In the school environment momentum tends to build, both good and bad. The challenge for school leaders is they are working in such a complex environment that it can be hard to distinguish between a freak wave and the incoming tide. The challenge for schools is that unlike the tide, the momentum won’t turn itself – particularly if it involves the community.
The other problem for school leaders is that they cannot turn the momentum on their own and can be left feeling as ineffective as the fabled King who tried to command the tide. Even when there is collaborative community action the momentum must first be slowed before it can be reversed.
