COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The driving principle behind the Community Collaboration for School Innovation toolkit is that over time, community
engagement has become a one-way mechanism for districts to push out information about initiatives and programs
into the local community. Along the way, a small but widening gap has formed, separating the community from the
school, often to the detriment of students and innovation.
The community collaboration model, outlined in this toolkit, provides a framework by which districts can shift away
from a community engagement model that centers around the district pushing information out, to a new model
that instead encourages the district to pull in guidance and directives from the community, and leverage that input
to drive innovations in service of all students graduating ready for college and career. Community collaboration
provides a process for districts to clearly understand what the local community expects of its schools, so it can then
align activities and initiatives.
This new model is critical as school districts look for innovative and effective ways to meet the growing challenges
facing public education in the 21st century. Districts need to understand their community’s perspective on
questions like these:
•	

What do graduates from this school district need in the 21st century to be successful?

•	

How do we prepare the students in this district for a rapidly changing economy?

•	

How do we ensure that all students are being well served in our district?

•	

What do you hope and expect students in this district will know and be able to do?

•	What could learning environments in this district look like to ensure that students are prepared for the world
once they graduate?
The input districts receive from the community will influence future, developing, and existing initiatives and
innovations. The Community Collaboration for School Innovation toolkit will assist district staff and board members
as they move through the process of adopting the community collaboration model in their local communities.

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
What is Community Collaboration?............................................................................................................................................5
Making the Shift to Community Collaboration..........................................................................................................................7
Seeding the Shift Worksheets.....................................................................................................................................................8
FOUR STAGES OF THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION MODEL
Create a Forum for Community Collaboration......................................................................................................... 10
The Deliberative Engagement Format................................................................................................................................. 10
Steps for Hosting a Deliberative Engagement Event......................................................................................................... 10
Identify Conversation Prompt That Will Surface the Community’s Values..................................................................... 11
Recruit and Train Facilitators................................................................................................................................................ 12
Develop a Discussion Guide and Stimulus Materials......................................................................................................... 14
Publicize the Event................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Host the Forum....................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Incorporate Community Collaboration into Current Engagement Activities.................................................................. 17
Document Community Input Worksheets........................................................................................................................... 18
How to Host a Deliberative Engagement Event Checklist................................................................................................. 19
Act on Community Directive....................................................................................................................................... 20
Innovation Evaluation Rubric Worksheet............................................................................................................................ 22
Report Progress............................................................................................................................................................. 23
Continuous Collaboration............................................................................................................................................ 24
APPENDICES
How to Be an Effective Facilitator............................................................................................................................................ 26
Sample Community Forum Facilitator Recruitment Process and Invitation Language.................................................... 29
Sample Graduation Guidelines Facilitator Discussion Guide............................................................................................... 30
Sample Stimulus Materials: Updating Graduation Guidelines............................................................................................. 35
Sample Community Forum Participant Recruitment Process and Invitation Language................................................... 39

3

INTRODUCTION
Public education in the 21st century is evolving in
remarkable ways in Colorado, the United States,
and around the world. As schools transition from
the industrial to the information age, students are
experiencing a diversification in the pathways to
college and careers unlike anything in history. New
opportunities for students, new challenges, and
requirements for new skills are developing in a
matter of months rather than decades, making this a
transformative time for public education.
In this more dynamic environment, the question
of how to prepare students for independent adult
life becomes more complex. There are powerful
new educational tools and promising new teaching
strategies for districts to consider. More than ever,
learning is happening beyond the school day and
outside the classroom walls, and students are
benefiting from the wisdom, experiences, and
perspectives of their entire community.
Districts and communities need to come together
in meaningful ways to encourage and support new
learning opportunities, and collaborate to ensure
innovative school practices and policies reflect
community values and realities.
The Community Collaboration for School Innovation
toolkit was created for districts as they begin the

important work of shifting away from a community
engagement model that centers around the district
pushing information out, to a new community
collaboration model that instead encourages the
district to pull in guidance and directives from
the community, and leverage that input to drive
innovations. This new model provides a process
for districts to clearly understand what the local
community expects from its schools, so districts can
then align activities and initiatives in service of all
students graduating ready for college and career.
In early 2015, the Colorado Department of Education,
the Colorado Education Initiative, and The Learning
Accelerator invited two Colorado districts to try
this new model in their local communities —
Archuleta #50 JT in Pagosa Springs and District
51 in Mesa County. The early lessons from these
two pilot districts are the basis for the Community
Collaboration for School Innovation toolkit, a resource
that will continue to evolve as districts are able to use,
own, and adapt it to meet the needs of their unique
communities. The toolkit is intended to be useful
for all districts, regardless of size or resources, and
outlines the basic steps districts can take to make
this powerful shift. The toolkit provides useful case
study material and template resources districts can
leverage to begin the process as soon as possible.

“We believe the current education system, built on the industrial model, is obsolete
and needs to be reinvented. So we have been trying to work with our community to
understand ‘what does that look like, and what does that mean?’”
—Steve Schultz, Superintendent, District 51
4

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

WHAT IS COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION?

WHAT IS COMMUNITY COLLABORATION?
Community collaboration moves beyond community engagement. It empowers community members to have
greater ownership of their schools and encourages them to provide directive to school leaders about the vision
and mission of local schools. It is a fundamental shift meant to evolve the way schools are currently engaging their
communities, particularly in this time of rapidly shifting demands on public education. Rather than bringing the
community in at the end of an initiative to seek buy-in, districts should be having important conversations with
the community early and often to seek the directive that will inform initiatives and innovations, and ensure what
happens in the school is reflective of the community’s values and needs.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Builds consensus

Shares values

Answers questions

Asks questions

District speaks

District listens

Solicits feedback

Solicits direction

The community collaboration process is meant to be continuous, and transcendent
of individual initiatives, as outlined in the graphic below:

District ASKS for
Community Guidance

ONGOING
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION
PROCESS

District
DISTILLS
Input

District
INCORPORATES
Community Input
into Initiative(s)

5

DISTRICT 51
PROFILE

Enrollment: 21,742
School sites: 45
Grand Junction
population: 59,778
Communications staff:
3 full-time employees

ARCHULETA
#50 JT SCHOOL
DISTRICT
PROFILE

Enrollment: 1,326
School sites: 3
Pagosa Springs
population: 1,719
Communications staff:
None

OVERVIEW: District 51 embraced the community collaboration pilot in an effort
to shift away from the manner in which they typically had undertaken community
engagement activities. The district has plans to transform into a 21st century district,
which would involve modernizing instruction, curriculum, technology, and facilities.
“We believe the current education system, built on the industrial model, is obsolete
and needs to be reinvented,” said Superintendent Steve Schultz. “So we have been
trying to work with our community to understand ‘what does that look like, and what
does that mean?’”
Using the graduation guidelines policy update as an entry point into these larger
conversations, District 51 wanted to bring the community into the decision-making
process, to make sure that district and school leaders were developing guidelines
that were aligned with the community values of Grand Junction.
“We recognized that updating the graduation guidelines had implications for current
instructional practices, and we were also curious if the community had begun to
consider if new instructional innovations—like blended learning and competencybased education—might have a greater role in the future of District 51 schools,”
noted Schultz. By collaborating with the community on the updated graduation
guidelines, the district was excited to hear what the community felt was the best
next step to ensure the local schools were meeting the needs of students.

OVERVIEW: The town of Pagosa Springs is a destination for a largely retiree
population, with 60 percent of area private property owned by non-residents. In
recent years, district outreach to the community had largely been around bond
measures, which were often unsuccessful.
When Linda Reed became superintendent, she wanted to reintroduce the district
to the community. “Because so many residents weren’t originally from our
community, or because they didn’t have children or grandchildren currently in
our school system, there was a big disconnect,” explained Reed. “When a recent
bond measure failed to pass, we realized that the community hadn’t recognized
the needs of our schools because we hadn’t done a good job of communicating
that. So we knew that part of our strategic framework needed to address
communication and community collaboration.”
The district sought to invite residents into the schools, allowing the community to
see first hand what the district had been able to accomplish, but also to provide
guidance to help the district realize their future potential.
The Archuleta PROUD campaign was launched in early 2016, with the goal of
encouraging the community to re-engage with the school. “We are essentially
starting from scratch with our community collaboration,” said Reed. “Our hope is
that the PROUD campaign will serve as an entry point into the larger conversation
of ‘what should the district be doing to prepare our students for the future?’”

WHAT IS COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION?

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

MAKING THE SHIFT TO
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
The driving principle behind this important shift is that over
time community engagement has become a mechanism
for districts to push out information on initiatives and
programs into the community. Along the way, a small
but widening gap has formed, separating the community
from the school, often to the detriment of students and
innovation. When community guidance is solicited and
leveraged in a more deliberate and authentic way—as
with community collaboration—districts often receive
permission to innovate where they otherwise wouldn’t
have considered the possibility, so students can achieve
the goals that the community has set.
This community collaboration process helps districts
ask what outcomes the community would like to see the
district explore, expand, or prioritize, particularly in this
time of shifting demands on public education. The toolkit
recognizes every district is in a different place when it
comes to current efforts and initiatives, and allows for
flexibility in the process so that districts can begin to
implement as early as they are able.

“When a recent bond measure
failed to pass, we realized that
the community hadn’t recognized
the needs of our schools because
we hadn’t done a good job of
communicating that. So we
knew that part of our strategic
framework needed to address
communication and community
collaboration.”
—Linda Reed, Superintendent,
Archuleta #50 JT School District

DEVELOPING MESSAGES THAT RESONATE
Once the district has a firm understanding of benefits, barriers, actions, and communications channels for each audience, the next step is to define what messages
will authentically articulate not only what the Community Collaboration Model is, but why it is of value to that audience and how they can help the district move to this
meaningful model. These messages should be thoughtful and deliberate, and will anchor the initial outreach to the audience and the introduction of the Community
Collaboration Model.

A FEW THINGS
TO KEEP IN MIND:

SEEDING THE SHIFT WORKSHEETS

DEFINE MESSAGES

AUDIENCE

Based on the benefits, barriers, and actions identified, what messages will most
resonate with this audience when introducing the Community Collaboration Model?

• Customize! Each audience is
different and their motivations
are different—make sure your
messages reflect that.
• A good message includes a
“need-to-know” component,
a benefit component, and an
emotional component (why
does it matter to them?).

SEEDING THE SHIFT WORKSHEET

• Be clear and consistent.

The Community Collaboration Model is most effective when all community stakeholders are engaged and participate. However, before a district can make the shift, it
must introduce the model to the community in a way that creates a shared value and ownership among all community groups. To do that, the district should first map

• Avoid educator-speak,the
acrovarious audiences that make up its community and consider the unique benefits and barriers for each audience, as well as any action that audience could take to
nyms, and other “insider”
lingo the shift to the Community Collaboration Model. The exercise below is designed to help districts begin this work.
support
for non-education audiences.

IDENTIFY

• Tailor your message based on
AUDIENCES
the communications channel; if
What audiences make up the
a channel speaks to more than
local community? For example,
one audience (social media,
parents, students, teachers,
news media, etc.), adjust your
Latino community, business
message accordingly.
leaders, senior citizens,

IDENTIFY
BENEFITS

IDENTIFY
BARRIERS

IDENTIFY
ACTIONS

DEFINE COMMUNICATIONS
CHANNELS

What are the key benefits of
the Community Collaboration
Model to this audience?

Are there any challenges or
barriers to the Community
Collaboration Model for
this audience?

What actions does the
district want this group to take
to forward the Community
Collaboration Model?

How do we engage this audience?
Can we leverage existing
communications channels? Do
we need to create new ones?

