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Effectively Engaging the Community Using the Civic Index
Click here to view a model for the public to conduct a community conversation.
Objectives of engagement activities:
Raise public knowledge and awareness about the findings of the Civic Index Use the findings of the Civic Index to engage the public in conversations about how to improve their Civic Index scores Provide the civic and public space so that citizens can develop a local education action plan and agenda based on their conversations and the finding of the Civic Index Develop networks within a community that can support the local education action plan based on the findings of the Civic Index
Introduction
In too many places, the community's ability and willingness to give voice to its priorities and agenda for public schools has eroded. Instead of the community leading the agenda for schools, the community is responding to agendas put forward by the experts, the latest superintendent hired to save the district or by different special interest groups. The Civic Index provides the opportunity for the community to take ownership of its role in setting the direction for public schools. This tool provides strategies for learning from the results of the Civic Index, as well as strategies for turning that learning into action.
Community Engagement is the work that can be done to bring people together to talk, listen, learn and decide to act to address their priorities. In this case engagement includes a number of activities that bring people together to consider their community and how it is doing on meeting its responsibilities for educating young people.
Three categories of engagement activities are described below. The Civic Index can be used as a tool in combination with each of these activities. We suggest considering the following approach:
Use the results from the Civic Index to conduct Awareness-Raising activities. The results from the Index when presented in combination with data on school results will provide a spark to get people talking about the situation in your community. Conduct Learning and Reflection activities to dig deeper into what people see happening in the community. How do they think about the issues raised by the Civic Index results and what possibilities do they see for moving forward? Collect this additional thinking and begin to connect it to the results from the Index. Alternatively Learning and Reflection activities can be used prior to conducting the Civic Index to preview the kinds of issues and priorities the community sees. Activities at this stage will raise interest and participation in the Civic Index process. Use the Civic Index results to set the agenda in Advocacy and Empowerment activities. The results from the Index and from the Learning and Reflection activities can frame activities that will produce community agendas for action and agendas for policy advocacy.
Beyond these three categories of engagement activities, the results from the Civic Index can be used to shape the public processes that are part of pre-existing community involvement or community visioning processes. Certainly the Civic Index results can shape the initial conversation that are part of a school board strategic planning process, an organization visioning exercise, and/or an ongoing effort to inform and engage citizens on education issues.
THREE CATEGORIES OF ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Awareness-Raising
Too often, attempts to engage the public become mired in battles over solutions before the issues at stake are clearly defined. By beginning any engagement effort with the goal of raising awareness, we allow people to wrestle with the issues that are at stake and have a discussion about values before any possible solutions are devised and discussed. This initial step amounts to sounding the alarm bell, and inviting people to engage around the issue by providing them with the information necessary to inform their thinking on it from the very start.
During this initial phase, the primary goal should be to help people understand where things stand and bring attention to the work that has been done so far, along with the work that still needs to be done. These efforts can include outreach to the media, public sharing of data, and concerted effort to get the information in the hands of people and groups who can make use of it and spread it to others.
Media coverage - The local media can be a valuable partner in publicizing events, as well as reporting on findings and sharing stories. Working with the media can provide several opportunities, ranging from op-eds by school and community leaders on issues to individually pitched stories about important issues facing the schools. For more information, see the media section of this toolkit. When both launching your Civic Index project and reporting results, you should employ media strategies in creating awareness and knowledge. Publish and share the data and stories - This sharing can take place either in print or electronically via a website. Electronic dissemination about the Civic Index makes the information accessible and easily shared with others. A website provides opportunities to not only present information but also allows users to interact with the information, find answers to questions and connect with others to discuss what they think. An e-mail newsletter is another electronic possibility, providing a mechanism that can allow information sharing beyond traditional networks and engage people in online conversations or invite people to personal meetings. Public narrative or story-telling, set in a larger context: As part of your Civic Index project, you will be collecting stories about the civic behaviors in your community. These stories will help people understand change in a larger context of where things started and where they are headed, so that during the transformation, people can see that things are moving forward. The purpose is to keep people committed to change. These stories must be compelling and coupled with data in order to put a human face on the challenges. They also must show that the schools, system and community are indeed getting better. Forum/briefings with individual audiences - By providing briefings to specific, targeted groups, such as community organizations, political leaders and education leaders with the data, other Civic Index conversations can be started. This can lead to discussions regarding the level of engagement and the gap between current data and community aspirations for engagement, which are necessary in order to create a local agenda and move forward.
Case Study:
Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools
Click here, Page 24
Facing a 1,000 percent increase in the number of English language learners in the school system, the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools (FLPS) in Lincoln, Nebraska undertook an extensive awareness-raising effort in the community. Using descriptive data, FLPS leveraged community support to create community learning centers (CLCs). Today, research shows that students in the CLCs, which are managed by a broad-based community leadership team, have improved self-confidence, greater motivation, and greater ability to achieve academically.
