Reconnecting with the community: A collaborative approach for the Lansing school district

For some time, the Lansing School District Board of Education has been perceived as disconnected from the community it serves. Urban communities present challenges to establishing any collaboration. Distinctly different cultures exist in each neighborhood. Segments of the population are transient. There may be significant differences in education level and economic status. Perhaps most importantly, urban communities may not trust organizations to have the will or capacity for meaningful collaboration. To begin, a strategy is proposed to engage stakeholders and build trust among the varied cultures in Lansing, Michigan. Additional strategies are explored for presenting collaborative input ' to a resistant public school board and to the extended community. The collaborative approach may be applicable for other urban communities and public school districts.