Abstract A 2017 school progress report indicates that the Langford Community Academy has below average student attainment, and has not yet achieved the Chicago Public Schools “Healthy CPS” status. Reading growth is also below the national average, although the school is above average in mathematics growth. The Langford Community Academy also has a Level 2 rating by Chicago Public Schools, indicating the need for support at the academic, social, and financial levels. Collaboration with parent-teacher organizations, school administration, community leaders, and student government will all help facilitate needs-based change.

Collaboration

“When teachers engage in high quality collaboration that they perceive as extensive and helpful, there is both an individual and collective benefit,” (Ronfeldt, Farmer, McQueen, et al, 2015, p. 475). Collaboration is the cornerstone of success. Ronfeldt, Farmer, McQueen, et al (2015) identify multiple types of collaboration in education including collaboration among teachers with regards to classroom management, instructional strategies, curriculum, and assessments. At Langford, teachers report being moderately involved with their colleagues, well on their way towards meeting performance benchmarks that would indicate being on track for academic success. However, collaboration must also take place between teachers and administrators, between all educators and members of the community, and between teachers and parents. Building strategic alliances with community organizations can help the Langford Community Academy resolve unmet needs and fulfill goals.

The needs assessment reveals that Langford Community Academy is moderately organized, meaning that the school’s organizational culture and climate is poised for success but can make a few improvements. The school is excelling in the arts, which can be leveraged as a core strength when collaborating with community organizations. A real need for change has been identified at the third and seventh grade reading levels. When forming partnerships with community leaders, school administrators should consider these needs...

Parents report feeling welcome, and perceive their relationships with the teachers and the school administration as a partnership. Also encouraging is the fact that parents perceive the school facilities positively, suggesting that funds need to focus more on community-school partnership building than on parent-school collaboration. Attendance rates at Langford Community Academy are also high, signalling strong student-school partnerships. Collaboration with parents and also with students will help Langford meet its performance objectives.
One of the most important results of the needs assessment is the weak perception of safety in and around the school building. Therefore, it is suggested that the school focus its improvements on building relationships with the local law enforcement community. The collaboration is social in nature, and should the community policing model adopted by law enforcement rather than the assignment of police officers to schools without the type of “proper training” that prevents children from thriving (Mbekeani-Wiley, 2017, p. 4). Currently, police officers offer not even the semblance of safety, which is why perceptions of safety by parents and students are alarmingly low. In fact, “the student population in CPS overwhelmingly consists of a demographic that has been historically marginalized and disproportionately incarcerated,” which is precisely why police presence alone is not going to help Langford Community Academy or law enforcement to achieve mutual goals (Mbekeani-Wiley, 2017, p. 4).

Besides collaborating with law enforcement leaders, the school administration should also aim to create the “culture of calm” that Steinberg, Allensworth & Johnson (2011) recommend (p. 1). A culture of calm is something that can be achieved via collaborative efforts between administrators and law enforcement, as well as between administrators and teachers, and between teachers and parents. Assigning officers to Chicago Public Schools may…