Parents will have greater input in the
education of their children

Time; some parents are unable to
participate in evening activities

We want parents to participate in a
series of deliberative engagement events
to help the district determine how to
best meet the needs of their child(ren)

Leveraging multiple channels
will provide a broader reach.

general public, etc.
Example: Parents with students
in the district

District newsletter;
social media; PTA

The following worksheets will help districts begin to identify the various
audiences within their community, what opportunities and challenges the
community collaboration model presents for each audience, as well as
what communications channels the district either has in place or needs to
establish in order to reach these audiences. Additionally, based on these
factors, the worksheets provide guidance to help district staff develop
messages that will resonate with each audience for outreach efforts.

7

Are there any challenges or
barriers to the Community
Collaboration Model for
this audience?

What are the key benefits of
the Community Collaboration
Model to this audience?

Parents will have greater input in the
education of their children

What audiences make up the
local community? For example,
parents, students, teachers,
Latino community, business
leaders, senior citizens,
general public, etc.

Example: Parents with students
in the district

Time; some parents are unable to
participate in evening activities

IDENTIFY
BARRIERS

IDENTIFY
BENEFITS

IDENTIFY
AUDIENCES

We want parents to participate in a
series of deliberative engagement events
to help the district determine how to
best meet the needs of their child(ren)

What actions does the
district want this group to take
to forward the Community
Collaboration Model?

IDENTIFY
ACTIONS

District newsletter;
social media; PTA

Leveraging multiple channels
will provide a broader reach.

How do we engage this audience?
Can we leverage existing
communications channels? Do
we need to create new ones?

DEFINE COMMUNICATIONS
CHANNELS

The Community Collaboration Model is most effective when all community stakeholders are engaged and participate. However, before a district can make the shift, it
must introduce the model to the community in a way that creates a shared value and ownership among all community groups. To do that, the district should first map
the various audiences that make up its community and consider the unique benefits and barriers for each audience, as well as any action that audience could take to
support the shift to the Community Collaboration Model. The exercise below is designed to help districts begin this work.

SEEDING THE SHIFT WORKSHEET

• T
 ailor your message based on
the communications channel; if
a channel speaks to more than
one audience (social media,
news media, etc.), adjust your
message accordingly.

• A
 void educator-speak, acronyms, and other “insider” lingo
for non-education audiences.

• Be clear and consistent.

• A
 good message includes a
“need-to-know” component,
a benefit component, and an
emotional component (why
does it matter to them?).

• C
 ustomize! Each audience is
different and their motivations
are different—make sure your
messages reflect that.

A FEW THINGS
TO KEEP IN MIND:
AUDIENCE

Based on the benefits, barriers, and actions identified, what messages will most
resonate with this audience when introducing the Community Collaboration Model?

DEFINE MESSAGES

Once the district has a firm understanding of benefits, barriers, actions, and communications channels for each audience, the next step is to define what messages
will authentically articulate not only what the Community Collaboration Model is, but why it is of value to that audience and how they can help the district move to this
meaningful model. These messages should be thoughtful and deliberate, and will anchor the initial outreach to the audience and the introduction of the Community
Collaboration Model.

DEVELOPING MESSAGES THAT RESONATE

THERE ARE FOUR MA JOR STAGES IN THE
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION MODEL:

#1

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

#3

REPORT PROGRESS

#2

ACT ON COMMUNITY DIRECTIVE

#4

COLLABORATE CONTINUOUSLY

STAGE 1: CREATE A FORUM FOR COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
Once the district has identified the appropriate community audiences, the next step is to create a forum where
community members have adequate time and opportunity to listen to one another and provide thoughtful insights.
This baseline of input will help districts prioritize goals and rethink planned initiatives through the lens of what the
community deems valuable, so it is important that the community and district staff have high-quality interaction.

THE DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT FORMAT
Deliberative engagement is the ideal approach to involving the community in district priority setting, and closely
aligns with the principles of the community collaboration model, because it focuses on giving participants time to
consider and discuss an issue in depth before they come to a considered view. Like true community collaboration,
deliberative engagement includes: interactive discussion to weigh implications of multiple points of view; a
heterogeneous mix of participants that can offer different perspectives, backgrounds, and interests; and a clear task
and purpose.
Because deliberative engagement events require enough time to allow participants to process a good deal of
information, perspective, and opinion, events should be long enough to encourage productive dialogue. Depending
on the size of the district and of the group, this can be anywhere from one to three hours. While district staff may be
familiar with town hall or discussion group formats, deliberative engagement will likely require additional training,
specifically around facilitation techniques.

