shifting away from broad , districtwide meetings to either school-based meetings or increased use of representative committees . Some describe the latter as a shift away from “ quantity to quality ” and , as a result , report seeing more “ rich discussions ” between community members and educators .
District leaders also attempted to engage parents in more informal ways , such as hosting “ principal coffees ” or “ piggybacking ” LCAP conversations with other meetings and events , such as family reading nights , and viewed them as more authentic processes .
One superintendent explained , “ Parents want input into a child ’ s education . … They don ’ t want to come to a meeting and listen to us with acronyms and jargon they don ’ t know . They are busy and they still don ’ t understand what the state has implemented . They do understand what a good education is ; their dreams and aspirations are for their kids to go to college . It ’ s our job to create the path .”
There is no “ right way ” to engage your community . However , the rich data we collected suggests there are important questions worth asking .
Reflective questions for leaders 1 . How does data inform community engagement efforts ?
Who are your foster youth ? What are your ELL reclassification rates ? In deeply engaged districts , leaders knew the answers to these questions . They used data to engage stakeholders . They held community forums , with translators . They clearly and openly shared performance data – the good , the bad and the ugly – using parent-friendly formats , including graphs and charts . They used data to build trust , showcase improvements , celebrate successes and highlight student needs .
In your efforts , take inventory of the kinds of data you are sharing with stakeholders . Is there more you could share to further surface opportunities for improvement , particularly for target groups ? And are you doing enough to ensure the data are clear and easy to understand ?
2 . Whose voices are reflected in your LCAP ?
In the end , we have to ask , how meaningful and democratic is a process that omits particular voices ?
This is a good time to reflect on how participatory your engagement process has been . In our research , we found these frequently omitted voices : migrant parents , non-English speakers , foster youth guardians , low-income parents , community advocates / organizations , teachers , union staff and students .
We heard similar challenges to inclusivity , such as parents who don ’ t attend meetings because they ’ re working night shifts and low survey response rates . Yet , several case districts were able to solicit wide stakeholder input . Not only does this get closer to the intent of the law , but more importantly it results in richer discussions and meaningful engagement .
In the next year , why not try something new ? Move community meetings to the school level , and perhaps tag onto curriculum night or PTA meetings . Hold meetings right after school or during lunch to accommodate parent and student schedules .
Personally invite parents you never hear or call on the usual attendees to bring a friend who typically does not participate . Enlist translators to make personal phone calls . Think creatively about how to overcome challenges limiting participation , particularly from hard-to-reach stakeholders . 3 . What is your role as a leader in the LCFF ? LCAP is not just another compliance document to check off your list ; although we noted that , across the state , the onerous LCAP template was a frequent source of irritation . Your district ’ s LCAP is a communication vehicle , a needs assessment , and a plan targeting student equity .
Your role is to communicate to parents , students , superiors and subordinates about the importance of allocating state dollars to meet student needs , which sometimes means giving more to higher-needs students . This is a huge shift , and one many still do not understand .
Talk about the LCFF , articulate your district or school needs with stakeholders , and keep the conversation going . You are an opinion leader and a local expert . You should also be the local expert of the LCFF , listening and gently guiding the conversation back to student needs . 4 . Is your focus on needs or wants ? Perhaps the greatest area for improvement is the focus of community engagement . So often , we saw evidence of shallow engagement based on the desires of the few . Parents were concerned about programs that affected their own children ; unions had a different agenda . Community-based organizations had varying interests , as well .
All of these wants are valid , but must be mediated by an educational leader , as the intent of the LCFF is to support all students , but also those with greatest needs .
So how can you steer the conversation to the needs of the whole district , instead of the wants of particular groups ? In our research , we found that openly sharing data , while highlighting the needs of particular subgroups , was useful . Increased participation and broader representation , particularly of high-needs groups , also helped the focus of
March | April 2018 15
shifting away from broad, districtwide
meetings to either school-based meetings or
increased use of representative committees.
Some describe the latter as a shift away from
“quantity to quality” and, as a result, report
seeing more “rich discussions” between
community members and educators.
District leaders also attempted to en-
gage parents in more informal ways, such
as hosting “principal coffees” or “piggy-
backing” LCAP conversations with other
meetings and events, such as family read-
ing nights, and viewed them as more au-
thentic processes.
One superintendent explained, “Parents
want input into a child’s education. … They
don’t want to come to a meeting and listen to
us with acronyms and jargon they don’t know.
They are busy and they still don’t understand
what the state has implemented. They do
understand what a good education is; their
dreams and aspirations are for their kids to
go to college. It’s our job to create the path.”
There is no “right way” to engage your
community. However, the rich data we col-
lected suggests there are important questions
worth asking.
Reflective questions for leaders
1. How does data inform community engage-
ment efforts?
Who are your foster youth? What are
your ELL reclassification rates? In deeply
engaged districts, leaders knew the answers
to these questions. They used data to engage
stakeholders. They held community forums,
with translators. They clearly and openly
shared performance data – the good, the bad
and the ugly – using parent-friendly formats,
including graphs and charts. They used data
to build trust, showcase improvements, cele-
brate successes and highlight student needs.
In your efforts, take inventory of the kinds
of data you are sharing with stakeholders. Is
there more you could share to further surface
opportunities for improvement, particularly
for target groups? And are you doing enough
to ensure the data are clear and easy to un-
derstand?
2. Whose voices are reflected in your LCAP?
This is a good time to reflect on how par-
ticipatory your engagement process has
been. In our research, we found these fre-
In the end, we have to ask, how meaningful and democratic is a
process that omits particular voices?
quently omitted voices: migrant parents,
non-English speakers, foster youth guard-
ians, low-income parents, community ad-
vocates/organizations, teachers, union staff
and students.
We heard similar challenges to inclusiv-
ity, such as parents who don’t attend meet-
ings because they’re working night shifts
and low survey response rates. Yet, several
case districts were able to solicit wide stake-
holder input. Not only does this get closer to
the intent of the law, but more importantly it
results in richer discussions and meaningful
engagement.
In the next year, why not try something
new? Move community meetings to the
school level, and perhaps tag onto curricu-
lum night or PTA meetings. Hold meetings
right after school or during lunch to accom-
modate parent and student schedules.
Personally invite parents you never hear or
call on the usual attendees to bring a friend
who typically does not participate. Enlist
translators to make personal phone calls.
Think creatively about how to overcome
challenges limiting participation, particu-
larly from hard-to-reach stakeholders.
3. What is your role as a leader in the LCFF?
LCAP is not just another compliance
document to check off your list; although
we noted that, across the state, the onerous
LCAP template was a frequent source of ir-
ritation. Your district’s LCAP is a commu-
nication vehicle, a needs assessment, and a
plan targeting student equity.
Your role is to communicate to parents,
students, superiors and subordinates about
the importance of allocating state dollars
to meet student needs, which sometimes
means giving more to higher-needs stu-
dents. This is a huge shift, and one many still
do not understand.
Talk about the LCFF, articulate your
district or school needs with stakeholders,
and keep the conversation going. You are an
opinion leader and a local expert. You should
also be the local expert of the LCFF, listen-
ing and gently guiding the conversation back
to student needs.
4. Is your focus on needs or wants?
Perhaps the greatest area for improvement
is the focus of community engagement. So
often, we saw evidence of shallow engage-
ment based on the desires of the few. Par-
ents were concerned about programs that
affected their own children; unions had a
different agenda. Community-based orga-
nizations had varying interests, as well.
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