluple sLaLes across
Lhe counLry. Lach of Lhe kooJmop publlcauons wlll hlghllghL eecuve processes assoclaLed wlLh
key Lransformauonal lmplemenLauon sLraLegles essenual Lo achlevlng Lhe necessary culLure
shl, embeddlng and susLalnlng Lhe success of Lhe Lransformauon.
Lach kooJmop ls presenLed as a case sLudy, provldlng a conLexL ln whlch Lo undersLand real
lssues and challenges, as well as Lhe opporLunlLy Lo wlLness key sLeps assoclaLed wlLh Lhe work
of lmplemenung school Lransformauon. We feel sLrongly LhaL Lhls serles musL sLarL by deLalllng
commonly shared aspecLs of communlues-ln-crlsls, dened by grassrooLs level of communlLy
conversauon and engagemenL. ln our experlence, galnlng broad-based commlLmenL from local
sLakeholders ls an essenual sLep leadlng Lo Lhe culLural shl requlred Lo achleve successful
school and communlLy Lransformauon. We begln our kooJmop series with 1be kooJmop
to commoolty oqoqemeot fot 51M Jocouoo, a case sLudy of communlLy lnvolvemenL ln
Lransformlng a falllng pre-k Lhrough 12 school feeder sysLem ln Columbus, Chlo.
v
1he Llnden Mcklnley S1LM Academy (LMSA), launched ln fall 2009 by Columbus ClLy Schools,
became Lhe rsL of Lhe dlsLrlcL's publlc schools Lo Lransluon Lo a program lnLegraung sclence,
Lechnology, englneerlng and maLh (S1LM) wlLh Lransdlsclpllnary problem-based learnlng"
(1-8L). LMSA, a comblned mlddle and hlgh school (grades 7 Lhrough 12), as well as four Llnden
elemenLary feeder schools (pre-k Lhrough 6), are now on a paLh Lo compleung Lhe Lransluon Lo
S1LM and 1-8L for all publlc school sLudenLs wlLhln Lhe Llnden communlLy.
As Lhe rsL school feeder sysLem ln Lhe dlsLrlcL Lo Lransluon Lo S1LM, Lhere ls value ln looklng
aL Lhe sLakeholder process conducLed [olnLly by Lhe communlLy wlLh Lhe school dlsLrlcL Lo
evaluaLe how Lo besL meeL Lhe educauonal needs of Llnden's youLh. 1he Llnden communlLy
process oers a nauonal roadmap" for urban communlues where publlc educauon ls rlpe for
revlLallzauon ln ways LhaL musL also address muluple, relaLed lssues LhaL exLend Lo Lhe soclal
and culLural aspecLs of a communlLy. ln Lhls conLexL, sLraLegles Lo lmprove pre-k Lhrough 12
publlc educauon musL Lake lnLo accounL a broad seL of lnLerconnecLed, relevanL, and complex
needs of famllles LhaL seek Lo aualn a quallLy educauon for Lhelr chlldren. Challenged wlLh rlslng
levels of poverLy, shllng demographlcs, urgenL concerns
for nelghborhood safeLy, and a cllmaLe of general economlc
decllne, urban communlues llke Llnden are lncreaslngly
hlndered by consLralnLs of llmlLed budgeLs and lnsuLuuonal
capaclLy Lo change Lhe course of Lhelr educauonal fuLure.
ln Lhe case of Llnden, local leaders soughL Lo galvanlze Lhe
communlLy around a slngle quesuon-how Lo rescue lLs
publlc schools-as a crlucal componenL of revlLallzlng Lhe
communlLy as a whole. CommunlLy members acung LogeLher as a caLalysL for acuon [olned
wlLh Lhe school dlsLrlcL Lo ralse awareness and lnsplre communlLy leaders Lo new levels of
advocacy on behalf of Lhe chlldren of Llnden. ln Lhls consensus-based process, Lhe llsL of goals
ldenued by Lhe communlLy revolved around Lhree urgenL lssues: 1) lncreaslng Lhe hlgh school
graduauon raLe, 2) lmprovlng sLudenL performance ln order Lo beuer prepare Lhem for adulL llfe
by provldlng Lhem wlLh 21sL cenLury S1LM career skllls, and, 3) assurlng college readlness" Lo
pursue hlgher educauon.
ln Lhe Llnden communlLy, Lhe cholce for S1LM educauon evolved Lo consensus Lhrough a serles
of communlLy meeungs LhaL were held over a perlod of 18 monLhs. lnlually, meeungs were
conducLed and led by Lhe school dlsLrlcL. ln ume, communlLy meeungs were organlzed and
conducLed by nelghborhood organlzauons ln response Lo lssues of concern ldenued by local
leaders. 1he communlLy's speclc seL of lssues shaped a collaborauve process, drawlng on Lhe
resources of Lhe communlLy Lo devlse and lmplemenL shorL-Lerm sLraLegles gulded by long-
Lerm goals. 1hls case sLudy, chronlcllng Lhe Llnden communlLy experlence, ldenues crlucal
componenLs of Lhe process LhaL launched Lhe parLnershlp of agencles, organlzauons, and
lndlvlduals who [olned ln an eorL Lo ldenufy S1LM educauon as a vlable soluuon for Llnden's
communlLy schools and lLs sLudenLs.
In the case of Linden, local
leaders sought to galvanize
the community around a single
question ... how to revitalize the
community as a whole.
PARTNERS OF THE LINDEN COMMUNITY
TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
Alpha MlnorlLy Lnglneerlng LecLure Serles
AmeriCorps
Apex Builders
Assoclauon of CommunlLy Lnglneers [ACL]
8auelle Memorlal lnsuLuLe
8eLhel Afrlcan MeLhodlsL Lplscopal [AML] Church
Budget Rent-A-Car
8ulldlng 1rades lnsuLuLe
CenLer of Sclence and lndusLry [CCSl]
Church Leaders Croup
Clarence Lumpkln ConsLrucuon 1ralnlng and !obs
Commluee
Cleveland Avenue Llcense Agency
Columbus 8oard of Lducauon
Columbus ClLy Councll
Columbus ClLy Schools [CCS]
Columbus College of Art and Design
Columbus Lducauon Assoclauon [CLA]
Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
Columbus MeLropollLan Llbrary (Llnden 8ranch)
Crane lasucs Corp.
laclllues MasLer lan 8evlslon Commluee
lranklln CounLy ueparLmenL of !ob & lamlly Servlces
lranklln CounLy Lducauon Councll
CreaLer Llnden uevelopmenL Corporauon [CLuC]
Heritage Apartments
PerlLage Chrlsuan Church
Higher Peaks Child Care
Ponda of Amerlca
l know l Can ro[ecL
lncrease CommunlLy uevelopmenL Corporauon
kldsChlo
Llnden Area Lducauon 1ask lorce
Llnden communlLy resldenLs
Llnden publlc school alumnl [Assoclauon]
Llnden publlc school parenLs
Llnden publlc school Leachers & admlnlsLraLors
Llnden-Mcklnley Plgh School Leachers & admlnlsLraLors
Llnden-Mcklnley S1LM School ueslgn 1eam
Malcolm lrnle Lnglneerlng ConsulLancy
MeLro Larly College Plgh School Advlsory Croup
MeLro School sLa & school admlnlsLraLors
Moody-nolan lnc.
nauonal Lducauon Assoclauon [nLA]
nauonal Servlce Learnlng Corporauon
nauonal SocleLy for 8lack Lnglneers [nS8L]
norLhgaLe sLa
Chlo uomlnlcan unlverslLy
Chlo Lducauon Assoclauon [CLA]
Chlo SLaLe unlverslLy [CSu] MlnorlLy Lnglneerlng
Chlo S1LM Learnlng neLwork [CSLn]
CSu Asplre
CSu rovosL Cmce
Cuerbeln College
arLnershlp for Conunued Learnlng
AS1 loundauon
eggy's Monogrammlng
ro[ecL Crad
SAVESNet
South Linden Area Commission
SL. SLephen's CommunlLy Pouse
STEM Columbus
1ray Lee 8lble School
unlLed Way of CenLral Chlo
?oung Women's Chrlsuan Assoclauon [?WCA]
HELPFUL INFO
LLhnographlc proLocols requlre anonymlLy of case sLudy paruclpanLs. 1herefore, each lndlvldual lnLervlewed for Lhe
Llnden sLudy was asslgned a code number ldenuLy. lor Lhls case sLudy, lndlvldual code numbers range from 301-
309. Code numbers are glven wlLhln reporL clLauons Lo reference speclc paruclpanL vlews. 1he second number
ln Lhe clLauon represenLs a parucular response wlLhln an lnLervlew LranscrlpL (e.g., 301-23). Case sLudy clLauons
provlde Lhe reader wlLh an lnslder" perspecuve of Lhe slLuauon as well as Lhe essenual acuons and componenLs
LhaL form an acuon model" for school Lransformauon. lnslghL lnLo Lhe experlence of one communlLy can lnform
oLher communlues abouL expecLauons and poLenual sLraLegles as a roadmap for lnluaung school Lransformauon
plannlng and lmplemenLauon processes.
