WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP:
"Collaborative leadership and practices, the fourth pillar of community schools, provides the relational “glue” that connects and reinforces the other pillars, making it foundational and critical for the success of a community school strategy. By developing a shared vision and goals and creating participatory practices for distributing responsibilities, a community school leverages the collective expertise of all of its stakeholders. In many schools, collaborative leadership and practices are central to the work of the professionals in the building—teachers, administrators, nonteaching staff, and union leaders. Examples of this include professional learning communities, site-based teams charged with improving school policy and classroom teaching and learning, labor-management collaborations, and teacher development strategies, such as peer assistance and review."27
https://communityschools.futureforlearning.org/chapter-6
Context: Mountain View's history is one of collaboration. As part of a independent charter system, Mountain View previously existed as San Diego Cooperative Charter #2. When the parent charter organization decided to close the school, a group of parents, teachers and community members petitioned San Diego Unified to absorb the former charter school and open it as district charter school. Mountain View came into existence over the winter break of 2019 and opened to students in January of 2020.
As a district school, Mountain View formed it School Governance Team that serves as the collective decision making body for the campus. Other operational bodies also contribute to collective decision making. These include the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), School Site Council (SSC), English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), and the Mountain View Parent Staff Association (PSA).
Purpose: Mountain View seeks in improve its representation of all educational partners, specifically of parents and community partners. many of our parents desire to support our efforts, however the Mountain View community is a mostly low-income, working class community. Many of our parents are unable to join due to work schedules. In addition, Mountain View is making strides to build meaningful connections to various community parents and include them as part of our decision making bodies.
Our Journey with Collaborative Leadership:
Collaborative leadership is fundamental to our community schools work at Mountain View School. This approach begins with a dedicated site leader who embodies and champions this value. Our progress would not be possible without the intentional efforts of our site principal, who ensures that the community school strategy is integrated into all facets of our school’s culture, operations, and practices.
Importantly, this strategy is not merely a program we implement; it is the essence of who we are as a community. Shared leadership is actively promoted through well-established systems and structures across our campus, fostering an environment where all stakeholders—students, families, staff, and community partners—have a voice and role in shaping our collective vision and success.
Site Governance Team (SGT):
The Site Governance Team (SGT) serves as the primary governing body that guides and oversees our Community Schools work at Mountain View. Composed of school staff and parents, the SGT ensures that the Community Schools model is implemented with fidelity and remains aligned with our broader schoolwide goals. This group plays a critical role in approving funding requests and initiatives recommended by the Community Schools Committee, ensuring transparency, accountability, and responsiveness to the needs of our community. The SGT actively promotes shared leadership by valuing the input of various stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and school staff, in the decision-making process.
Link to SGT Minutes and Agendas
Parent Staff Association (PSA):
Our Parent Staff Association (PSA) is a collaborative body led by parents working closely with school staff to support and enhance the educational program at Mountain View. The PSA not only helps elevate parent voice but also serves as a direct advisory body to both the principal and the Community Schools Coordinator on matters related to the Community Schools initiative. Funding requests and committee recommendations are reviewed by the PSA, ensuring that parent feedback and voice are integral to all decision-making processes. Through the PSA, parent voice is celebrated and uplifted within various groups and committees, including the Site Governance Team (SGT), English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC), School Site Council (SSC), and Buenos Dias Café. This interconnected approach empowers parents to take an active role in shaping school policies, programs, and initiatives, ensuring that their perspectives are both heard and valued.
Leadership Elective:
The Leadership Elective, facilitated by the STEAM Prep teacher and the Community Schools Coordinator, provides a powerful platform for 7th and 8th-grade students to express their voices and actively participate in the decision-making process. This elective offers students the opportunity to give meaningful feedback on schoolwide issues and Community Schools initiatives. It also allows them to explore potential interests in areas such as yearbook creation, drone technology, science, and esports, among others. By fostering student leadership and agency, this elective ensures that the voices of our young people are heard, respected, and integrated into the broader vision of our school’s growth and success.
Uplifting Voices Across Educational Partners:
At Mountain View, we recognize that shared leadership is only effective when all educational partners are empowered to contribute. The collaborative efforts of the SGT, PSA, and Leadership Elective exemplify how the voices of parents, students, staff, and community partners are uplifted and integrated into our Community Schools framework. Through these structures, we ensure that everyone’s voice matters and that our collective vision is built upon the diverse perspectives and strengths of our entire school community.