Community engagement
Irecognize that the topic of community engagement through the forum of a town hall has been covered by a colleague in the Eye on Education column, but the recent town hall hosted by Lethbridge School District Board of Trustees affirms the process of gathering feedback from students, parents, staff and community members.
Given the reality that districts and schools have a lot going on and a myriad of needs to address, it is important to pause and gather perspectives about what is working well and what can be improved. Feedback that can be reviewed by a board provides the impetus for reflecting on whether priorities and strategies are aligned with what stakeholders are actually experiencing and wanting from the education system.
On Feb. 6, approximately 200 parents, students, staff and members of the public provided feedback that will inform decision-making and the development of the board’s Education Plan.
Each participant answered two questions:
What do you value most about your school community?
What can the district do better?
The process involved roundtable discussion followed by individual input of ideas using technology. The process separated input from the different stakeholders. What is most exciting about being able to read through and synthesize ideas according to stakeholder group, is that the perspective and voice of each group comes through clearly.
We were fortunate to have a good number of middle school and high school students participate, and being able to hear their voice in articulating ideas is more than informative! What did students value most? They value supportive and caring staff, diversity in schools, access to a breadth of programs, individualization and one-on-one assistance when needed, hands-on exploratory learning, comfort in expressing ideas and opinions in a safe context, collaboration, and the opportunity to engage in creative and critical thinking. This valuing speaks to the importance of quality staff in our schools who care deeply about all students and strive to deliver instruction in a meaningful way.
The students also expressed that they value access to technology (they also expressed that we can do better with access to technology). What is most interesting is the number of students who conveyed that schools need to be stricter about cellphones in classrooms, and that we need to focus more on helping students develop life balance with technology. Students expressed that we can do better in a number of areas. Some themes that came to the forefront include more experiential and real-world learning, support with studies through access to tutoring and after-school support, increased emphasis on wellness and mental health, attention to promotion of physical activity and teaching them “life skills” that will help them be successful adults.
We also had great participation from parents who expressed the importance of supportive relationships, opportunities for their children, and environments that are caring. Parents provided insight into areas that can be improved such as providing more support in classrooms, attending to individual learning needs of students, and structural matters such as transportation services and facility space. Staff echoed the need for support in classrooms and also emphasized the importance of class size, professional learning, wellness and resource support. Community members input remind us of the importance of collaboration and connecting schools with the expertise and resources the community is willing to share with our children and youth.
Overall, the town hall was successful in providing the board with an abundance of ideas that will contribute to ongoing system improvement. The feedback loop continues with the opportunity for individuals who did not attend the town hall to provide feedback through a link on the Lethbridge School District website: