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their homework assistance program School leaders demonstrate a clear and local colleges. Leaders may also
into the schools, the club was willing to vision by declining or revising well- reach out to businesses, health organi-
provide two afterschool coordinators intentioned opportunities that may zations, social service non-profits, and
and pay their benefits. Everything was take them off course. While it may community organizations operating in
falling into place. have been easier in the short-term the immediate area or where parents
The next year, both schools experi- for Lisa to enlist volunteers to provide are employed. Many potential partners
enced a return to their formerly robust academic intervention, she realized respond positively when invited to an
afterschool attendance, but new chal- this would probably result in frustration informational coffee or to an offer to
lenges emerged. In addition to manag- for the volunteers and limited growth speak at one of their meetings.
ing the entire afterschool program, the for her students. The partners’ efforts 4. Biased Toward Action
elementary coordinator expected to were better focused elsewhere and
continue personally running the Boys new funding sources were located to Risk is inherently part of intercon-
and Girls Club’s homework assistance pay for skilled tutors. nected leadership because the time
program. After Lisa was insistent that 2. Entrepreneurial Mindset and effort invested in cultivating a
the afterschool coordinator must focus partner may yield no significant out-
solely on student safety and program Lisa exemplified entrepreneurial think- comes. Leaders with a bias toward
efficacy, the elementary coordinator ing by overcoming constraints with certainty will avoid this risk, but
agreed to bring in fraternity members creative solutions. When the church the initially skeptical middle school
from a nearby university to implement partner seemed a poor fit because principal developed a fruitful con-
the homework assistance program. the elementary school lacked week- nection with the church because
The middle school principal faced the end worship space, Lisa connected he was biased toward action. New
challenge of maintaining the legally the potential partner with the middle partners can mitigate risk by starting
required balance between avoiding school her students would eventually with smaller projects that have lower
the promotion of religion and allowing attend — the school most likely to costs and flexibility to pivot direc-
students to freely exercise their religious support a contract that strengthened tion when needed. For larger proj-
beliefs. He vetoed numerous requests her elementary afterschool program. ects, such as the three-year church
from the church tenants before the well- Like dominoes, each solution evolved contract, intelligent risk takers will
meaning pastor fully grasped the legal into yet another challenge, but the minimize uncertainty with formal
boundaries of their relationship. team worked around the limitations by agreements that clarify expectations,
implementing ideas that added more
stipulate accountability measures,
As the two schools near the end of their variety to the afterschool program. and systematize communication.
three-year experiment, they agreed
it was a success. The parties have 3. Broad and Deep Networks Conclusion
entered into negotiations to extend their The elementary leadership team A superintendent recently told me,
contract with the church, and the after- included a diverse network of partners “No school is getting wealthier. No kids
school programs are stronger than they with strong connections forged through are getting easier to teach. Even if we
were before the original funds dried up. years of regular face-to-face interaction. stood still, we’d be falling behind.” But,
This story illustrates the characteris- These relationships provided the direct instead of lamenting the increasing
tics of interconnected leadership in assistance of volunteer and financial pressure on schools he was explain-
four ways: resources for the school, but Lisa ing why his team was invested in
benefitted equally from the partners’ partnering with community organiza-
1. Filter and Focus valuable advice, differing perspectives, tions for collective impact. Despite the
Shared vision is at the core of productive and social connections. improving economy, most schools still
partnerships. Commitment to a vision Unsurprisingly, community partner- operate in a political climate where
is illustrated by both what leaders ships form more readily when they are they must continue doing more with
focus on and what they filter out. In the intentionally cultivated. School leaders less. For many school leaders, suc-
above case, Lisa stubbornly focused interested in partnering commonly start cess in this changing landscape rests
on her vision for a robust afterschool by strengthening bonds with people on interconnected leadership.
intervention and enrichment program already supporting school initiatives:
until it could be completely realized. education foundations, Rotary clubs,

About the Author
Linda Mayger, Ed.D. is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at The College of New Jersey.
Over two decades, she has served as teacher, elected school board member, curriculum specialist,
and administrator in schools throughout the U.S. Linda's research interests include community schools,
social capital, and school policy, and her work has been published in Educational Leadership, Principal
Leadership, NASSP Bulletin, Social Science Research, and Education Law Reporter.

Educational Viewpoints -93- Spring 2018