Early participation by school and nonschool representatives creates a genuine sense of shared power and responsibility in coalitions. True coalition building requires school leaders to listen as well as to lead, to share authority as well as to wield it. It requires that participants genuinely believe that their corporate wisdom and strength exceeds the wisdom and strength of a solitary leader. Coalition building also demands sensitivity to local conditions and needs. Since each community is unique, each will necessarily need to create its own set of priorities and processes.
Effective communication is indispensable in any sort of restructuring.
It is particularly crucial when coalitions are included in the reform process. There is great strength in diversity only when these dissimilar people dialogue with each other. Coalitions can be extremely powerful and effective tools in school restructuring, but only if pursued energetically, skillfully, and openly. The League of Schools Reaching Out. Paper prepared for a Symposium at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 1991.