Benchmark – Building Trust in a Diverse Community Case Analysis

and Rationale Template

Marsha Cochrane

Grand Canyon University

EAD-505 Education Law

Dawn Johnson

October 12, 2022

Part 1: Case Analysis

1. Brief summary of the case:

The neighborhood of Rose Place has a majority population of the middle class with an

ancestry and a legacy of white supremacy. Smith Jackson, a 40-year-old Elementary

school is located in Rose Place with 600 students, most of whom are white. The entire

staff was also Caucasian, but now a principal who of the same ethnicity as the minority

group of newly enrolled students has been recruited. The school district decided to

implement a busing program as a means of complying with the state's requirement that all

schools be integrated by the end of the decade. 

Now the school is in jeopardy of losing funds due to the threat of lower enrollment from

minority students caused by what seems to be blatant push-back from the school old

timers Hanson, K. L. (2009). 

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 2. Identify the issues to be resolved:
 Projected decline in enrollment

 Negative interactions and feelings of parent volunteer

 Ethnical disparity amongst the staff

 Behavioral and academic performance of students who are part of the voluntary
busing system.

3. Stakeholders involved in the issue:

Principal, community members, parent volunteer, parents, and students of the voluntary

busing program and staff members.

4. One or two existing laws or court rulings that relate to the issues:
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Kansas
On May 17, 1954, in a landmark decision in the case

of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the U.S. Supreme Court declared

state laws establishing separate public schools for students of different races to be

unconstitutional (National Park Service, 2016).

5. District policies that relate to the issues:

Non-Discrimination Policy:

In compliance with federal law, including the provisions of

Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, schools do not discriminate based on

race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs, activities and hiring (St.

Lucie K-12, n.d).

6. Possible solutions to the issues:

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  Accept the consequences because of the voluntary bus system fall out. While,

seeking to appease the majority stakeholders’ desires based on their ancestry and

legacy.

 Plot, plan and execute a program which directly involves community education,

collaboration and support the voluntary busing program as well as diversity

training for staff, and

cooperative learning for students,

7. The solution you chose to resolve the issues:

Plot, plan and execute a program which directly involves community education and

support the voluntary busing program as well as diversity training for staff, and

cooperative learning for students,

8. Action steps (2-5) for implementing your solution, including a timeline for each step:

 Plot, plan and execute a program which directly involves community education,

collaboration and support the voluntary busing program as well as diversity

training for staff, and

cooperative learning for students,

Action steps:

Day 1: Have a staff and faculty meeting seeking to understand the culture so as to shape my

communication and feedback.

Organize School committee with a responsibility to collect data on:

the current busing program

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minority students’ academics and behaviors

Set-up meeting with minority students to discuss and collect data:

on their experience since they started at the school. 4. Provide access via zoom, Facebook and

YouTube.

Send home invitation to community forum meeting, on day

Engage the school district for assistance with providing professional development for diversity

and inclusion.

Day2.

Send home a letter with survey questions and circulate an accompanying text and voice message

to all parents.

This will help with providing specific target areas for community integration plan.

Seek out and implement avenues to hire more highly qualified, minority teachers

Seek out information on how funding will affect programs and curriculum if it were

to be cut by not busing students

Day 3

Meet with committee chosen on day 1. Then based data and findings create program for diversity

and inclusion. Set date for implementation of same.

Place posters all over the school depicting diversity and inclusion. Implement incentives for
diversity and inclusion.

Day 4
Community Forum Meeting

9. Potential moral and legal consequences of solution:

The potential legal issues include but are not limited to the parents and community views and

rights being challenged in court. This would be to fight against school integration and block out

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minorities from attending. A possible moral consequence could possibly be the covert ill-

treatment and intimidation of minorities by teachers and student alike. The list is endless and so

this is where PD and other community programs will help.

Part 2: Case Study Solution Rationale

Behaviors which are essential to building trust as an effective team leader includes but

are not limited to the following stated. First, it is imperative to build positive relationships within

your team, such as resolve conflicts provide and seek feedback from others (Harvard Business

Review, 2019). Therefore, the first thing on my list of action step is to meet with my immediate

team members. As according to PSEL standard 1 my mission, vision and core values will be

communicated at this meeting. An open discussion will be facilitated so that this will be a

collective effort which will be conducive to the successful learning and development of every

child (Hanson, 2019). A district representative will be invited to this meeting to allow to assist in

strategically begin the development, implementation and communication of a redefined vision

based on the integration policy now in place (Hanson, 2009).

