Jennifer McDowell talks with Mark Bea, principal in Kentwood, Michigan, and Gabi Coty, community school coordinator at Endeavour Elementary, about what community schools look like in practice and why shared leadership is central to making the strategy work. The conversation focuses on how they structure teams, distribute responsibility, and keep the work aligned with mission so the strategy stays transformational rather than becoming a side program.

In this episode

• Mark Bea shares how a community school strategy differs from a traditional school model by embedding supports for students, families, staff, and the broader community into the core of the school.
• Gabi Coty explains her path from elementary teacher to community school coordinator and how her background shaped her focus on the whole child.
• Mark and Gabi describe community schools as a strategy, not just a list of extra services, field trips, or volunteers.
• They unpack the relationship between the principal and coordinator as the key driver of shared leadership.
• They explain Endeavour’s action team structure, including MTSS, academic extension, belonging and connection, and family engagement.
• Gabi describes how she leads the belonging and connection team and uses survey data to set goals and plan initiatives.
• Mark explains how the inverted leadership structure works, with the principal and assistant principal supporting team leaders rather than controlling every detail.
• They discuss how open invitations, aligned goals, and staff passion help develop more leaders across the building.
• They talk candidly about the risks of shared leadership without systems, including confusion, misalignment, and initiatives getting out of hand.
• Both reflect on the common good as serving people well, including students, families, and the community.

• 00:00 — First Michigan community schools conversation and introductions
• 01:25 — Gabi Coty’s path from teacher to community school coordinator
• 04:39 — Mark Bea’s leadership background and mission-driven approach
• 09:43 — Community schools as a strategy, not just extra services
• 11:20 — What a community school looks like in everyday practice
• 14:24 — Why shared leadership is a core part of the strategy
• 15:41 — What shared leadership means in a school setting
• 20:01 — Why the strategy cannot live on the sidelines
• 23:16 — The five action teams at Endeavour
• 24:13 — How the belonging and connection team uses data and initiatives
• 27:11 — The inverted triangle model and distributed leadership
• 29:23 — Why the team structure was designed this way
• 31:31 — Gabi’s experience stepping into a new leadership role
• 35:33 — Why the coordinator must be part of the core strategy
• 39:29 — District alignment and why it matters for community schools
• 42:09 — How Gabi helps identify and develop other leaders
• 46:56 — Concerns about decision-making in shared leadership
• 47:33 — Planning, approval, and keeping initiatives aligned
• 52:27 — Lessons learned from an initiative that got too far ahead
• 56:21 — Why leadership systems matter more than individual heroics
• 59:40 — Gabi on trying new things and building capacity
• 61:17 — Leadership training as essential to the community school coordinator role
• 62:19 — Closing reflections on the common good

Timestamps

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