[Mpls] Community Engagement, Minneapolis Schools

[MPS Communications]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Deanna Mills, M.P.H.
Member, Community Engagement Collaborative
612-204-4106
dmills at halleland.com

Mary Lilja
Lilja Inc. for the Community Engagement Collaborative
952-893-7140
mcl at lilja.com

Cheri Reese, Executive Director of Public Affairs
Minneapolis Public Schools
612-668-0230

Community Engagement Collaborative releases report on Minneapolis Public 
Schools


  Calls for involvement of all parties to work together for a positive
  future


MINNEAPOLIS – (July 13, 2004) – After six weeks of research and 
gathering input from the community, the Community Engagement 
Collaborative hired by the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) Board says 
that it is ready to move forward with a series of community dialogue 
sessions beginning this month. Their approach is outlined in a report, 
MPS Community Engagement Interim Report and Implementation Plan, 
presented to the Minneapolis Board of Education today. A copy of the 
report is available at www.mpls.k12.mn.us <http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/> .

The Community Engagement Collaborative,* comprised of Karen Gray, M.S. 
and Nora Hall, Ph.D. of GrayHall LLP; and Deanna Mills, M.P.H. and 
Michael Scandrett, J.D. of Halleland Health Consulting, was invited by 
the MPS Board in late April 2004 to plan and implement a community-wide 
listening and learning process.

“This is a time of change for the Minneapolis Public Schools,” says 
Deanna Mills, spokeswoman for the collaborative. “There’s a great deal 
of excitement over the new superintendent, as well as concern over the 
tough district-wide decisions that lie ahead. Actions taken over the 
next year will profoundly shape the future.”

MPS needs to move forward, knowing that it is supported by the vision, 
values, and principles of the larger Minneapolis community. To make the 
right decisions, the collaborative says that a community engagement 
process – a multi-dimensional, comprehensive discussion involving the 
MPS and all persons, organizations and stakeholders – is essential.

The report identifies the five most critical, and often conflicting 
issues that the community must wrestle with, and ultimately address:

    * What constitutes achievement, and how do we measure it?
    * To what extent and in what ways does the district value
      diversity/integration?
    * How important is school choice?
    * What constitutes equity for students, programs, communities and
      staff?
    * What is the purpose of our schools – to educate students, or to do
      much more?

Mills says that the report represents a “well-researched approach to 
community engagement that is informed by the lessons we’ve learned from 
past community involvement activities in the MPS and other school 
districts nationwide.” The community engagement model and guidelines 
will help ensure that community engagement is fair, constructive and 
efficient and that many voices are heard.

The phases include:

Phase One: Community Input (Completed). Phase One represents an 
invitation for ideas from any interested party who wants to share. Input 
is requested and accepted as one-way communication from the community to 
MPS. This input is then analyzed to identify the major issues, shared 
community values and potential conflicting values, which serve as the 
foundation for Phase Two.

Phase Two: Community Dialogue (July – Sept. 2004). Phase Two consists of 
open community discussion of the major issues that emerged from Phase 
One. The dialogue phase is both a listening and a learning process that 
involves participants in determining priorities. Dialogue involves 
explanation, discussion, and sharing of ideas.

Phase Three: Feedback (Sept. - Oct. 2004). In Phase Three, the community 
and stakeholders are given a specific proposal or several alternative 
proposals for their final feedback.

Phase Four: Explain Decisions (Nov. 2004). In Phase Four, MPS will make 
informed decisions based on community values, and explain the rationale 
for the decisions.

Phase Two begins this month and will be completed over the next three to 
four months through a variety of meetings and formats that will give 
many in the community an opportunity to participate, including community 
members, leaders, partners and educators. Locations and times will be 
widely announced, and special efforts will be made to reach into 
culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Community engagement activities will be integrated and coordinated with 
other MPS initiatives, such as the Facilities Utilization planning 
process and the Courageous Conversations About Race.

“Past efforts have not always included the level of community engagement 
that we believe is essential – especially when the school district faces 
major questions of policy and future direction that require tradeoffs 
between competing priorities and interests,” Mills says.

“We believe the community engagement approach will reap big benefits, 
long term, for MPS and the students it serves, because it ensures that 
the district and its key stakeholders are working together to address 
difficult issues.”



*The Urban Coalition provided research and initial input, but as of June 
30, 2004, resigned from the Collaborative, based on a conflict of 
interest with its advocacy role in the community.

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