Using the Key Work Framework Collaboration and Community Engagement

Engaging the public is not easy to do, because the public is only involved when it wants to be involved. And past experience has led many to become cynical because they came and left feeling unheard. But, If you begin to think of your job as moving the district toward Communication 2.0, and remain patient, you will start to see a change.

School districts tend to focus on communicating TO the public—Communication 1.0 rather than WITH the public—Communication 2.0 With Communication 1.0 we push information out to the public. We use newsletters, websites, and press releases to inform the public of school district activity. These continue to be important communication tools, just no longer sufficient to satisfy the public. With Communication 2.0 we begin a conversation.

As we move toward engagement we begin to engage in dialogue WITH the public in new structures that lend themselves to conversation. Rather then engaging in advocacy where we attempt to persuade each other of the “rightness” of our position, we look for areas of agreement, places where we can begin to build relationships. The key work is “Dialogue”

Before we get into how, let’s take a look at some reasons for engaging with the public.

When done right, community engagement builds social capital, the networks of relationships found in successful schools and communities. Schools that have taken specific action to improve trust levels with both their internal and external stakeholders have seen improvement in both reading and math scores.

Schools with high levels of trust have a better chance of closing the achievement gap. Low trust schools have a 1 in 7 chance, just 14%, of closing the gap, while high trust schools have a 50% chance of seeing improvement. The achievement gap is a complex problem that requires that we harness ALL of the resources at our disposal. One key resource is the strength of the relationships among the stakeholders.

The context has changed. The pace of change has accelerated. Globalization and and technology are changing what students need to know to be successful in the 21st century. Wisconsin is experiencing dramatic change as well. Economic and demographic changes bring new challenges to our schools. Finally, expectations of public education have changed. It is no longer sufficient to ensure that each child has the opportunity to learn. Today, we need to be sure they do learn. Seeking—and hearing—the community’s voice and enlisting its support is an effective strategy for balancing competing interests and moving toward a productive consensus within the school system and in the wider community, one that makes efficient use of limited resources and ensures that all children learn what they need to know to be successful in the 21st century.

So, what do we need to do to effectively engage with the public? First we need to determine the board’s understanding of and willingness to support engagement processes. The International Association of Public Participation offers us tools to help us develop effective engagement processes. One of these tools, the Core Values of Participation, helps us think about what we mean by community engagement. Do we understand that genuine involvement includes participants in every step of the process, from planning the agenda to communicating back to participants about how their input affected the decision.

This chart from the International Association of Public Participation is an excellent tool for thinking about engagement activities, most importantly, what you as the convener is willing to promise to the public as you ask them to participate. It is important to be explicit about your intentions when you decide to engage with the public. Clearly communicating your intentions will go a long way toward ensuring a successful engagement process. Both the Core Values and a complete copy of the Spectrum of Participation can be accessed from the Resources link on the WASB Governance webpage.

Board members can use these tools to engage in a conversation about their understanding of and commitment to community engagement. If you ask the community to participate but are not willing to give serious consideration to what they say, you only succeed at creating the loyal opposition. The board has to be willing to take what the community tells them, no matter how unpleasant, and use that information to shape the decision.

Creating a context for genuine community engagement is a key role of leadership. School boards that involve both internal stakeholders like teachers and administrators, custodians and bus drivers, and external stakeholders like parents and community leaders, have greater success at implementing change and garnering the resources needed to improve student achievement.

Here are some of the ways school boards can engage with their communities: Most boards include time for public comment on their regular board agenda. This is not an optimum opportunity for dialogue as the board does not have the time to address the issue in that moment. Furthermore, the board may be restricted from commenting as the topic may not be on the agenda, and discussion would constitute a violation of the Open Meeting laws. When controversies arise, large numbers of citizens may attend your meeting, consuming time that does not provide for dialogue. It has been said that public comment activities tend to create more heat than light. Instead, provide opportunities for dialogue. Use a workshop format and invite the public to engage in conversation with the board about important issues.

Collaborative relationships are based on trust and the respectful treatment of others. Boards must model the kind of relationships that they seek to build with and among others.

Collaborative relationships must be cultivated in a deliberate and purposeful way. Board retreats provide opportunities for members to learn about each other as well important issues affecting public education today. Meetings specifically planned to provide opportunities for community members to learn about and discuss emerging issues can lead to better decisions and improved relationships.

Every district has a certain number of “usual suspects” that show up no matter what the issue. Make a concerted effort to specifically invite those groups and individuals who are less likely to show up on their own. Extending genuine invitations across the stakeholder groups in your community creates the right tone for the meeting and signals to participants that you are going to seriously listen to what they have to say.

Engaging with your community takes time. Careful planning can yield results that improve decision making and relationships among stakeholders. School boards that seek consciously to build these relationships, are providing leadership that leads to positive results for students.

Key Work Framework Collaboration and Community Engagement

“The alternative to engaging with the public will not be an unengaged public, but a public with its own agenda and an understandable hostility to decision-making processes that ignore them.”  Steve Coleman and John Gotze, Bowling Together, 2002

From Communication 1.0 to Communication 2.0

As schools and communities move from… communication to engagement communicate to deliberate with public hearing community conversation seeking to establish/ seeking and finding protect turf common ground public relations public engagement Reasons for Hope, Voices for Change. A Report of the Annenberg Institute on Public Engagement for Public Education. 1998.

Reasons to Engage Students perform better The context has changed Honest communication builds trust Accountability and communication build good will

High Trust Schools 8 percent improvement in reading 20 percent improvement in math Bryk, A.S. and Schneider, B. 2003. Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform. Educational Leadership.

Low Trust Schools 1:7 High Trust Schools 1:2 Bryk, A.S. and Schneider, B. 2003. Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for School Reform. Educational Leadership.

The Context Is Changing The World, Wisconsin, and Expectations of Public Schools Are Changing NCLB WKCE

IAP2 Core Values of Public Participation Those who are affected by a decision are involved in making the decision International Association of Public Participation, Core Values of Participation

First steps to engagement The board… Engages in philosophical conversation Determines level of commitment Develops policy that reflects their commitment

“The ability to communicate across the various constituencies of the organization (both internal and external) is the key to effective leadership.” Margaret Wheatley

What you can do Provide opportunities for dialogue Model collaboration for others Invest in the process of relationship building Invite others to the table

What you can do Provide opportunities for dialogue Model collaboration for others Invest in the process of relationship building Invite others to the table

What you can do Provide opportunities for dialogue Model collaboration for others Invest in the process of relationship building Invite others to the table

What you can do Provide opportunities for dialogue Model collaboration for others Invest in the process of relationship building Invite others to the table

Additional resources are available on the WASB Governance web page For more information on collaboration and community engagement, contact the WASB Board Governance program at 608-512-1710 or contact Deb Gurke at dgurke@wasb.org. Take the Collaboration and Community Engagement Self-Assessment found in the Key Work of School Boards Guidebook. Use the results to begin a conversation with your board about how you might begin to more effectively engage with your community.