I remember when on a whim I bought a car. It didn't last long. But, whenever I've bought a car with family members, we've had better luck.
The same is true for the work we do in schools.
When decisions are made without broad and inclusive voice, the decisions are often incomplete, but when decisions are made with good process such as a recent restructuring of schools in the district where I work, then the decisions are typically almost complete and positive.
A big part of working together is openly sharing information and updates. Generally when transparency rules, people read what they want and use the information to better inform and strengthen their efforts. Lack of open information leads to wasted money and time as well as repeated effort.
There is so much promise in the work we do when we do it together. Today I spent the day crafting an event with a number of educators. My challenges were someone else's strengths--I don't think any one of us could have done this as well on our own.
I'm looking forward to emphasizing this message to students during the last six weeks of the school when we work on a large number of collaborative learning events that require teamwork.