While Dr. Comer's model and strategy worked well for the children of his school, they will only work for others if they are modified. No one should underestimate the difficulty of shifting the culture of a school from isolated and non-communciative to collaborative. Members of the school council might divide up the staff and parent community so that responsibility for communication is clear. For a teacher this might mean relating to a dozen or more colleagues on at least a weekly basis. For a parent it means an overwhelming task of communicating with hundreds.
Success depends upon the development of novel means of consulting and sharing information.
It is not enough to make contact. Representatives must be reflective listeners demonstrating through their words and actions that they have heard what their colleagues or peers are saying. Later they must further demonstrate the listening through action on the council itself. In addition to listening, representatives are responsible for explaining the actions and deliberations of the council so that constituents remain closely connected to the proposals under consideration. The possibility of a gap developing between council and constituents is a clear and present danger.