School and Community Relations in the Kansans Can School Redesign Project

Abstract

Since July of 2017, approximately 72 Kansas school districts and approximately 183 schools have volunteered to redesign their schools around four redesign principles as part of the Kansans Can School Redesign Project. The earliest cohort of volunteer schools were led by the two redesign specialists through a planning process that included engaging community stakeholders in developing a shared vision for their redesigned and innovative school. Many of the earliest launch schools proved to be very successful in engaging stakeholders to collect authentic feedback early in the process. However, some school districts were surprised by pushback from stakeholders early in the implementation phase of the Redesign. This paper will review pertinent literature regarding best practices for family, school, and community engagement when initiating major change initiatives, describe scenarios from several redesign districts, and reflect on lessons learned that may help to inform future schools attempting a large-scale innovation.