7
INTRODUCTION
1nr outcomrs or tnr LNbrN commuNtv bntocurs nNb ronmnt rtnNNNc rnocrss
oer lnslghLs lnLo grassrooLs acuons LhaL lnlually sprang up Lhrough communlLy response
Lo nelghborhood publlc school closures (8ush 2006c, 1he
Columbus ulspaLch 2006a). CommunlLy members noLe LhaL
closure of several Llnden area schools lncludlng CladsLone
LlemenLary, followed by closure of Llnmoor Mlddle School
(301-48), creaLed a sense of urgency abouL Lhe posslblllLy of
closure of Llnden-Mcklnley Plgh School (8ush 2007c, 2007e).
When Lhe school dlsLrlcL reached ouL Lo communlLy resldenLs
Lo dlscuss lssues surroundlng Lhe fuLure of Lhe hlgh school,
Lhe overwhelmlng message Lo Lhe dlsLrlcL was a sLrong and
posluve asseruon LhaL Lhe hlgh school should noL be closed
(303-14b). 1he range of reasons volced by communlLy
members ln Lhose early school dlsLrlcL meeungs polnLed Lo a
set of related issues that were both immediate and long-term
ln conslderlng Lhe well belng of Lhe communlLy and poLenual
lmpacLs of closlng Lhe hlgh school. As word of Lhe dlscusslon on school closure clrculaLed ln
Llnden, leaders from dlerenL segmenLs of Lhe communlLy engaged ln new parLnershlps Lo
organlze and acL. As one hlgh school alumnus sLaLed, we wanLed Lo resLore Lhe roar" and bulld
upon Lhe long sLandlng panLher prlde" assoclaLed wlLh Llnden-Mcklnley Plgh School (303-32).
llve dlsuncL componenLs of Lhe Llnden communlLy process resulLed ln plvoLal acuons LhaL
susLalned communlLy commlLmenL Lo school lmprovemenL. 1hese ve componenLs of communlLy
acuon are presenLed ln Lhe graphlc on Lhe nexL page. 1he followlng narrauve presenLs an
explorauon of Lhe speclc lssues and sLraLegles Lhe Llnden communlLy pursued Lo aualn common
goals, deslgn a sLraLegy for collaborauve communlLy lnvolvemenL, and reach consensus on a
school lmprovemenL plan. 1he ve polnLs of communlLy engagemenL provlde an undersLandlng
of Lhe fundamenLal sLeps essenual Lo Lurnlng Lhe ude Lo achleve school Lransformauon for Llnden
publlc nelghborhood schools.
...were moving to that age
where a high school diploma
will no longer get you where
you think you want to go...and
[we understand] that college
isnt for everybody...what kind of
focus do you have? And so thats
where the college and career
readiness really came in.
QUOTE [ 508- 109]
We need to do problem based learning when we do these things
in communities. And say, here is the issue, how do we solve this
issue? And how do we know that weve done a good job? Isnt that
what youre teaching [the] kids? And you have rubrics and problems,
and here is the process, and how do we solve it, and how well did
we do it? So, use your own, I mean have a process that includes
stakeholders at the onset, instead of waiting for people to say, well
I wasnt involved I didnt know anything about it. Im not sending my
kid here. Im afraid, or I dont know, Im anxious.
QUOTE [ 509- 98]
Five points
essential to
community
engagement in
school
transformation
Academic
Goals
Define the academic goals Identify stakeholders priorities
1
Stakeholder
Goals
2
Collaborative
Partnerships
Build partnerships and broad-based
commitment for a collaborative
community planning process
3
E X I T O N L Y
Stakeholder
Consensus
Implement a consensus-based
process to evaluate school
transformation to STEM education
5
Stakeholder
Action
Facilitate stakeholder action for
school and community
revitalization
4
9
DEFINE ACADEMIC GOALS
1nr rnst strrs tnxrN oNttv sv tnr scnoot bstnct nNb tnr commuNtv
were almed aL undersLandlng academlc goals crlucal Lo school lmprovemenL. lour
maln areas of lmprovemenL were ldenued:
Idennfy and |mp|ement 21st century curr|cu|um and |nstrucnon
Improve h|gh schoo| graduanon rates
Build program resources that assure career and college readiness
Idennfy fund|ng support for h|gher educanon
for L|nden h|gh schoo| graduates
Larly ln Lhe exchange beLween Lhe school dlsLrlcL and Lhe communlLy, a number of problems
were clLed by Lhe school dlsLrlcL as grounds for conslderlng closure of Lhe hlgh school (CreaLer
Llnden news 2007c, 2007d, 2003). Plgh on Lhe llsL was decllnlng enrollmenL ln Lhe pre-k
Lhrough 12 schools (1he Columbus ulspaLch 2007, 2006a, 2006b). ConLrlbuung Lo Lhe Llnden
slLuauon was an overall decllne ln Llnden's populauon from 40.9k Lo 34.8k ln Lhe decade
beLween 1990-2000, resulung ln 12 fewer school-age chlldren resldlng ln Lhe communlLy
(CommunlLy 8esearch arLners 2007). AssoclaLed wlLh low enrollmenL ln Llnden area schools
was a dlsLrlcL-wlde problem ln 2008 of hlgh school graduauon raLes of [usL under 74
(Columbus 8oard of Lducauon 2010). WlLh fundlng supporL from Lhe dlsLrlcL, Lhe CommunlLy
8esearch arLners (C8) conducLed a sLudy Lo gaLher fundamenLal lnformauon denlng
academlc concerns and oLher facLors aecung Llnden publlc schools Lo beuer undersLand
Lhe naLure of Lhe problems for Llnden parenLs and Lhelr chlldren. 1he sLudy provlded Lhe
opporLunlLy Lo furLher dene broad-scale communlLy lssues lncludlng relaLed census and oLher
socloeconomlc Lrends.
uullzlng focus group daLa, Lhe sLudy also honed ln on a range of sLakeholder perspecuves
lncludlng Lhose of parenLs, sLudenLs and members of Lhe rellglous communlLy, as well as local
buslness leaders. SLudy ndlngs ldenued a serles of facLors assoclaLed wlLh Lhe decllne ln
publlc school enrollmenL. Powever, a slngle sLark facL emerged LhaL polnLed Lo Lhe bouom
llne conslderauon for Lhe school dlsLrlcL: only 37 of Llnden
chlldren were enrolled ln Llnden area publlc schools aL
Lhe ume of Lhe sLudy. 1hls lnformauon underscored Lhe
unavoldable hard economlc and nanclal conslderauons faced
by Lhe dlsLrlcL Lo malnLaln local publlc school operauons (8ush
2007d, 1he Columbus ulspaLch 2006a). Cemng Lo Lhe bouom
llne for Lhe school dlsLrlcL also oered Lhe opporLunlLy Lo
beuer undersLand why parenLs were chooslng Lo enroll Lhelr
chlldren ln schools ouLslde Lhe dlsLrlcL, lncludlng Lhe opuon
The community has got to
pass the levy. Weve got to
support the levy. Because were
not going to have a school.
The numbers made sense to
me. You had twenty percent or
better decline in enrollment It
was an economic decision.
QUOTE [ 501- 62A]
10
Lo enroll sLudenLs ln charLer schools (303-48, 309-16, CreaLer Llnden news 2007c, 8ush 2006a,
2006b, 1he Columbus ulspaLch 2006a).
key ndlngs of Lhe C8 2007 sLudy found LhaL parenLs elecung Lo send Lhelr chlldren ouLslde
Lhe dlsLrlcL sLaLed Lhey were seeklng a school envlronmenL for Lhelr chlld where sLudenLs could:
1) experlence hlgher academlc rlgor" and expecLauons", 2) recelve quallLy lnsLrucuon ln a
besL pracuces" learnlng envlronmenL, and, 3) experlence hands-on learnlng ln ways LhaL apply
Lo dally llfe." Addluonally, parenLs ldenued Lhe need Lo lncrease communlLy lnvolvemenL ln
eorLs Lo lmprove Lhe school envlronmenL, lncludlng opporLunlues Lo bolsLer Lhe repuLauon of
Llnden publlc schools and advance school safeLy measures. College preparedness and provldlng
access Lo scholarshlps and oLher nanclal asslsLance were also clLed as crlucal Lo openlng up
opporLunlues for hlgher educauon Lo Llnden publlc school graduaLes.
In 2008 and 2009, over 100 Linden students attended the Summer Engineering Experience
for Kidsa program of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)where middle-school
students learned basic engineering skills to create hands-on projects. The 3-week camp was
designed to help prepare Linden students for STEM education and careers. The project was
sponsored by partner organizations of the Linden Area Education Task Force, the Battelle
Memorial Institute, and NSBE, and was held at the St. Stephens Community House in Linden.
Photo courtesy of The PAST Foundation
11
WlLh clearly dened communlLy goals ldenued ln Lhe C8 sLudy, LogeLher Lhe dlsLrlcL and
local sLakeholders moved forward armed wlLh lmporLanL undersLandlng abouL commonly
held goals and values, as well as greaLer awareness of Lhe problems and challenges for
lmprovlng publlc educauon ln Llnden. lnlual eorLs organlzed by Lhe school dlsLrlcL provlded
for a serles of lnformauon-sharlng meeungs held ln dlerenL nelghborhoods Lo convey news
on proposed school closures (303-14a). Powever, Lhe lnformauon sharlng qulckly galvanlzed
communlLy response, wlLh local leaders sLepplng ln Lo organlze a serles of ongolng meeungs,
lncludlng workshops and communlLy dlalogues Lo furLher dene academlc goals and develop a
sLraLegy for school Lransformauon (304-22a, 303-12a, 1he CreaLer Llnden news 2009l, 2009k,
2008b). 1hese early acuons were embraced by Lhe communlLy, and slgnaled a deeply held
deLermlnauon Lo fosLer an lncluslve local process, lay Lhe foundauon for grassrooLs acuon
among Lhose who shared a common goal for school Lransformauon, and bulld on a wllllngness
Lo work Lo make lL happen (301-8, 303-2, 306-136, 307-39a, 309-84).
[Parents] equated STEM with the idea that STEM would
give more opportunities to their kids, and that STEM was an
advanced thing that should be brought into their community
and so it was good for them. And so they did community
meetings about it, they did surveys about it, theyve got
graphs and charts and newsletters about STEM showing up
in their community, they even had the radio stations talking
about STEM and so on.
QUOTE [ 502- 26A]
12
13
IDENTIFY STAKEHOLDER PRIORITIES
IN onbrn to movr ronwnnb wtn n rtnN ron nctoN, rnrtmNnnv
dlscusslons were organlzed beLween communlLy leaders and Lhe school dlsLrlcL
Lo ldenufy key polnLs Lo assure successful ouLcomes for a school Lransformauon
plannlng process. llve lmporLanL prellmlnary areas were ldenued as Lhe basls for
lnluaung a communlLy plannlng process:
arents comm|ued to enro|||ng students |n ne|ghborhood pub||c schoo|s
1he commun|ty as a who|e wou|d p|edge to bu||d support for schoo|
|ev|es to assure fund|ng for |oca| pub||c schoo| renovanon
1he d|str|ct comm|ued to a commun|ty p|ann|ng
process to aua|n academ|c goa|s
1he d|str|ct and commun|ty [o|ned |n acnons to
improve school safety and security
1he d|str|ct and the commun|ty together formed the L|nden
Area Lducanon 1ask Iorce to take on a [o|nt process to des|gn
a schoo| transformanon p|an, and |dennfy |oca||y supported
acnons |nc|ud|ng ways to avo|d future schoo| c|osures
Closlng Llnmoor Mlddle School prompLed a sLrong response from Lhe communlLy, openlng up
a serles of early exchanges LhaL ulumaLely led Lo bulldlng a more robusL relauonshlp beLween
Lhe school dlsLrlcL and Lhe communlLy. Cn Lhe parL of Lhe communlLy as a whole, early
dlscusslons revealed Lhere was llule awareness among communlLy advocaLes of Lhe serlous
problems confronung Lhe school dlsLrlcL and parenLs of Llnden sLudenLs (303-12a) desplLe
eorLs Lo lnform Lhe communlLy (1he CreaLer Llnden news
2007a, 2007b). Cn Lhe dlsLrlcL's parL, faced wlLh nanclal
conslderauons, school closure pollcy was belng conducLed
Lhrough normal declslon-maklng channels lnvolvlng revlew
and commenL by Lhe Columbus ClLy Schools cluzen's Lask
force, whose members lncluded resldenLs from Lhe CreaLer
Columbus area (8ush 2007a, 2006b, CLA 2007a). WlLh llule
awareness of dlsLrlcL processes and opuons Lo provlde
feedback, Llnden resldenLs felL Lhey had been le ouL of Lhe
loop on declslons Lo close Llnden schools (301-68b, 303-
12b, 309-8a).
The school belongs to the
community...There is a trust
relationshipthe district
representation needs to trust that
the community knows what they
want for their children, and the
community needs to trust that
the district representation has
the capacity to implement that.
QUOTE [ 504- 22]
14
lollowlng a resoundlng plea by local leaders Lo supporL communlLy lnvolvemenL ln creaung
a school Lransformauon plan (8ush 2007b), Lhe dlsLrlcL conunued Lo hold meeungs ln order
Lo engage sLakeholders ln a meanlngful process for Llnden. Many sLakeholders Look Lhe
opporLunlLy Lo help ln Lhe communlLy's eorL Lo furLher dene lssues of concern, volclng
Lhelr vlews dlrecLly Lo Lhe 8oard of Lducauon. 1he lssues ralsed lncluded frusLrauon over Lhe
quallLy of educauon ln Llnden, as well as deeply held fears abouL lmpacLs Lo Lhe vlLallLy of Lhe
communlLy assoclaLed wlLh closlng Llnden publlc schools (303-12b, 8ush 2007c, CreaLer Llnden
news 2007a, 2007c). ln Lhls eorL, Llnden area sLakeholders convlnced Lhe dlsLrlcL of Lhelr
commlLmenL Lo work collaborauvely Lo nd soluuons Lo
Lhe problems faclng Lhelr nelghborhood publlc schools,
and ln so dolng helped seL Lhe sLage for a communlLy-
based, problem solvlng process (309-84, CreaLer Llnden
news 2009k).
Larly ln Lhe exchange of ldeas beLween Lhe communlLy
and Lhe dlsLrlcL, leadershlp from boLh sLepped forward
wlLh proposluons respondlng Lo fundamenLal dlscusslon
polnLs essenual Lo lnluaung a [olnL plannlng process
(301-20). WlLh awareness LhaL Lhe school dlsLrlcL alone
could noL address Lhe broad range of lssues ralsed by
Lhe communlLy, lnlual sLakeholder lnLeresLs focused on
organlzlng paruclpauon of local leaders and parenLs
Lo work wlLh Lhe dlsLrlcL, assurlng local prlorlues and
Lradluonal values would remaln lnLegral Lo a plan for
Llnden schools (301-20, 302-76, 304-22a).
Among Lhe opuons proposed Lo Lhe communlLy by Lhe dlsLrlcL was Lhe ldea of comblnlng Lhe
hlgh school and mlddle school (grades 7-12) as a way Lo bulld sumclenL enrollmenL ln a slngle
faclllLy, lmprove operaung cosL emclencles, and avold closlng Lhe hlgh school (CLA 2008, 2007b,
8ush 2007b). AlLhough Lhls opuon would also address Lhe problem of busslng Llnden area
mlddle school sLudenLs Lo schools ouLslde of Llnden (308-97), many ln Lhe communlLy were
lnlually agalnsL Lhe ldea of a comblned mlddle school and hlgh school, and expressed Lhelr
reservauons and need Lo explore Lhe lssues more fully (303-12a, 308-31, 309-8, Sebasuan
2007). ln ume, parenLs dld resolve Lhese concerns, allowlng Lhe dlsLrlcL Lo galn broad supporL
for a comblned mlddle school and hlgh school program (308-101).
LnrollmenL challenges across Llnden area pre-k Lo 12 schools were also an lssue of concern
for Lhe dlsLrlcL. Calnlng commlLmenL from Llnden area parenLs Lo enroll sLudenLs ln Lhelr
nelghborhood schools was predlcaLed on Lhe dlsLrlcL's assurance LhaL a school Lransformauon
plan would be lmplemenLed (301-62b). lrom Lhe communlLy's perspecuve, Lhe dlsLrlcL's
wllllngness Lo assure a plan for Llnden schools was an lmporLanL componenL of reesLabllshlng
LrusL ln Lhe dlsLrlcL's capaclLy" Lo meeL Lhe needs of Lhe communlLy (304-22). 1hls lncluded
ldenufylng addluonal fundlng for Lhe dlsLrlcL Lo ensure supporL of academlc goals, lncorporaung
provlslons for lmproved currlculum and lnsLrucuon (302-18,26, 1he Columbus ulspaLch 2008,
8lchards 2008, Sebasuan 2008).
The fact that things for young
people to do were no longer
therelike, we used to have the
teen center, right on Cleveland
Avenue, and the teen center had
closed and so there were more
concerns abouttheres nothing
for our young people to do
outside of school. So, there were
sort of a lot of different things
that were going on that made
me more interested in what was
happening with our schools and
teens.
QUOTE [ 503- 14C]
15
1he dlsLrlcL also needed assurance from parenLs and resldenLs Lo help supporL passage of Lhe
school levy ln order Lo secure fundlng necessary for renovauon of Lhe hlgh school bulldlng
and oLher operauonal cosLs ln Lhe publlc school pre-k Lo 12 school feeder sysLem (301-62a).
Addluonally, Lhe communlLy volced lLs concerns for reesLabllshlng a safe and secure learnlng
envlronmenL ln all Llnden schools. CommunlLy advocaLes on Lhls speclc lssue sLepped forward
Lo [oln wlLh Lhe school lmprovemenL eorL, bulldlng on exlsung work already underway ln
parLnershlp wlLh local law enforcemenL ln Llnden (307-34).
WlLh Lhe formauon of Lhe Llnden Area Lducauon 1ask lorce, Lhe dlsLrlcL formallzed lLs
commlLmenL Lo Lhe communlLy Lo engage ln an open, broad-scale, consensus-based process
Lo develop a school Lransformauon plan for Llnden (8ush 2007c). 1he Lducauon 1ask lorce
was [olnLly led by Lwo co-dlrecLors, one represenung Lhe dlsLrlcL and Lhe oLher represenung
Lhe communlLy (301-18, 302-62a). 1he sLrucLure of Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce lncluded creaung
commluees Lo address speclc elemenLs of Lhe school Lransformauon plan. 1he commluees
were organlzed Lo lnclude a comblnauon of dlsLrlcL sLa and communlLy members worklng
slde-by-slde (306-28a). 1he process also exLended Lhe opporLunlLy for Lhe publlc Lo paruclpaLe,
lnvolvlng Columbus area parLners Lo [oln ln Lhe process, brlnglng wlLh Lhem a range of educauonal
resources and experuse on educauon reform Lo advocaLe for school lmprovemenL and Lhe work of
Lhe Llnden Area Lducauon 1ask lorce (302-36b,62b, CreaLer Llnden news 2009c).
Demonstration of student learning is visible in all K-12 Linden STEM feeder schools, where
projects line the school hallways giving students a sense of pride and accomplishment in their
work. Student projects involve research and exploration of solutions to real-world 21st century
challenges experienced in todays neighborhoods and communities.
Photo courtesy of The PAST Foundation
So [the community dialogues] really helped us understand what
we needed to do to meet the needs of the community and build
a school and a feeder pattern that they wanted to be engaged
[with], have their students go to, and be involved with.
QUOTE [ 506- 136]
16
17
BUILD PARTNERSHIPS AND BROAD-BASED
COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT A COLLABORATIVE
COMMUNITY PLANNING PROCESS
A ncn rnontv ron commuNtv trnbrns nNb tnr bstnct wns to rNsunr
a robusL publlc engagemenL process, bulldlng upon local neLworks and oLher
lmporLanL exlsung communlLy resources for acuon. 1hree maln avenues for
engaglng Lhe Llnden publlc were pursued Lo aualn sLakeholder buy-ln and creaLe
opporLunlues for collaborauon across dlverse lnLeresLs:
In|nate outreach and ongo|ng commun|canon to grow
commun|ty engagement and understand|ng of pub||c
schoo| |ssues and potenna| acnons and outcomes
Seek partnersh|ps and support among commun|ty |eaders who cou|d he|p
inform others in the community on progress with the planning process
no|d commun|ty meenngs |n d|erent ne|ghborhood venues to
|ncrease outreach and understand|ng of d|verse stakeho|der |ssues
Among Lhe lnlual group of Lducauon 1ask lorce members, Lhere was a deeply held undersLandlng
LhaL Lhe work of Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce would be conducLed prlmarlly ln Lhe communlLy of
Llnden, holdlng work sesslons ln local venues as a measure of ensurlng access Lo Lhe process, and
galnlng communlLy buy-ln (301-28a, 302-36a, 303-32). AL Lhe same ume, Lhere was an awareness
among Lducauon 1ask lorce members LhaL engaglng communlLy members, worklng slde-by-slde
wlLh dlsLrlcL sLa, would also lead Lo muLual ownershlp of
a process shared by all paruclpanLs (306-22a). CommunlLy
ouLreach sLraLegles Lo lnluaLe communlLy awareness and
lnvlLe broad-based local paruclpauon relled on uullzlng
exlsung communlcauon channels among local communlLy
organlzauons lncludlng Lhose ln Lhe buslness secLor,
promoung Lhe process Lhrough local newsleuers, rellglous
group neLworks and local medla (303-36, CreaLer Llnden
news 2009c, 2009d, 2009h, 2009[, 2008a).
Cn Lhe lssue of local buy-ln, communlLy leaders felL LhaL
lnvlung paruclpauon of dlverse local organlzauons and
communlLy members would resulL ln a plan lncorporaung
Llnden values and help Lo assure Lhe rlghL soluuons" would
be soughL by Lhose who were mosL famlllar wlLh Lhe needs of Llnden famllles (301-28b, 303-38,
304-22a, 306-22b, 309-84). 1aklng on a leadlng role, SL. SLephen's CommunlLy Pouse, provldlng
And so I said lets move forward,
lets look at it, what does it
do? Lets ask the community.
We then did the community
conversations, which we
knew we all said that in order
to do any of this, it was going
to take parents, teachers and
everybody.
QUOTE [ 501- 20]
18
servlces Lo Llnden area famllles slnce 1963 (SL. SLephen's CommunlLy Pouse 2013), helped convey
an lnLenL Lo conducL a process LhaL would remaln local, and dlrecLly lnvolve paruclpauon of
communlLy leaders ln reachlng declslons on formal educauon pollcy for Llnden. As co-dlrecLor
of Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce, Lhe communlLy had condence LhaL SL. SLephen's would help focus
on prlorlLy lssues faced by Lhe communlLy, whlle aL Lhe same ume Lransformlng frusLrauon and
hlgh emouons held by Lhe communlLy Lhrough engaglng ln a proacuve sLraLegy for lmprovlng Lhe
quallLy of educauon for sLudenLs ln Llnden (301-28b, CreaLer Llnden news 2009l).
Local leaders also recognlzed Lhe lmporLance of paruclpauon by educaLors and oLhers lnLeresLed ln
S1LM educauon from Lhe greaLer Columbus area who also sLepped forward Lo parLner ln Lhe eorL.
Powever, Lhere were lnlual concerns as Lo Lhelr role, as communlLy members volced Lhelr vlews
LhaL leadershlp of Lhe process had Lo be Laken up by Llnden organlzauons, noL by groups from
ouLslde Lhe communlLy (302-36b). As undersLandlng grew among Lducauon 1ask lorce members
of a deep sense of communlLy prlde (302-76), and of Lhe communlLy vlew LhaL revlLallzlng Lhe
schools was a paLh Lo revlLallzlng Lhe communlLy as a whole (302-28b), Lhe process shled Lo a
Lrue reclprocal parLnershlp" ln whlch Lhe communlLy felL Lhey had a genulne say" (308-63,79).
Its been an ongoing community process, that the ownership of it has
contlnued to be the communlty. 7hot when thlngs were dllhcult, ond there's
been rough, rough edges with it, that the community didnt abandon the
project and the district didnt abandon the project. And, that says a lot for
both. I mean, you know itsthey stuck with it, and continued to stick with it.
QUOTE [ 504- 148]
In 2008 and 2009, Linden area high school students participated in STEM in the Linden
Area (STEM LA), organized by the Greater Linden Development Corporation. STEM
LA oered students paid summer internships to work at local businesses. The project was
sponsored by partner organizations of the Linden Area Education Task Force.
Photo courtesy of The PAST Foundation
19
FACILITATE STAKEHOLDER ACTION FOR
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION
CommuNtv srNtmrNt nrcnnbNc n rtnN ron tnnNsronmNc tnr rustc
schools lnvolved Lhe ldea LhaL school Lransformauon was lnLegral Lo an overall
long-Lerm plan for revlLallzlng Lhe communlLy as a whole. 1helr vlews expressed
a seL of four lmporLanL aspecLs of school Lransformauon and broadly held
communlLy values and goals:
Schoo| |mprovement |s transformanve for the commun|ty as a who|e
keta|n|ng commun|ty |dennty thru rev|ta||z|ng the
schoo|s |s a mu|ngeneranona|, broad-based goa|
Schoo| renovanon can a|so prov|de econom|c benehts
to the commun|ty, open|ng up opportun|nes to contract
|oca| bus|nesses and h|re |oca| workers
8u||d|ng on the ex|snng capac|ty of commun|ty
organ|zanons to co||aborate to ach|eve eecnve outcomes
oers a way to meet rea| commun|ty needs
8ecognluon of Lhe fundamenLal connecuons beLween lmprovlng Lhe quallLy of educauon and
communlLy vlablllLy allowed for Lhe process Lo unfold wlLh undersLandlng and respecL from all
paruclpanLs. 1hls led Lo deslgnlng a sLraLegy addresslng lnLerrelaLed lssues of vlLal lmporLance
Lo Lhe communlLy. lnherenL Lo Lhe communlLy's goals for school lmprovemenL was a sense of
resLorlng a prlde of communlLy, and of bulldlng a new vlslon for Llnden ln whlch sLudenLs could
ldenufy wlLh a long Lradluon of pasL academlc success experlenced by communlLy members,
many of whom are alumnl of Llnden-Mcklnley Plgh School
(302-28b, 303-34, 306-28b, CreaLer Llnden news 1999a,
1999b, 1999c). Addluonally, Lhere was growlng senumenL
expressed ln Lhe communlLy LhaL schools should be
reesLabllshed as Lhe cenLer of Lhe communlLy" (304-30).
As Lhese lssues became more clearly dened, Lducauon
1ask lorce members auempLed Lo creauvely allgn
Lhese broad goals for communlLy revlLallzauon wlLh Lhe
communlLy's focus on lmprovlng opporLunlues for sLudenLs,
whlle also conducung Lhe cenLral Lask of produclng a
rlgorous evaluauon of Lhe academlc opuons for school
Lransformauon for Llnden (302-26, 306-22b).
The Engagement Committee
[of the Linden Area Education
Task Force] was a combination,
again, of district personnel and
community folks. The focus was
on re-establishing the school as
the center of the community, and
re-establishing the pride that
was in Linden-McKinley [high
school].
QUOTE [ 501- 20]
20
A strategy to grow more broad-based interest in the
school Lransformauon eorL was dlrecLed Loward a
dlverse seL of Llnden sLakeholders. A prlmary LargeL
of Lhls eorL was lnLended Lo bulld awareness of Lhe
poLenual for lmprovlng Lhe economlc vlablllLy of Llnden
(301-40). Launchlng a campalgn called Learnlng ln
Llnden," a Lwo-fold proposluon was puL lnLo acuon: rsL
Lo convey lnformauon abouL Lhe school Lransformauon
plan and gain support from parents to enroll their
chlldren ln Llnden schools. Llnked Lo LhaL was a secondary
goal Lo promoLe Lhe ldea of Lhe poLenual beneLs for
Lhe buslness communlLy. 1he lauer message concerned
Lhe lmporLance of a sLrong educauonal program LhaL would auracL famllles Lo Llnden, allaylng
llngerlng fears LhaL school closures and/or low performlng schools would lead Lo fewer famllles
movlng Lo Llnden, and fewer famllles Lo buy goods and servlces from local Llnden buslnesses
(301-92, CreaLer Llnden news 2009c, 2009d, 2007a, 2007d).
A relaLed aspecL of ralslng communlLy awareness was Lackled by Lhe CreaLer Llnden
uevelopmenL Corporauon (CLuC) ln recognlzlng Lhe poLenual lmpacLs of low-performlng
schools for fuLure growLh and developmenL ln Llnden (303-16). Cpenlng up Lhelr communlLy
newsleuer Lo explorlng lssues of school lmprovemenL, Lhe CLuC newsleuer, 1he CreaLer
Llnden news," provlded a conunuous sLream of lnformauon as Lhe plan progressed Loward
consensus (CreaLer Llnden news 2009g, 2009h, 2008a). 1he CLuC also worked ln parLnershlp
wlLh Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce Lo lnform Lhe communlLy abouL Lhe poLenual for Lransformlng
Llnden schools Lo a 21sL cenLury learnlng envlronmenL Lhrough an lnLegraLed program of
sclence, Lechnology, englneerlng and maLh (S1LM) and Lransdlsclpllnary problem-based learned
(1-8L). Cnce people undersLood S1LM, accepLance began Lo Lake hold, and lL was llke a
ground swell," and people felL convlnced Lhey wanLed S1LM educauon for Lhelr sLudenLs as a
prlmary dlrecuon Lo preparlng Lhem for Lhe [obs of Lhe fuLure (302-26b, 303-26, CreaLer Llnden
news 2009d).
Lssenual Lo Lhls eorL was Lhe process of conveylng Lo parenLs and resldenLs whaL S1LM oers
and why lL was Lhe rlghL declslon for Llnden (303-22, 303-87, 309-106). Addluonally, parenLs
wanLed assurance from Lhe dlsLrlcL LhaL as Lhe rsL school feeder sysLem Lo Lransluon Lo S1LM
educauon, Lhe process would be fully supporLed Lhrough Lhe Lransformauon Lo successful
ouLcomes (303-36, 308-31). Cne communlLy member commenLed LhaL Lhe rsL ume Lhey
had encounLered Lhe Lerm S1LM" and learned LhaL Llnden was belng consldered for S1LM
educauon, was Lhrough Lhe CLuC newsleuer dlsLrlbuLed Lo every household ln Llnden (303-30).
Calnlng communlLy supporL for Lhe levy Lo fund school renovauon also opened up a slgnlcanL
seL of relaLed lssues volced by Lhe communlLy lnvolvlng Lhe prospecL of consLrucuon conLracLs
and assurances LhaL conslderauon would be glven Lo hlrlng local buslnesses and workers (301-
76). 8rlnglng local consLrucuon companles Lo Lhe Lable and reachlng ouL Lo local unlons led Lo
a serles of lmporLanL ouLcomes, lncludlng [olnLly sponsored local [ob falrs oerlng [ob Lralnlng
and formallzlng conLracLor blddlng opporLunlues (CreaLer Llnden news 2009b). lor Llnden,
I think the biggest outcome
of this whole thing, that I have
seen, is it has opened the door
between school and community
in a way that it had not before.
And again, I think thats been a
change on both sides, not just
one side.
QUOTE [ 503- 46A]
21
Lhls was as lmporLanL for galnlng communlLy buy-ln as Lhe eorL for selecung Lhe new school
currlculum" (301-78a).
AL each sLep of Lhe process, communlLy leaders reached ouL Lo dlverse sLakeholders noL
Lradluonally lnvolved ln educauon advocacy. ln Lhls sLraLegy, Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce was able
Lo bulld on local knowledge and experlence, as well as brlng local resources Lo Lhe Lable Lo
creaLe a communlLy-based plan for acuon. 1he resulL was a communlLy engagemenL process
LhaL resonaLed deeply ln Lhe Llnden communlLy, creaung broadly shared expecLauons for Lhe
fuLure of Lhe educauon sysLem and success of Llnden's youLh (CreaLer Llnden news 2010a,
2009a, 2009d, 2009h).
"From the very hrst l wos lntrlguedl meon, l thought 'thls sounds
great, it sounds like it could really help our community, you know,
could help move our young people into the jobs of the future.
Everything they presented soundedto use old-fashioned words
neat or cool. You know, I was excited about it.
QUOTE [ 503- 26]
(left) Community members with diverse interests and concerns joined together in a process to
identify collaborative actions to support Linden community revitalization strategies. Their
vision for Linden was integral to the plan for assuring that the quality of education in the
public schools would benet the community as a whole.
(right) Dialogues were held in Linden to give parents, students and other stakeholders the
opportunity to consider the potential benets of STEM education for the K-12 Linden
schools. The community gatherings were essential to gaining input from the community and
build support for the decision to transition to STEM education as the best path forward for
Linden students.
