Sandburg Elementary School is located on the east side of Madison and serves over 460 students (“Sandburg Report Card”). Twenty-five percent of students are White, and 15% are African-American. Forty-three percent of Sandburg students are Hispanic or Latino, the second highest rate of any elementary school in the district behind Nuestro Mundo, the district’s dual-language public charter school (“District Statistics”). ELLs make up 48% of the student body, a 220% increase from Sandburg’s 2001 enrollment of ELLs. Over the same period, MMSD saw an increase in ELLs of 180% (“District Statistics”). Sixty-six percent of students are from economically disadvantaged families, and the school has the highest rate of homelessness in the district (“Sandburg …show more content…
Relaying this necessity helps the leader “persuade other members of the organization and important external stakeholders” to support the transition (Fernandez & Rainey 169). Effective managers will communicate regularly and with as many stakeholders as possible (Fernandez & Rainey 169). Kotter and Cohen echo the findings of Fernandez and Rainey, noting that when launching a change, leaders should “[show] others the need for change with a compelling object that they can actually see, touch, and feel” (36). By persuasively conveying the need for change, leaders take the first step toward a successful …show more content…
When asked if the district had a clear plan, Executive Director of OMGE Dr. Romero-Johnson responded, “I would say no. There were very compelling reasons for why we were going through those transitions... but I don’t think there was a district-wide vision or holistic vision about where we were at as a district.” In the absence of a coherent vision or plan, and with a consensus from the teachers that they were “not benefited by looking to the district to provide leadership,” Principal Wilfrid stepped in and provided guidance for his staff where he could