For expanded case studies, and more examples of successful engagement, download Taking Responsibility: Using Public Engagement to Reform Our Public Schools.
Click here
Learning and Reflection
Engagement needs to be more about collecting or distributing information. One of the important steps that is often missed in an engagement process is taking the time to analyze the collected data and reflect on what is being learned in the process.
In order to achieve this learning, it is necessary to truly listen to the voices in a community. This listening becomes a vital part of the change process, as it provides the seeds for reflection that will help to identify the values underlying an issue, what action a community wants to see, and where the community wants to end up at the end of the change process.
This type of engaged listening can be accomplished in a variety of forums. Keep in mind that different types of forums will yield different types of conversations and data.
Neighborhood Conversations - These conversations should not just involve people from a neighborhood, but should take place in the neighborhood itself. Whether it's a neighborhood library or other public space or in someone's home, these conversations must be firmly rooted in the neighborhood. Local contacts in the neighborhoods may personally invite others to take part in the conversations, which should be hosted by trained facilitators who will lead conversations designed to elicit aspirations, concerns, and the underlying priorities for education, the neighborhood, and the community as a whole. Listening sessions - It is vital that listening, and not selling, is the central focus of these sessions. Too often public officials will go into a "listening" session with a fully formed plan in place and use the session to promote their plan rather than create honest discussion. Effective listening sessions could include superintendents and key members of the school board presenting a summary of the Civic Index findings. This conversation could then focus on reactions to the Index results - what surprises you? what's going well? how could we change things for the better? By asking these questions, local leaders will exhibit their leadership through listening and learning, rather than directing. Like the neighborhood conversations, these conversations also should take place in spaces that are of the community, either in public spaces, such as churches or libraries, or in people's homes. Media - Use the media as a venue to invite people into the conversations, and publicize what is being learned about the community's aspirations. The media can also be tapped to spread some of the public stories that emerge out of the conversations. For more information on tapping the media see the media section Electronic bulletin boards/blogs- Creating virtual spaces allows for conversations to continue beyond formal sessions that are held in the community. By opening a space where citizens feel comfortable sharing ideas and talking about their experiences, we create a space for more learning and reflection to take place, as well as another space to spread public stories that emerge. Conversations with educators - Educators should be encouraged to participate in neighborhood conversations and larger listening sessions. These sessions should also be supplemented with separate conversations that are specifically targeted to school and system personal to address issues of common concern.
Case Study:
Mobile Area Education Foundation
Click here, Page 37
After passing the first successful tax initiative for public schools in 40 years through the "Yes We Can" initiative, the Mobile Area Education Foundation (MAEF) in Mobile, Alabama began developing a strategic plan that would address concerns about the quality of local schools, as well as the lack of accountability on the part of school district leaders. In developing the strategic plan, which came to be known as "Passport to Excellence," MAEF relied on a process of learning and reflection rooted in "kitchen table conversations" held in homes, churches, and community centers, as well as community-wide conversations incorporating diverse voices from throughout the community.
For expanded case studies, and more examples of successful engagement, download Taking Responsibility: Using Public Engagement to Reform Our Public Schools
Click here
Advocacy and Empowerment
Through listening to and reflecting on people's concerns, values, and aspirations, the paths forward to create change begin to emerge. In order to create the desired change that listening revealed, there must be a move from information gathering to information sharing. The primary focus of these efforts are creating spaces for people to come together to set an agenda for changing the way a community acts in support of education. There are a number of avenues for bringing people together, but in each, the focus must be on how to move forward. These different approaches are also magnified in their impact when used in interconnected ways as part of a comprehensive strategy for helping the community move an agenda.
Summit that draws representatives across sectors. A summit is designed to be a high-profile inflection point that brings people's attention to where we are and where we're going. The purpose of a summit is to create a powerful event that captures the attention of people within it and those who hear about it to change the agenda. Whether this is done by electronic voting, a written survey or other opinion tallying, the purpose is to capture data that conveys the urgency and focus to move forward. The Civic Index could frame a day's discussion of a path forward and what they see as important. Share the results of the Civic Index with your group, have them react to those results, have them identify areas of concern and why those are important in strengthening public education, and reflect on the actions required to improve. City-wide conversations/shaping the community agenda - From neighborhood conversations, representatives can be identified to participate in one or two "city-wide" meetings designed to take what was heard in the neighborhoods and shape it into a local agenda for community support of education. Additional alternative strategies can be to engage citizens in the construction of a written document using web, outreach, and communications strategies, including online forums or blogs. The key to this step is to ensure that the voices in the conversation are an accepted proxy for the rest of the community's voice on the issue. Building a network for civic leadership for public education: This is the work of building the capacity of leadership for public education across sectors. This network needs high-level participation from the school district and other traditional community leaders. It also needs to be broad-based and go beyond the "usual" suspects that are usually seen at community meetings. The list of names should engender credibility just by its unusual cross-cutting nature. It also is essential that there are members who have experience with, and a desire to connect, across the community. When the base of leadership in a community is expanded, the opportunity to create collective knowledge, mobilize people for action, spread broad-based community accountability for change, and influence district and state policy are enhanced. Integrating citizen voice in strategic planning: Citizen voices must exist beyond these specific engagement efforts in order to sustain a local agenda. Citizens should be invited into the strategic planning process, engaging with the index, and creating partnerships with the district about pathways forward.
