Contact:

Deborah Bush-Suflita, (518) 464-3960
dbushsuf@gw.neric.org

In an increasingly polarized and skeptical society, it is harder than ever for school districts to get important work accomplished without running into opposition that has the potential to derail your efforts and stop or stall implementation of any project. Trying to avoid this gridlock to tackle the challenges facing our schools requires greater public involvement and understanding than ever before.

The Capital Region BOCES Communications Service aligns its approach to public engagement with the strategies developed and promoted by Public Agenda, a non-profit, non-partisan public opinion research organization. Central to this approach is the idea that members of the public need to see and be involved in the problem-solving process as it unfolds—instead of hearing about a decision once it’s a “done deal.” Most often, this is accomplished through a series of “community conversations”—small-group discussions in which staff, parents and community members wrestle with the tough decisions ahead, supplanting the usual “us versus them” dynamic with a collaborative, productive dialogue.

The Public Engagement & Facilitation Service provides master coaches to help district administrators and staff craft, plan and execute a thoughtful public engagement process, including:

Development of discussion questions and materials

Recommendations for soliciting participants who represent varied “factions” and audiences

Strategies targeted to optimize meeting interactions AND use of facilities

Follow-up communications with participants and the wider community

Through this service, districts can also request independent facilitators (members of the Communications Team) to guide the small-group work at each public session.

2012-13 Pricing: Based on actual services requested