Minnesota Leadership Conference

Community Conversations: Building Relationships in Support of Public

EducationDeb Gurke

Wisconsin Association of School BoardsMSBA Leadership Conference

January 14, 2009

Confront the Brutal Facts—

The Stockdale Paradox

Collins, Jim. (2001).Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t. New York: HarperBusiness, 2001.

Reflecting on the Data

What is your initial reaction?

What questions do the data raise in your mind?

From Communication 1.0

to Communication 2.0

As schools and communities move fromcommunication to engagement

communicate to deliberate with

public hearing community conversation

seeking to establish/ seeking and findingprotect turf common ground

public relations public 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

Reasons to Engage

Students perform better

Honest communication builds trustAccountability and communication build

good will

The context has changed

“The ability to communicate across the various

constituencies of the organization (both internal

and external) is the key to effective leadership.”

Margaret Wheatley

Traditional problem solving methodGather Data

Analyze data

Formulate a solution

Implement a solution

“Some problems are so complex that

you have to be highly intelligent and

well-informed just to be undecided

about them.”Laurence J. Peter

Solving Wicked ProblemsGather Data

Analyze data

Formulate a solution

Implement a solution

Characteristics of Wicked Problems

Solutions are not right or wrong

There is no stopping rule

Each problem is unique and novelYou don’t understand the problem until

you have developed the solution

Examples of Wicked Problems

How do we deal with crime and violence in our schools?

How do we close the achievement gap?

Today’s Wicked Problem

How do we reconnect

with the public

to reestablish trust in

and support for public education?

How do we deal with wicked problems?

By creating shared understanding

about the problem, and

shared commitment to

the range of possible solutions.

First steps to engagement The board…

Engages in philosophical conversation

Determines level of commitmentDevelops policy that reflects their

commitment

The goal is to engage the right

publics at the appropriate time

with the most helpful processes for

making decisions.

Community Engagement….

Takes time to develop real dialogue

Is labor intensiveOften requires skilled facilitation

Is itself a wicked problem

The World Café Model

Easy-to-use method for creating a

living network of collaborative

dialogue around questions that matter

in service of the real work.2008 The World Café. http://www.theworldcafe.com

Café GuidelinesClarify the Purpose

Create a Hospitable Space

Explore Questions that Matter

Encourage Everyone’s Participation

Connect Diverse Perspectives

Listen for Insights and Share Discoveries

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life

depended on the solution, I would spend the

first 55 minutes determining the proper

question to ask, for once I know the proper

question, I could solve the problem in less than

five minutes.”Albert Einstein

Powerful QuestionsGenerates curiosity in the listener

Stimulates reflective conversation

Is thought-provoking

Surfaces underlying assumptions

Invites creativity and new possibilitiesArt of Powerful Questions, Vogt, Brown & Isaacs, 2003

Powerful QuestionsGenerates energy and forward movement

Challenges attention and focuses inquiry

Stays with participants

Touches a deep meaning

Evokes more questions

Components of Powerful Questions

Scope

Construction

Assumptions

From the Art of Powerful Questions, Vogt, Brown & Isaacs, 2003

Construction More powerful

WHY

HOW

WHAT

WHO, WHEN, WHERE

WHICH, YES/NO QUESTIONSLess Powerful

ScopeKeep the boundaries realistic

Consider the needs of yourspecific situation

AssumptionsUse appropriately

Check for unconscious beliefs

Our questions What do you want to have happen within the

framework of an “engaged” community?

What seed might we plant together today that could make the most difference to the future of public education in Minnesota?

Analyze the Data

“Public schools are crucial to the sustained vitality of American democracy. And a supportive and involved public is crucial to the survival of public schools.”

Reasons for Hope, Voices for ChangeAnnenberg Institute on Public Engagement for Public Education