Case Studies:
Portland Schools Foundation
Click here, page 42
In 1999, the Portland Schools Foundation in Portland, Oregon began an engagement process that brought more than 1,200 parents, teachers, principals, community and business leaders, and representatives from higher education into a series of forums and town hall meetings. This engagement process created a vision that, even four years later, served as the cornerstone issue in a school board election that saw 22 people run for four open seats - a historic level of participation that underscores how empowering a successful engagement effort can be.
Paterson Education Fund
Click here, page 53
The impact of state funding cuts loomed large for the Paterson School District in Paterson, New Jersey as it struggled to implement reforms required by the Abbott v. Burke court decision. The Paterson Education Fund (PEF) stepped in to translate the complex budget document into an easy-to-understand flyer, testify before the state legislature, and mobilize Paterson and other communities impacted by Abbot to become effective advocates for reform. A sign that the efforts of the PEF were creating a new community-wide agenda, the Paterson city council and school board met together for the first time to improve not only education, but also healthcare systems in the city.
For expanded case studies, and more examples of successful engagement, download Taking Responsibility: Using Public Engagement to Reform Our Public Schools
Click here
Additional Points to Remember when using the Civic Index for Public Engagement
Engaging the public in taking "ownership" of the Civic Index information and committing itself to strengthening civic involvement is the key element of administering the Index. Here are some helpful steps in building public engagement:
Engage or establish a planning group representative of the ten categories that agree to undertake the Civic Index and are committed to acting on the results. Identify the "publics" to be engaged. The stakeholder groups include: parents; educators; students, members of civic, faith-based, civil rights, health, and environmental organizations; senior citizens; business; higher education; and the general public. Remember that the most effective public engagement goes beyond the leadership of a community and touches deeply into the grassroots: the sector of the public who feel that they are powerless to affect change in their public schools. Inform the public prior to administering the Civic Index about the goals, objectives, and purposes of the Civic Index. This can be done through the media, community meetings, PTA/PTO meetings, community forums, or via the Internet. The Civic Index project and additional research will generate both numerical and descriptive data. Share this data with your planning group and the public, and determine collectively what the data means and how to use the data to improve civic actions and behaviors related to quality public schools. Public engagement strategies should be planned and discussed prior to administering the Civic Index by the planning committee and community partners. Don't wait until after the Index is administered to discuss public engagement strategies. Develop the final report on the Civic Index results in language that the community can understand, and that provides the community with information about its civic strengths and weaknesses. While it is advised that the planning team develop an action agenda based on the information collected by the Civic Index, it also is advised that the public be engaged in shaping and validating the action plan. Once there is agreement related to the action plan, the public surely must be involved in how the action plan will be implemented, the development of some short and long range objectives, and how the planning outcomes will be measured.
For more information:
Public Engagement. Public Agenda.
Click here Research Area: Civic Engagement. Canadian Policy Research Networks.
Click here Public Engagement. Canadian International Development Agency.
Click here Community and Family Engagement: Principals Share What Works. Coalition for Community Schools.
Click here Schools Working to Engage a Broader Cross: Section of its Communities. Study Circles.
Click here Approaches to Online Public Engagement. Deliberative Democracy.
Click here Stand Up Campaign: Tools You Can Use. American Association of School Administrators.
Click here America Speaks: Engaging Citizens in Governance. America Speaks.
Click here Diversity and Social Capital Work: Saguaro Seminar's Robert Putnam Issues First Paper Discussing Impact of Diversity and Immigration on Social Cohesion and Civic Engagement. Better Together.
Click here Community Building Resource Exchange Homepage. Community Building Resource Exchange.
Click here (provides a broad array of resources and information about innovative community building efforts to revitalize poor neighborhoods and improve the life circumstances of residents and their families) Linking Citizens to Resources and to one another to Create Healthy, Vital, Sustainable Communities. Sustainable Communities Network (SCN).
Click here Funding and Sustainability: Be in the Know. AfterSchool Alliance.
Click here Take Action! AfterSchool Alliance.
Click here HeadFirst Colorado. Public Education and Business Coalition.
Click here PTA Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit. National Parents Teacher Association.
Click here
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