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A fascinating piece in Sunday’s Washington Post touches on a formidable, often neglected, barrier to promising education reforms: Community opposition. Especially as we try to fast-track reforms fed by stimulus dollars, we should not forget that community engagement is an essential (though frequently missing) ingredient in school reform efforts.

The essay’s author praises the year-round calendar adopted by her son’s elementary school. The longer school year allows time for “intersessions,” or “short breaks throughout the year.” During these breaks students take “fun, creative classes” where students learn “karate, ballet, photography, cooking and a host of other things.” She’s clearly a fan.

Forget for a moment whether you believe this is a good use of an extended calendar. (Some might see it as an antidote to “kill-and-drill” teaching methods during the rest of the year. Others might see it as a lost academic opportunity, especially for low-income children).

A larger lesson I drew from the piece is that any sort of plan to extend the school year can run afoul of both parents, who worry about the effect of longer years on their children’s well being, and summer amusement businesses, which rise or fall on teen-age labor. Reformers can easily leave very important stakeholders on the sidelines of important education debates.

One of the strongest proponents of an extended year, the Ed in ’08 campaign, seemed to miss this point last year when it admonished presidential candidates to support longer school days and years “even if the unions that typically contribute to Democratic campaigns oppose the idea.” Never mind that unions across the country have worked with districts and states to lengthen the school year.

When we’re distracted by the spectacle of possible conflict between “reformers” and “the establishment,” it’s easy to forget just how many different groups have a stake in big school reform ideas. Extended school days, extended school years, school turnaround efforts—most issues at the center of current reform discussions will require strong commitment from communities as well as educators.

So let the engagement begin.