MMSD at Stage 1 in partnerships

As with leadership, Stage 1 on the five-stage chart best describes the MMSD's partnership development:

Approach in Stage 1
There is no system for input from parents, business, or community. Status quo is desired for managing the school.

Implementation in Stage 1
Barriers are erected to close out involvement of outsiders. Outsiders are managed for least impact on status quo.

Outcome in Stage 1
There is little or no involvement of parents, business, or community at large. School is a closed, isolated system.

I can see some members of the board nudging the district toward more involvement of parents, but the creep is slow, slow, slow.

The description of implementation clearly describes the administration and the thinking of some board members in my mind. The description explains to me why the superintendent unilaterally returned the two-million-dollar Reading First grant. The recent revelations of bureaucratic impropriety are just after-the-fact rationalizations.

I encourage others to comment on this chart and the previous one. If various school advocates can come to some agreement (or at least understanding of each others' points of view) on these charts, we might be able to begin some productive dialog that would move the MMSD closer toward Stage 5.

Posted by Ed Blume at September 29, 2006 11:04 AM
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