Photos courtesy of Greater Linden Development Corp
22
23
IMPLEMENT A CONSENSUS-BASED PROCESS
TO EVALUATE SCHOOL TRANSFORMATION TO
STEM EDUCATION
IbrNtrvNc S1LM rbucntoN ns tnr srst rtnN ron LNbrN nrounrb
laylng Lhe groundwork Loward undersLandlng Lhe beneLs of S1LM educauon
for sLudenLs, and bulldlng condence ln Lhe dlsLrlcL's ablllLy Lo lmplemenL S1LM
across all grade levels ln Lhe pre-k Lo 12 school feeder sysLem. ln reachlng
consensus for S1LM educauon, Lhe Llnden experlence suggesLs a serles of
essenual sLeps for successful lmplemenLauon of school Lransformauon:
Lngage commun|ty |eaders ear|y |n the process, prov|d|ng mechan|sms
to acqu|re |nformanon and beg|n an exchange of |deas between the
d|str|ct and the commun|ty to dehne |ssues of concern to stakeho|ders
Conduct a robust process for |dennfy|ng academ|c goa|s and
common|y he|d propos|nons for |n|nanng schoo| |mprovement
rov|de a c|ear and cons|stent message about S1LM educanon for the
commun|ty, commun|canng |nformanon |n d|erent venues |nvo|v|ng
|oca| |eve| schoo| adm|n|strators and educators, |nc|ud|ng c|assroom
teachers, who w||| conduct |mp|ementanon of S1LM educanon
Work w|th |oca| |eaders to deve|op short-term strateg|es to expand
opportun|nes to educate parents, students, and others |n the
commun|ty about S1LM educanon and strateg|c connecnons to
|oca||y re|evant academ|c goa|s for a 21st century educanon
Lstab||sh the connecnon between S1LM educanon and S1LM
careers for students and the|r parents, as we|| as others
|n the commun|ty |nc|ud|ng |oca| bus|ness |eaders
Laylng Lhe groundwork Lo reach consensus for school Lransformauon of Llnden area schools was
lnluaLed ln !anuary 2007 and reached concluslon by !anuary of 2009 wlLh approval by Lhe 8oard
of Lducauon for lmplemenung S1LM educauon. ln Lhe followlng umellne (pg. 26), lL ls noLable
LhaL Lhe communlLy response Lo Lhe !anuary 2007 dlsLrlcL meeung led Lo an lmmedlaLe plan for
a sLakeholder process embodled ln a 1ask lorce sLrucLure [olnlng educauon leaders wlLh Llnden
sLakeholders. WlLhln a few weeks of Lhe school dlsLrlcL's rsL communlLy meeung ln 2007, Lhe
dlsLrlcL [olned wlLh SL. SLephen's CommunlLy Pouse and commlued Lo organlzlng a 1ask lorce
sLakeholder process open Lo Lhe publlc. 1he Lducauon 1ask lorce proceeded Lo assemble Lhe
group of parLners lncludlng Llnden organlzauons and communlLy advocaLes Lo hold lLs rsL
24
meeung wlLhln [usL a few shorL monLhs, ln sprlng 2007.
Cnce launched, Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce was able Lo
compleLe lLs mlsslon over an 18-monLh perlod, and by
!anuary 2009 proposed recommended acuons Lo Lhe
Columbus ClLy Schools 8oard of Lducauon (301-24).
Worklng Lhrough lssue-drlven commluees LhaL lncluded
currlculum and lnsLrucuon, school safeLy, and school
renovauon deslgn, Lhe 8oard expressed condence ln
Lhe communlLy process ln approvlng Lhe plan for school
Lransformauon presenLed by Lhe Lducauon 1ask lorce
(309-36).
Lngaglng Lhe communlLy ln a hlghly sLrucLured and
robusL, buL 'user frlendly' process, Lhe dlsLrlcL was able Lo overcome lnlual fears abouL
unavoldable proposed changes, and rebulld LrusL wlLh parenLs and communlLy leaders.
Addluonally, and mosL lmporLanL Lo Lhe communlLy, Lhe ouLcomes envlsloned lnvolved
developlng a meanlngful plan for acuon also conLrlbuung Lo a broader seL of goals relevanL Lo
Lhe communlLy as a whole, galnlng broad sLakeholder endorsemenL of Lhe plan. 1he role of
local leaders Lo nurLure a parLnerlng sLraLegy and process LhaL opened Lhe door Lo explorlng
dlverse lssues LhaL emerged as dlerenL volces and lssues were ldenued, lead Lo forglng new
undersLandlng and alllances across communlLy organlzauons and assoclauons.
1he necessary ume Lo ldenufy local parLners, resources and secure funds Lo supporL a rlgorous
Lducauon 1ask lorce eorL was conducLed on a parallel Lrack wlLh eorLs Lo galn fundlng for
new currlculum and lnsLrucuonal Lralnlng cosLs (Chlo S1LM Learnlng neLwork 2008, CreaLer
Llnden news 2008c), lncludlng opporLunlues Lo apply for
S1LM educauon fundlng from Lhe sLaLe of Chlo. Cn LhaL
fronL, Lhe dlsLrlcL underLook acuon Lo seek educauon
funds, and wlLh passage of Pouse 8lll 119 by Lhe Chlo
leglslaLure (uayLon Area Chamber of Commerce 2009),
began granL proposal developmenL Lo compeLe for sLaLe
S1LM funds for Llnden (1he Columbus ulspaLch 2008).
1hese eorLs conunue as Lhe dlsLrlcL moves forward wlLh
school Lransformauon ln Llnden as well as ln Lwo oLher
urban, pre-k Lo 12 school feeder sysLems wlLhln Lhe
Columbus ClLy Schools.
Among Llnden leaders, galnlng supporL for a successful
school levy Lo fund Lhe renovauons of Lhe Llnden-
Mcklnley Plgh School bulldlng were also essenual
Lo meeung goals for deslgn of Lhe comblned mlddle
school/hlgh school (1he Columbus ulspaLch 2009, CreaLer Llnden news 2009d, 2009f).
1he resources supporung Lhese acuons also exLended beyond local enuues as Lhe plannlng
process galned ground. WlLh fundlng provlded by Lhe nauonal Lducauon Assoclauon
(nLA), Lhe communlLy recelved ma[or asslsLance Lhrough a granL from nLA's Closlng Lhe
AchlevemenL Cap" rogram. WlLh nLA fundlng, SL. SLephen's and Lhe Columbus Lducauon
So I would have to say the
[school] board was supportive
of the process. And supportive
of the STEM program being
in the Linden community.
They were supportive of the
decisions the community made
and the superintendents
recommendations.
QUOTE [ 509- 36]
I was always struck with how
interested and excited people
were to do things, so I never
got the sense that this was
something that [the community]
didnt want to do. You know,
I got this sense that it was
sort of a Linden pride kind of
thing they were going to do,
in a uniquely Linden style, with
Linden people.
QUOTE [ 502- 38]
25
Assoclauon (CLA) [olnLly held a serles of subsLanuve, ongolng communlLy dlalogues," provldlng
a forum Lo garner lmporLanL lnslghLs on communlLy needs llnklng school Lransformauon
wlLh soclal, culLural and economlc lssues fundamenLal Lo Lhe well-belng of Lhe communlLy
as a whole. 1he Llnden communlLy dlalogue deslgn has been recognlzed by Lhe nLA as a
successful model for communlLy acuon oerlng a unlque vlew of Lhe lmporLance of communlLy
engagemenL for lmplemenung S1LM educauon on a nauonal scale (301-24, 309-102).
The design process was really a combination of community
folks working alongside district staff, and really putting the
ownership of this process in everyones hands.
QUOTE [ 506- 22A]
At the end of the day we got the committees together and
came back with a recommendation, presented it to the
board, the school board. The community conversations, I
think, were phenomenal.
QUOTE [ 501- 24]
(left) The Girls Empowerment Mural (GEM) project, supported by The Womens Fund of
Central Ohio, provided important opportunities for students to demonstrate critical thinking
as well as skills and talents gained through education as they consider STEM solutions to
community issues.
(right) GEM takes the power of murals out into the elementary schools, as part of a process
of revitalizing the community as a whole, restoring the pride of community, and a spirit of
working together.
Photos courtesy of The PAST Foundation
26
TIMELINE TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
27
JANUARY 2007AUGUST 2009
29
CONTINUING THE REVITALIZATION PROCESS
THROUGH STEM EDUCATION
8utbNc oN tnr momrNtum or mrtrmrNtNc S1LM rbucntoN, tnr
communlLy conunues Lo express supporL for Lhe ongolng school Lransformauon Lo
S1LM educauon. ln fall 2012, Lhe Llnden-Mcklnley S1LM Academy held Lhe omclal
rededlcauon ceremony, lnvlung Lhe communlLy Lo [oln wlLh sLudenLs, faculLy
and admlnlsLraLors ln celebraung Lhe compleuon of Lhe renovauon of Lhe new
mlddle school/hlgh school faclllLy (Columbus ClLy Schools 2012). Cne Lducauon
1ask lorce paruclpanL observed LhaL, S1LM (educauon) has opened doors ln
Lhe communlLy LhaL would noL have been opened oLherwlse" (303-62a, CreaLer
Llnden news 2011, 2010b, 2010c, 2010d, 2010e, 2009b, 2009e, 2009k).
