Draft Enagement Protocols

At tonight's Board meeting the Superintendent presented the Draft Engagement Protocols for major initiatives of the Strategic Plan. I couldn't help but notice two significant facts about these Draft Enagagement Protocols.

1. Although the Protocols identify five types of engagement - Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, and Empower - all of the steps they promised to take only apply to the lowest form of engagement: inform.

2. Although the District "guarantees" this minimum level of engagement, they are not meeting that minimum standard right now. How, exactly, do we collect on this guarantee?

Comments

Charlie Mas said…
It isn't enough for me to complain about the inadequacy of the Draft Engagement Protocols; I have to offer improvements. And so, I offer these suggestions for completing the protocols:

For all major projects, Seattle Public Schools commits to engaging the community through the following measures:

To Inform:
Public Web site postings including:
An overview of the project, including milestones
A fact sheet with answers to frequently asked questions
A timeline that clearly shows steps in the decision-making process
A staff contact for questions or comments
Background information that is updated throughout the process
Information about public meetings
E-newsletters sent to employees and members of the public, each of whom are invited to inform families and other community groups through their newsletters, meetings, and other regular means of written and spoken outreach
School Beat sent to all SPS staff and community members who sign up
Classroom Connection sent to all teachers and other instructional staff
Principal Communicator sent to all principals
News releases of major announcements and public meetings
Quarterly updates to the School Board, announced through the Web site and televised on SPS TV
Seattle Public Schools is committed to reducing barriers to engagement for bilingual and non-English speaking families. For all major initiatives, Seattle Public Schools will translate FAQs and any correspondence to families in the top languages of our bilingual and non-English speaking families.
In addition, Project Managers will coordinate with our Bilingual Family & Community Engagement staff as messengers to formal and informal community networks effective in reaching diverse populations represented in our larger school community.

To Consult:
Public Web site postings including:
A record of the public input received and the responses to that input
A record of how public input influenced decisions that is updated throughout the process and the points in that process when public input will be solicited
A record of the input gathered at public meetings
Surveys on analysis, alternatives, and decisions with open-ended questions about concerns and aspirations
Specific reference to how special populations will be affected
The names, offices, and contact information for members of committees that are making decisions and recommendations
Documented two-way contact with stakeholder groups and advisory committees
Events/Presentations/Panel discussions with a variety of viewpoints represented on an even footing
Seattle Public Schools is committed to reducing barriers to engagement for bilingual and non-English speaking families. For all major initiatives, Seattle Public Schools will translate FAQs and any correspondence to families in the top languages of our bilingual and non-English speaking families.
In addition, Project Managers will coordinate with our Bilingual Family & Community Engagement staff as messengers to formal and informal community networks effective in reaching diverse populations represented in our larger school community.

To Involve:
Drop-in meetings/workshops BEFORE decisions are made with the bulk of the time devoted to authentic conversations with the decision-makers
Public Web site postings including:
A record of the public input received and the responses to that input BEFORE the decisions are made
A record of public input received prior to the decisions that is updated throughout the process
A record of the input gathered at public meetings/workshops
Surveys on analysis and alternatives with open-ended questions about concerns and aspirations
Specific reference to how special populations will be affected
The names, offices, and contact information for members of committees that are making decisions and recommendations
Documented two-way contact with stakeholder groups and advisory committees
Events/Presentations/Panel discussions with a variety of viewpoints represented on an even footing
Seattle Public Schools is committed to reducing barriers to engagement for bilingual and non-English speaking families. For all major initiatives, Seattle Public Schools will translate FAQs and any correspondence to families in the top languages of our bilingual and non-English speaking families.
In addition, Project Managers will coordinate with our Bilingual Family & Community Engagement staff as messengers to formal and informal community networks effective in reaching diverse populations represented in our larger school community.