STEPS FOR HOSTING A DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT EVENT
The steps outlined below will help districts think through the various activities necessary to create a valuable event.
Additionally, there is a “How to Host a Deliberative Engagement” checklist at the end of this section.

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

LESSONS FROM
ARCHULETA

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Rather than host their own deliberative engagement event, Archuleta school
district instead chose to go out into the Pagosa Springs community and meet
with various community groups (i.e. Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club,
Community Development Committee, PTA, etc.) during those groups’ regularly
scheduled meetings. Capitalizing on these opportunities required far less
planning work on behalf of the district, which can be ideal for small districts
with limited support staff, like Archuleta.

However, when scheduling time during another group’s meeting, there is often
only a small window of time that districts are allotted to speak with the membership, which is not always
an adequate amount of time to have meaningful interactions. Also, district staff is at the scheduling
discretion of the group, and for the Archuleta district, this meant postponing conversations that the
district would have liked to have started much sooner. “When we tried to get in front of our Community
Development Committee, they agreed to allocate some time during their November meeting for us to
discuss the Archuleta PROUD campaign,” explained superintendent Linda Reed. “But when the day finally
arrived, there was a huge snow storm and only a handful of people actually showed up, so we were forced
to reschedule.”
Another lesson Archuleta learned from this strategy was that in order to reach a sample audience that
mirrored the diversity of the community as a whole, the district would need to meet with a wide array of
community organizations. “You have to really think through the segments of your community you want to
ensure are included in these conversations, and you have to meet them where they are,” said Reed. “And
then you have to reconcile that disparate and, at times, conflicting input, which can eat up a good deal of
time not originally built into the timeline. Overall it was still an effective strategy for us, because we have
very little internal communications support, but that may not be the case for other districts.”

Step #1: Identify conversation prompt that will surface the community’s values
To accomplish the vision of the community collaboration model, districts must first identify what they expect from
the community and determine what larger question(s) they want the community to consider. The input the district
receives from the community will influence all future, developing, and existing initiatives and innovations, so it is
critical that the correct questions are asked up front to spark community direction.
Examples of collaborative community conversation prompts:
• What do graduates from this school district need in the 21st century to be successful?
• How do we prepare the students in this district for a rapidly changing economy?
• How do we ensure that all students are being well served in our district?
• What do you hope and expect students in this district will know and be able to do?
• W
 hat could learning environments in this district look like to ensure that students are prepared
for the world once they graduate?
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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Step #2: Recruit and Train Facilitators
Good facilitation is critical for getting the most out of deliberative engagement. A facilitator does not provide any
new information or give an opinion on a situation but focuses on enabling the meeting to succeed. So what makes a
good facilitator?
AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR:
Is an engaged listener
Is flexible vs. rigid
Acknowledges participants and makes them feel valued
Is neutral on the issue
Stimulates interaction and conversation
Understands the issue well enough to help participants connect ideas
When recruiting facilitators, first use the selection criteria above to sort applicants. It is better to have a high-quality,
smaller applicant pool than to accept a greater number of applicants who meet fewer of the effective facilitator
criteria. Once the applicant pool has been narrowed, it is critical that all candidates understand their role and
expectations of their time. (See Appendix A for a facilitation training process document; See Appendix B for a facilitator
recruitment process document and sample invitation language.)

