Nettlehorst Elementary School is a located in the East Lakeview neighborhood of North Chicago. Ten years ago, Nettlehorst was a failing school with a bussed-in student population, depressed teachers, and a revolving door of principals (7 interim principals from 1990-1998). Nettlehorst was a neighborhood school that the neighborhood had given up on. In 1999 not one family who lived in the neighborhood sent their children to Nettlehorst. Not one.
That literally changed overnight when Jaqueline Edelberg and another mother, both parents of preschool aged children, ventured into the school to talk with new prinicpal Susan Kurland. Susan dared to ask the mothers what it would take for them to enroll their children in Nettlehorst. The next morning the two women returned to Kurland’s office with an extensive wishlist. Kurland looked at them and said, “ Well girls, let’s get started. It’s going to be a busy year.”
Thus began a transformation that not only revitalized a school, but also changed a community. Today, Nettlehorst is one of the top neighborhood schools in Chicago, with outstanding test scores, and a vibrant, engaged community supporting it at every turn.
What was one reason for Nettlehorst’s turnaround? Both the parents and the principal brought all of who they were to the table to work together to do what mattered for the sake of the community they cared about. As Edelberg mentioned in an interview on January 13th, 2010 (click here to listen) she realized that the parents she saw everyday at the park were ad execs, lawyers, artists, psychologists, and that all of those skills and passions could be leveraged to transform a school.
Today, we encounter these seemingly hopeless scenarios not only in schools, but in many other organizations, as well. In way too many of the faith-based organizations we work with, for example, we sense a deep despair and hopelessness about the recession, conflict-caused anxiety over hot-button issues like sexuality, and a paralyzing fear caused by the decline and aging of the membership base. Leaders are overworked, stressed out, and siloed; forgetting that in their midst is a wealth of assets just waiting to be seen with new eyes, and tapped into in a way that can be transformative. The story of Nettlehorst is a good reminder.
The book: How to Walk to school: Blueprint for a Neighborhood School Renaissance can be purchased at www.unabridgedbookstore.com where a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Nettlehorst Community Group. Or, you can purchase the book at Amazon.com.
Comments