To Collaborate:
Drop-in meetings/workshops BEFORE decisions are made with the bulk of the time devoted to authentic conversations with the decision-makers
Events/Presentations/Panel discussions with a variety of viewpoints represented on an even footing
Including members of the public on committees that are making decisions and recommendations in numbers comparable to staff
Public Web site postings including:
A record of the public input received and the responses to that input BEFORE the decisions are made
A record of public input received prior to the decisions that is updated throughout the process
A record of the input gathered at public meetings/workshops
Surveys on analysis and alternatives with open-ended questions about concerns and aspirations
The names, offices, and contact information for members of committees that are making decisions and recommendations
Documented two-way contact with stakeholder groups and advisory committees
Shared responsibility for decisions and implementation between district staff and stakeholder groups
Seattle Public Schools is committed to reducing barriers to engagement for bilingual and non-English speaking families. For all major initiatives, Seattle Public Schools will translate FAQs and any correspondence to families in the top languages of our bilingual and non-English speaking families.
In addition, Project Managers will coordinate with our Bilingual Family & Community Engagement staff as messengers to formal and informal community networks effective in reaching diverse populations represented in our larger school community.

To Empower:
Drop-in meetings/workshops BEFORE decisions are due
Events/Presentations/Panel discussions with a variety of viewpoints represented on an even footing
Including members of the public on committees that are making recommendations in numbers comparable to staff
Public Web site postings including:
A record of the public input received and the responses to that input BEFORE the decisions are due
A record of public input received prior to the decisions that is updated throughout the process
A record of the input gathered at public meetings/workshops
Surveys on analysis and alternatives with open-ended questions about concerns and aspirations
Full and detailed descriptions of all plans and intentions
Documented two-way contact with stakeholder groups and advisory committees
Seattle Public Schools is committed to reducing barriers to engagement for bilingual and non-English speaking families. For all major initiatives, Seattle Public Schools will translate FAQs and any correspondence to families in the top languages of our bilingual and non-English speaking families.
In addition, Project Managers will coordinate with our Bilingual Family & Community Engagement staff as messengers to formal and informal community networks effective in reaching diverse populations represented in our larger school community.

I look forward to positive and constructive interactions between the public and the district staff in an atmosphere of trust fostered by these protocols.
10/3/08, 2:45 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday Open Thread

The speaker list is up for the Board meeting tomorrow; not as packed as I thought with just four people on the waitlist. The majority of the speakers are speaking on high school boundaries (with several wanting to talk about Ballard High). There are only three of us speaking about the Green Dot resolution asking the City to not grant the zoning departures that Green Dot has requested.  It's me, long-time watchdog, Chris Jackins, and the head of the Washington State Charter Schools Association, Patrick D'Amelio.  (I knew Mr. D'Amelio when he headed the Alliance for Education and Big Brothers and Big Sisters; he's a stand-up guy.)
Read more

Breaking It Down: Where the District Might Close Schools

Update 2: an absolutely fabulous interactive map made by parent Beth Day (@thebethocracy on Twitter - she covers Board meetings and is fun to read).   end of update    Update 1: Mea culpa, I did indeed get Decatur and Thornton Creek mixed up. Thanks to all for the correction. end of update   I suspect some who read this post will be irate. Why do this? Because the district seems very hellbent on this effort with no oversight skid marks from the Board.    To clearly state - I do not believe that closing 20 schools is a good idea. I think they hit on 20 because they thought it might bring in the most savings. But the jury is still out on the savings because the district has not shown its work nor its data. I suspect closing schools and THEN leasing/renting them is the big plan but that means the district really has to keep the buildings up.   But this district, with its happy talk about "well-resourced schools" is NOT acknowledging the pain and yes, gr...
Read more

Education News Roundup

From the ever-amusing Washington Policy Center : Vouchers are Pell Grants for students under 18.  Vouchers are no different than Pell Grants or GI benefits, except the money goes to the families of students younger than age 18.  Except they are. Pell Grants were created to help needy students and that's not really the goal of the voucher program.  The Pell grant website does have a couple of great studies on why low-income students drop out before finishing their higher ed and what makes a difference.
Read more