District 51 in Mesa County was able to partner with Colorado Mesa University
(CMU), located in Grand Junction, to establish a cadre of discussion facilitators
from the local community, train them on the proper techniques to facilitate
LESSONS FROM
meaningful discussions, and hold a series of community deliberative
engagement events where participants were encouraged to provide input and
DISTRICT 51
direction for the district’s planned update of high school graduation guidelines.
For the first community forum, CMU facilitators led the discussions while the
facilitator cadre observed. During the second event, the cadre of facilitators led
the discussion while the CMU staff observed and provided feedback after the
event had concluded. For all subsequent community events, the cadre of facilitators will be in charge of
leading the discussion.
The district recruited the cadre of facilitators through a campaign using media coverage, district
communications channels (parent newsletters and social media properties), and word of mouth.
The cadre, made up of 25 community members, was made aware of the time commitment required,
expectations of a discussion facilitator, and the goals of the discussions up front, so that only qualified
and interested candidates applied.

12

FACILITATOR
TRAINING VIDEO
TUTORIALS

As part of the work to create the Community Collaboration for School Innovation
toolkit, it became apparent that districts, especially those lacking communications
support staff, would benefit from additional training on how to facilitate
deliberative engagement discussions specifically. In addition to the Facilitation
Training Process Document (see Appendix A), below is a list of modular videos
districts can use to train their community facilitators. Click on each of the titles
below to access the corresponding instructional video.

Deliberative Engagement: The Basics:
“What is Deliberative Engagement?”

Deliberative Engagement: The Basics:
“Characteristics of an Effective Facilitator”

Key takeaways:
• The key to deliberative engagement is getting
people to interact.

Key takeaways:
• Because these types of conversations don’t usually occur
naturally, facilitators need to be active in the deliberative
engagement process so meaningful conversations occur.

• People typically pick one value that is most
important to them and speak from that.
• Rather than just allowing people to provide input,
deliberative engagement facilitates conversations
about how these different perspectives cause tensions
and how to negotiate those tensions.
• The goal is to reframe issues so that individuals
understand that others have similar values, but
may rank them differently.
Deliberative Engagement: The Basics:
“Group Decision Making”
Key takeaways:
• Participatory decision making allows everyone
who is affected by a potential decision to take part
in the conversation.
• There are three obstacles to overcome before
making a decision:
1. D
 ivergent thinking – facilitators need to make sure
that all perspectives are given a voice, including
those who disagree with the majority.
2. O
 nce perspectives are voiced, facilitators need an
established process that helps all stakeholders
come to a mutual understanding.
3. H
 aving the majority is not enough to enact change.
• Those who disagree still have power to derail things.
• O
 nce stakeholders understand that everyone has a
piece of the answer, it’s easy to get stuck at that point.
As a result, the group may never reach a final decision.
• The beginning of the process for decision making
should be open-minded, and become more closeminded by the end of the process (as the group hones
in on what is most important).
• Participatory decision making gives stakeholders
ownership of changes that are made, which in turn,
makes it more likely that they will change their behavior.

• There’s not one right way to facilitate.
• However, there are 10 general responsibilities that an
effective facilitator should keep in mind:
1. Remain impartial
2. Let participants control the conversation
3. Keep conversations on track
4. M
 anage the group effectively, bring out all of
the voices
5. Model democratic behavior (ask good questions, etc.)
6. Honor good information
7. Identify underlying values of participants
8. Spark interaction (get people to respond to each other)
9. Surface tensions (and help people work through them)
10. Create balance
Deliberative Engagement: The Basics:
“Five Basic Facilitator Moves”
Key takeaways:
• The facilitator’s role is to intervene in order to spark
interactions and move the conversation forward.
• Five moves (links to individual videos below):
1. M
 ove on – After the first person responds to a
question, the facilitator must decide whether to move
on to the next person who raised their hand, or stick
with the topic raised by the first speaker.
2. Paraphrasing – Restating a point made by a group
member to help the group understand the concept
better.
3. P
 robing question – Ask the speaker to dig deeper into
something they’ve just shared with the group.
4.  Reaction question – Prompt other group members to
react to what the speaker said.
5. T
 ransition question – Guide the group to move on to
the next topic to keep the conversation on track.

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Step #3: Develop a discussion guide and stimulus materials
It is recommended that the facilitator prepare a discussion guide ahead of the event to help keep discussion moving
in a productive direction. However, depending on the flow of the conversation or group dynamic, the facilitator may
choose not to use the document. The steps below will help districts begin to craft a discussion guide relevant to
their audience and topic. All the facilitators leading discussions at an event will use the same discussion guide.
(See Appendix C for a sample discussion guide about graduation guidelines.)