1he lnLeresL ln S1LM educauon as a shl Loward preparlng sLudenLs for 21sL cenLury [obs and
careers remalns hlgh, and communlLy leaders express a need Lo conunue Lo share Lhe success
of Lhe Lransformauon wlLh Lhe communlLy more broadly. 1he followlng observauons and
suggesuons reecL ldeas ln response Lo Lhe quesuon abouL Lhe legacy" of Lhe S1LM school
Lransformauon process for Lhe Llnden communlLy. 1he followlng commenLs provlde Lhe beneL
of seelng Lhe range of posluve changes LhaL are parL of Lhe Llnden experlence lncludlng Lhe
poLenual for conunulng communlLy commlLmenL Lo Lhe success of Llnden schools.
Connnue to ho|d commun|ty meenngs to report on progress,
schedu|e regu|ar, we||-advernsed meenngs that peop|e
can p|an to auend w|th advance nonce (S03-66).
I|nd ways to connnue to convey what S1LM educanon |s by tak|ng S1LM
out of the schoo| and demonstranng |t |n the commun|ty (S03-S4).
Create a mode| for other Co|umbus commun|nes, bu||d|ng upon
|essons |earned to beneht the d|str|ct and ne|ghborhoods |n ways
that w||| estab||sh beuer re|anons between commun|nes and the|r
pub||c schoo| system (S03-46a, S04-148, S06-38, S09-110).
1h|s case study has re|evance for transform|ng ex|snng pre-k to 12
schoo| feeder systems |n the future, wh|ch |nvo|ves d|erent types of
cha||enges than creanng a new "start-up" S1LM schoo| (S06-98).
The community has seen new investment in the community as a result
of the redes|gned schoo| and the transformanon to S1LM educanon -
peop|e th|nk |t has worked out for the greater beneht of the commun|ty
and |n bu||d|ng a sense of pr|de |n L|nden students (S03-S0, S06-79).
30
The process shows the community has faith in its youth
- th|s |s an |mportant message to convey to L|nden youth
and w||| a|so be true of other commun|nes mak|ng the
transformanon to S1LM educanon (S04-1S2).
Use the "Des|gn Cyc|e" to support prob|em-so|v|ng genera||y |n
the commun|ty, to fo||ow the process of dehn|ng the prob|em to
|dennfy|ng v|ab|e so|unons that the commun|ty can endorse and
that assures good outcomes - w|thout th|s process there |s "fear
and m|strust" when peop|e do not have a good understand|ng
of what |s chang|ng and why |t |s chang|ng (S09-98).
Lngage teachers and students ear|y |n the process (S09-130).
Create a system-w|de method for commun|ty partners to engage
w|th S1LM schoo|s, |nc|ud|ng ma|nta|n|ng a "coord|nator"
pos|non to fac|||tate commun|ty |nvo|vement (S03-48b).
1eacher tra|n|ng needs to |nc|ude or|entanon to the commun|ty, to
gain familiarity with local partners and resources that can connect
students and the schoo| w|th the|r commun|ty to support S1LM
educanon and prob|em-based |earn|ng (e.g. asset mapp|ng), teachers
who are not from the commun|ty ohen are un|nformed about the |oca|
commun|ty and potenna| ways to bu||d |oca| partnersh|ps (S03-S0a).
CONCLUSIONS
ln conslderlng Lhe essenual sLeps LhaL were puL lnLo mouon, lL ls apparenL LhaL Lhere were a
serles of successful collaborauve acuons lmplemenLed and supporLed by dlverse parLnershlps Lo
reach consensus for S1LM educauon. 8ulldlng sLakeholder buy-ln" Lo a plan for acuon lnvolved
an ongolng serles of dlscusslons LhaL boLh ldenued problems and soughL ouL soluuons for Lhe
unlque challenges ldenued Lhrough a communlLy plannlng process.
8eecung on Lhe Llnden experlence, Lhere ls value ln conslderlng Lhe poLenual for uslng Lhe
consensus framework as a roadmap" for collaborauve acuon for school Lransformauon. ln
conslderlng Lhe baslc componenLs of sLakeholder engagemenL, Lhe vlablllLy of Lhe model
Lo supporL a communlLy process conducLed ln a shorLer umeframe oers a paLh for oLher
communlues an eecuve sLraLegy for lmplemenung a 21
st
cenLury approach Lo educauon.
31
REFERENCES
8ush, 8. (2007a). ClLy School 8oard Approves
Closlng 2 LlemenLary Schools," 1he Columbus
ulspaLch, !anuary 24, p. 38.
8ush, 8. (2007b). Llnden Leaders Walk CuL on
School lorum - Crlucs Say Lhe ulsLrlcL uld
Llule Lo ueal wlLh Lhe lssues 8efore uecldlng
Lo Close 8ulldlngs," 1he Columbus ulspaLch,
!anuary 3, p. 3u.
8ush, 8. (2007c). Llnmoor 8ack on Closlng LlsL
-lummeung LnrollmenL aL Mlddle School ls
1oo Much for Columbus 1ask lorce Lo lgnore,
1he Columbus ulspaLch, !anuary 23, p. 1u.
8ush, 8. (2007d). 1ask-lorce 8ecommendauon
8oard: ls Closlng 2 Schools Lnough?" 1he
Columbus ulspaLch, !anuary 19, p. 1u.
8ush, 8. (2007e). Llnmoor Mlddle ls nexL Lo Close
ln Llnden Area - School ulsLrlcL Already Pas
Closed lour LlemenLarles ln nelghborhood,"
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8ush, 8. (2006a). 4 More May Close - uecllnlng
LnrollmenL ln ClLy's Schools rompLs
8ecommendauon by 1ask lorce," 1he
Columbus ulspaLch, uecember 14, p. 1A.
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8ulldlng lan," 1he Columbus ulspaLch,
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LlsL," 1he Columbus ulspaLch, uecember 7, p.
1D.
1he CLA volce (2007a). 8oard Lo Conslder ubllc
lnpuL on Closlngs," !anuary.
1he CLA volce (2007b). School Closlng lan
nearlng Compleuon," !anuary.
Columbus 8oard of Lducauon (2010). lnLerlm
vlslon Card: 2012 and 8eyond," lebruary 1.
8eLrleved 1/28/13 from www.columbus.k12.
oh.us.
Columbus ClLy Schools L-news 8ulleun (2012).
Llnden-Mcklnley uedlcauon," SepLember
7. 8eLrleved 12/3/12 from hup://www.
columbus.k12.oh.us.
1he Columbus ulspaLch (2009). Llnden-Mcklnley
Leadlng nexL Wave," March 18, archlve.
1he Columbus ulspaLch (2008). $600,000 CranL
Lo Ald Changes aL Llnden-Mcklnley," May 12,
archlve.
1he Columbus ulspaLch (2007). lorum on School
Closlngs Schedule for Wednesday," !anuary 8,
p. 3B.
1he Columbus ulspaLch (2006a). AnoLher 1ough
ueclslon - 8udgeL Caps Won'L Allow Columbus
Schools Lo AdopL Lvery lan on urawlng
8oard," lebruary 7, p. 10A.
1he Columbus ulspaLch (2006b). Columbus 8oard
Schedules Meeungs on School Closlngs,"
uecember 27, p. 3C.
uayLon Area Chamber of Commerce (2009).
Pouse 8lll 119," ln Leglslauve Scorecard
2008/2009, p. 1. 8eLrleved 2/20/2013
from hup://www.uschamber.com/slLes/
defaulL/les/chambers/les/A204.320
Leglslauve20Scorecard20uayLon20
Area20Chamber.pdf
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2011). School and
CommunlLy arLnershlps Are key," 16:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2010a). Class of 2013 -
1hey CeL lL!" 13:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2010b). LlemenLary
SLudenLs CeL LxclLed abouL Sclence," 13:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2010c). Llnden lamlly
nlghL aL CCSl," 13:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2010d). Llnden-
Mcklnley S1LM Academy rogresses," 13:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2010e). LMSA
Ambassadors'' Club Pelps CuL aL Llbrary," 13:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009a). And 1he
Survey Says. College ls very lmporLanL lor
Llnden-Mcklnley SLudenLs!" 14:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009b). Commluee
Seeks Lo ConnecL 8esldenLs wlLh ConsLrucuon
1ralnlng and !obs," 14:4.
