Building a Coalition

It is evident after reading this scenario that the Washington D.C school district is facing problems with student performance, crimes and a high turnover rate of teachers, just like many schools today. Teachers are often faced with harsh realities when they start fresh at a school, because of the dysfunctional system in place and then they burn out, and quit. Our textbook talk about the five stages: Forming-Stage, Storming Stage, Norming Stage, performing stage and adjourning Stage. It seems the group is stuck in the forming and storming stage. The group has no sense of direction, structure or leadership and everyone has their own opinions of how the groups should be run. There are already strong opinions on how the problems should be solved regarding truancy, low performance, crimes rate and creating an effective after school program. Referring back to the stages and understanding of the stages would have assisted the Woodson Foundation tremendously. First the forming stage was not completed, the groups should have met and established roles, structure and the purpose and it’s clear that was not established. You have the principal and the superintendent thinking the school should have more power, and not involving the parents, and other members with their opinions as well, which is a clear example that a purpose was not established. Second, the members did not hash out who was going to be doing what, and this stage was not completed because there was not a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership in the group. Third if the group had set a a clear and common expectation, there would be common expectation. All the members are interested in meeting the needs of the students and they all would like to increase student learning, but they are not on the same page when it comes to how to fix the situation. In a nut shell if the group had made an