BEST PRACTICES
FOR CREATING
A DISCUSSION
GUIDE

• Create an agenda to serve as a general structure for the meeting. Doing so
informs participants of what topics will be discussed, while creating a flow for
how the meeting will progress.
• Begin with an introduction that outlines the objectives of the meeting and
addresses each stakeholder so that everyone feels like they are a welcome
part of the conversation.

• The discussion guide should not be a script, but rather a tool to facilitate
natural conversations. The facilitator’s role is to keep the discussion going
by probing participants’ responses, moving the conversation forward so that each topic is addressed, and
intervening when the conversation goes off track. Be sure to include probing questions throughout the
document as a trigger to dig deeper into participants’ intentions. For example:
o That’s interesting, can you provide a little more context to your response?
o Can you talk to us a bit more about how you arrived at that conclusion?
• Start with broad topics and questions, working your way toward more specific issues.
• Use open-ended questions to ensure that participants have room to raise the issues that are most
important to them.
• Don’t be beholden to the discussion guide. While it is important to keep the meeting on track, if an
important issue is raised, make sure that it is thoroughly explored and that all voices are heard on the
matter before moving on to another topic.

In addition to the discussion guide, make sure the community has all relevant materials and information to
help have a more directed and productive conversation. These materials can include a short video, a handout,
a PowerPoint slide—just remember, materials should only be used to stimulate conversation, not direct it. (See
Appendix D for sample stimulus materials for a conversation on graduation guidelines.)

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Step #4: Publicize the event
As the deliberative engagement event begins to take shape, it is important to get the word out early, and across
as many communications channels as possible to invite the community to participate and ensure a more diverse
turnout. Leverage the district’s current communications channels—website, newsletters, social media—but also
consider sharing the information with local media, community groups, churches, area businesses, etc. (See
Appendix E for a community forum participant recruitment process document and sample invitation language.)
Equally as important as providing information to external audiences is to arm internal staff with the appropriate
information about the event—what will be discussed, why it is important, why community participation is key.
Because district administrators are not privy to all the conversations happening inside schools, let alone out in the
community, providing all staff with the necessary information about the event will empower them to have those
conversations with parents and community members and field questions with confidence, as well as encourage
them to attend and participate.

To encourage participation from a larger section of the community, Archuleta
was very proactive in their communications about the event, employing the
following strategies:

LESSONS FROM
ARCHULETA

• The invitation was extended to parents through already established district
channels—social media and parent newsletters.
• The district also took advantage of earned media opportunities to promote
the event, using newspaper articles to get the word out to the larger
community.

“I penned a letter to the editor and an OpEd in the local paper,” noted Brooks Lindner, a member of
the Archuleta school board. “We also asked that members of the board and district staff each reach
out to at least one person in the community to extend the invitation to attend and participate.”
As a result of their efforts, nearly 60 citizens turned out to discuss the role of the local business community
in supporting, and helping to define, student success, with nearly all local businesses represented.

15

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

LESSONS FROM
DISTRICT 51

CREATE A FORUM FOR
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

Prior to inviting the community to the forum, the district communications staff
deployed an “inside-out” communication strategy, arming internal staff with
event details so that they could serve as the messengers to parents and other
community members outside of the school.

“We wanted to make sure teachers and principals and anyone who interfaces
with the community could talk with parents and the community about why
the district was looking to engage, so they felt informed and included in the

larger process,” explained Superintendent Shultz. “So a certain level of information sharing would be
required so that staff felt comfortable and knowledgeable about this shift in our engagement strategy.”

Community
Parents
Teachers
and Staff

School
Leadership

The district first hosted a webinar for all principals, to share the
information about the impetus and timeline for updating the graduation
guidelines, as well as to field any questions from teachers and school
staff about the changes. Those principals then took the information
back to their schools, and hosted a teacher in-service, using districtdeveloped informational toolkits so that everyone felt comfortable
answering questions from parents and the community at large.
District 51 staff responded very well to the “inside-out” strategy for
information sharing—noting that it gave them the confidence to
have conversations about the topic, both because they had sufficient
information, but also because they were given the authority to be a
primary messenger and listener out in the community.