32
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009c). Learnlng ln
Llnden," 14:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009d). Learnlng ln
Llnden ls Changlng!" 14:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009e). Llbrary Cers
new S1LM Pomework CenLer," 14:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009f). Llnden-
Mcklnley 8ulldlng Lo CeL $27 Mllllon uollar
Makeover: CommunlLy lnvlLed Lo 8e arL of
Lhe 8edeslgn," 14:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009g). Llnden-
Mcklnley S1LM - A Sample uay," 14:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009h). Llnden-
Mcklnley's S1LM rogram ls a SLudenL's aLh
Lo College and a Cood Career," 14:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009l). Llnden
8esldenLs Clve leedback Lo Columbus ClLy
Schools," 14:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009[). Local Church
Leaders Lend Support for New Linden-
Mcklnley S1LM School," 14:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2009k). More
1han 300 Auend Llnden S1LM CommunlLy
Conversauon," 14:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2008a). Change," 13:3.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2008b). Come for
ulnner - SLay for Conversauon," 13:3.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2008c). Llnden-
Mcklnley Plgh School Lo 8ecelve $600,000
S1LM CranL," 13:4.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2007a). Crlucal
nelghborhood lssue - ?our lnpuL needed!!!"
12:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2007b). Llnden Schools
?eah! Cr nay?" 12:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2007c). Llnmoor
Mlddle School Closlng," 12:1.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2007d). SouLh Llnden
Area Commlsslon news and noLes," 12:2.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (2003). lmporLanL
AnnouncemenL," 10:7.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (1999a). Pow uld
Llnden-Mcklnley Plgh School uevelop?"
!anuary.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (1999b). Llnden - Cn
Lhe 8lse or uecllne? ?ou 8e Lhe !udge," March.
1he CreaLer Llnden news (1999c). Llnden
Mcklnley: World Class School ln Lhe Maklng,"
September.
Chlo S1LM Learnlng neLwork (2008). CSLn
1echnlcal AsslsLance Workshop." 8eLrleved
!anuary 22, 2013 from hup://www.osln.org/
laLesL-news/2008.php.
8lchards, !. (2008). Columbus ln lundlng 8ace for
MaLh/Sclence School," CcLober 30, archlve.
Sebasuan, S. (2008). $600,000 CranL Lo Ald
Changes aL Llnden-Mcklnley," 1he Columbus
ulspaLch, March 10, archlve. 8eLrleved
uecember 3, 2012 from hup://www.kldsohlo.
org/2008/03/10/600000-granL-Lo-ald-changes-
aL-llnden-mcklnley/.
Sebasuan, S. (2007). novel ldea or 'Slap ln
lace' - lan Lo LllmlnaLe Mlddle School CeLs
Mlxed 8ecepuon," 1he Columbus ulspaLch,
uecember 20, p. 18.
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& PlsLory," ln SalnL SLephen's CommunlLy
Pouse.org. 8eLrleved lebruary 28, 2013 from
hup://www.salnLsLephensch.org/programs/.
APPENDICES
HOW THIS REPORT WAS CREATED
1he AS1 loundauon koowleJqe coptote ltoqtom (kC) produced Lhe Llnden case sLudy of
school Lransformauon. 1he kC research Leam relles on eLhnographlc meLhods Lo conducL eld
research, worklng collaborauvely and dlrecLly wlLh school faculLy, program parLners, as well
as communlLy members lnvolved wlLh educauon reform. 1hls eLhnographlc sLudy focuses on
Lhe analysls of a 2-year perlod, 2007 Lhrough 2009, when Lhe Llnden communlLy embarked on
school Lransformauon of Lhelr nelghborhood pre-k Lo 12 publlc school sysLem.
1he knowledge CapLure approach Lo learnlng abouL school Lransformauon bullds upon Lhe
grassrooLs acuons and parucular experlences of sLakeholders engaged ln communlLy plannlng
for school Lransformauon. ln Lhls vlew, we galn lnslghLs lnLo lessons learned" and dene
crlucal componenLs of school Lransformauon lnLegral Lo eecuve ouLcomes. 1hese lnslghLs are
especlally lmporLanL for S1LM educauon where communlLy-wlde engagemenL and collaborauve
parLnershlps form essenual elemenLs of successful school Lransformauon.
1he kC Leam lnLervlewed nlne lndlvlduals who shared Lhelr observauons on Lhe work of
the lloJeo Ateo Jocouoo 1osk lotce. 1hese lndlvlduals responded Lo a seL of open-ended
quesuons deslgned Lo explore Lhe communlLy process from dlerenL perspecuves (nexL page).
1he nlne lnLervlews were audlo recorded and Lranscrlbed. Addluonally, Lhe kC Leam analyzed
conLemporary publlshed lnformauon from Lhe sLudy ume perlod drawlng from local news
sources reporung on communlLy lssues and evenLs assoclaLed wlLh Lhe Llnden S1LM educauon
plannlng process.
LLhnographlc proLocols requlre anonymlLy of case sLudy paruclpanLs. 1herefore, each lndlvldual
lnLervlewed for Lhe Llnden sLudy was asslgned a code number ldenuLy. lor Lhls case sLudy,
lndlvldual code numbers range from 301-309. Code numbers are glven wlLhln reporL clLauons Lo
reference speclc paruclpanL vlews. 1he second number ln Lhe clLauon represenLs a parucular
response wlLhln an lnLervlew LranscrlpL (e.g., 301-23). Case sLudy clLauons provlde Lhe reader
wlLh an lnslder" perspecuve of Lhe slLuauon as well as Lhe essenual acuons and componenLs
LhaL form an acuon model" for school Lransformauon. lnslghL lnLo Lhe experlence of one
communlLy can lnform oLher communlues abouL expecLauons and poLenual sLraLegles as a
roadmap for lnluaung school Lransformauon plannlng and lmplemenLauon processes.
The Knowledge Capture Team
at The PAST Foundation
- Monica S. Hunter, Ph.D. (right)
- Maria Green Cohen (middle)
- Meghen Matta (left)
34
L|nden S1LM Lducanon ro[ect
key Informant Interv|ew
August 2012
1. When dld you become lnvolved ln Lhe communlLy plannlng process Lo conslder Lhe
publlc educauon lssues lncludlng Lhe closure of Llnmoor LlemenLary?
2. WhaL were Lhe maln lssues LhaL you felL needed Lo be addressed by Lhe publlc school
sysLem?
3. WhaL dld you Lhlnk of Lhe ldea of developlng communlLy lnpuL Lo Lhe publlc school
dlsLrlcL ln conslderlng changes Lo be made ln Lhe school sysLem? Were Lhere shorL-Lerm
declslons regardlng nelghborhood schools LhaL Lhe communlLy members ldenued?
Were Lhere long-Lerm lssues LhaL Lhe communlLy ldenued for Lhe publlc school sysLem?
a. lf you know, how dld Lhe ldea of S1LM educauon develop as an opuon for Lhe
Llnden school sysLem?
b. WhaL do you Lhlnk were Lhe beneLs of selecung S1LM educauon as an lmporLanL
change for Lhe Llnden schools?
4. WhaL do you Lhlnk were Lhe dlsadvanLages of selecung S1LM educauon for Lhe Llnden
schools?
5. WhaL role dld you play ln Lhe communlLy process conducLed by Lhe school dlsLrlcL?
a. Were you parL of a speclc commluee, or dld you play a role ln Lhe broad process
LhaL lncluded deslgnlng and supporung commluee acuons overall?
6. Who were Lhe prlmary leaders ln deLermlnlng Lhe acuons LhaL followed from Lhe
communlLy process?
7. ln your vlew, whaL were Lhe key ouLcomes of Lhe process overall?
8. ln your vlew, were Lhere lssues concernlng Lhe Llnden educauon sysLem LhaL were noL
addressed Lhru Lhe process?
a. lf so, whaL has happened ln regard Lo Lhose lssues?
9. ls Lhere a legacy Lo Lhe process ln Lerms of ongolng communlLy engagemenL wlLh Llnden
schools LhaL resulLed from Lhe communlLy plannlng process?
a. Are Lhere oLher aspecLs LhaL developed Lhrough Lhe communlLy plannlng process
LhaL conunue Lo beneL Lhe communlLy?
10. Can you suggesL oLhers who should be lncluded ln Lhls serles of lnLervlews Lo capLure
Lhe dlverse range of perspecuves on goals and ob[ecuves LhaL were ldenued durlng Lhe
communlLy plannlng process?
11. Was Lhere anyLhlng we dldn'L dlscuss LhaL you Lhlnk lmporLanL Lo undersLand abouL Lhe
Llnden communlLy and Lhe publlc school process for lmplemenung S1LM educauon ln
Lhe k-12 sysLem?

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