The concept of new public governance was quite interesting as I researched the idea of

building trust in difficult situations. I was searching for a way to communicate the idea of inter-

connections, interdependency, and interactions relevant to rose Place and Smith Jackson

Elementary. Collaborating for the common good is what jumped right out at me as soon as I

started reading on ‘New Public Governance, (New Public Governance, 2015). The benefits of

defying the practices of white supremacy instead embracing tolerance, diversity and inclusion

will be beneficial to all stakeholders. Intolerance can be unlearnt. Tolerance and mutual respect

have to be learnt” (United Nations Information Service 2004). Diversity and inclusion will allow

for increased expertise of which the principal is a perfect example. The school will still need to

comply to the state’s mandate of integration before the decade ends. The present is the best time

to do so. Additionally, losing the state funding based on parents withdrawing their students may
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negatively affect preferred programs of the remaining students. Therefore, seeking to create an

atmosphere for tolerance, diversity and inclusion is beneficial to all, primarily the students.

To address the issue of student learning and behavior issues, the principal’s track record

speaks for itself He is read, able and equipped to take the school across the new threshold

Part 3: Agenda and Agenda Rationale

AGENDA FOR A COMMUNITY FORUM MEETING

Welcome and rules of engagement – respect, kindness, and tolerance.

Introduction of panel members - Principal – 5 minutes

Statement of purpose for meeting- Principal – 3 minutes

Brief history of impending situation / data on findings– School counselor – 10- 15 minutes

Meeting goals – School Secretary – 3-4 minutes

i. To provide information on all legalities concerning the impending situation
ii. To present findings from school committee and parent surveys.
iii. To provide a free, fair, and bias free platform for discussion
iv. To provide a clear path towards tolerance, integration, and successful school year.

Statement providing a summary of all district rules, regulations – Board member – 10 mins
Statement of relevant state and federal laws – sheriff representative – 5-7 minutes

Summary of parent concerns from traditional families – Parent representative 1- 10 minutes

Summary of parent concerns from minority families- Parent representative 2- 10 minutes

Statement of the way forward – Principal – 15 minutes

Question and answers – 15 minutes

Adjournment

Agenda rationale

The above presented agenda was crafted with much care and strategic acumen based on

the sensitivity of the situation. Race relations in the United States of America has a long-standing

history. This community of Rose Place is effortlessly one with zero-tolerance for diversity and

integration. Welcoming everyone and providing a statement of purpose by the principal sets the
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tone for the whole meeting. Members of the community may not have liked the fact that the

principal is of minority origin. At this time however, they have no choice because he has been

chosen and affirmed by the school board. The sheriff representative and presentation were

included to ensure that the legal ramifications of race interactions are clearly communicated.

Therefore, in the instance of a breach, administration can affirm that the information was

provided.

Allowing both traditional and minority families to share how they have experienced the

interactions have the potential power to change each other’s perspectives. Presenting the way

forward further solidifies the principal’s authority to manage effectively. Yet this is not done

forcibly, as the opportunity to ask question with the expectation of answers was provided.

Providing findings from data collected will allow for critical thinking and more meaningful

discussions. My hope as an administrator is that respectful, meaningful discussions and

interaction will be ongoing as this meeting will serve as a catalyst. Buy-in and continuous

support from all stakeholders will be important for this integration to be successful.

References

Hanson, K. L. (2009). A casebook for school leaders: Linking the ISLLC standards to effective

practice. Pearson.

National Park Service. (2016, April 1). 1954: Brown v. Board of education (U.S. National Park

Service). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/articles/brown-v-board-of-education.htm

National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders. Retrieved from

http://www.npbea.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-

Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf

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St Lucie K-12 policies - Search. (n.d.). Retrieved from https ://www.bing.com/search?

q=St+Lucie+K-

Corsino, L., & Fuller, A. T. (2021). Educating for diversity, equity, and inclusion: A review of

commonly used educational approaches. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, 5(1).

doi:10.1017/cts.2021.834

Harvard Business Review. (2019, June 26). How leaders build trust. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/tip/2019/06/how-leaders-build-trust

New Public Governance. (2015). Building capacity in culturally diverse communities through

community engagement in hard times. New Public Governance, 119-132.

doi:10.4324/9781315702100-16

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