Abstract for: Collaborating with Public Schools to Halt Enrollment Decline

This presentation highlights a mixed-method approach to address declining enrollment in a public school system. This project engaged school leaders from both traditional district and charter schools, parents, and teachers to produce an inclusive causal theory about what drives enrollment decline. Through facilitated discussions, group model building, and semi-structured interviews, practitioners collaboratively developed a qualitative model to inform policy solutions. This approach produced a renewed focus on growing education capabilities across the system, reducing political tensions, and cultivating shared mental models between stakeholder groups necessary for systemic change.