Step #5: Host the Forum
Capturing what the community is saying during a community forum is an important part of the community
collaboration model. Note-taking is a vital method for engaging people during the event as well as an important
data point for analyzing the discussion afterward. Note-takers should be as thorough as possible and, if possible,
display notes publicly. The following charts will help facilitators capture important conversations during the
deliberative engagement event.
Incorporate Community Collaboration into Current Engagement Activities
While deliberative engagement is the ideal approach to community collaboration, making the shift does not have
to be a “deliberative engagement or nothing” scenario. The cornerstone of community collaboration is intent—
the intention to foster meaningful and authentic conversations with the community to solicit insights and direction
that then informs the district’s way forward. This can be achieved in all forums, regardless if it is a deliberative
engagement event, a town hall, community meeting, or small group conversation. If a district already has a
community event planned, it can easily become a community collaboration event by having an effective facilitator
lead the meeting with the purpose of pulling in guidance and directives from the community—which may mean
abandoning the original intent of the meeting in favor of a shift to this new model.
16

DOCUMENT COMMUNITY INPUT WORKSHEET
Capturing what the community is saying during a community forum is an important part of the community
collaboration model. Note-taking is an vital method for engaging people during the event as well as an important
data point for analyzing the discussion afterward. Use the grid below to collect input. Note-takers should be as
thorough as they can and as possible and appropriate display notes publicly.

DISCUSSION

PARKING LOT

QUESTIONS RAISED

DOCUMENT COMMUNITY INPUT WORKSHEET
Facilitators should spend 30 minutes at the end of the forum going over the notes from the discussion with
community members to identify key themes and prioritize them. Pose the question “Which topics were most
important to the group?” to begin the conversation and make a list of the themes. Then place each theme on
the axis below to prioritize.

URGENT

NOT IMPORTANT TO THE GROUP

IMPORTANT TO THE GROUP

NOT URGENT

HOW TO HOST A DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT EVENT

Two Months Before Event





One Week Before Event

Identify a topic (see page 11 for more information)



 ecruit facilitators (see Appendix B for a
R
recruitment process document)



 ommunicate details to internal staff so they are
C
able to respond to inquiries from parents and other
community members



Set a date and time



Identify a location for the forum

• C
 heck to make sure all AV equipment is
powered on and working
• R
 earrange the room to encourage small
group discussions
• Arrange refreshments (if provided)

Things to consider:
• How many people can it accommodate?



• Are there enough tables and chairs?
• Is there ample parking?
• Is public transportation to the venue available?
• Is the venue accessible for people with
disabilities?






Things to consider:
• If you require registration, make sure that
information is available in the invitation copy



 ompile/create stimulus materials (see Appendix
C
D for sample stimulus material for a discussion on
updating graduation guidelines)

Welcome participants

• R
 eview ground rules that have been outlined
in the discussion guide (See page 17 for more
information)

• Include date, time, and focus of discussion

 evelop discussion guide (see page 14 for best
D
practices; sample discussion guide can be found in
Appendix C)

 ake sure each moderator has access to several
M
writing utensils

• C
 ommunicate restroom and other facilities
locations to participants

• M
 ake sure you are using the appropriate
channels to reach your target audiences (see
Seeding the Shift worksheet on page 8)



 ake sure “Documenting Community Input”
M
worksheets are available to each moderator
(and displayed for the group when possible)

• T
 o encourage participants to form more diverse
groups, count off 1 through the total number of
small groups planned, and as newcomers arrive
tell them their number and direct them to the
corresponding table

Invite participants

Two Weeks Before Event

Prep the meeting space
• H
 ang signage as appropriate to direct
participants to the meeting space

 rain facilitators (see Appendix A for a Facilitation
T
Training Process Document; additional information
on page 12)



 istribute discussion guide to facilitators so that
D
they can prepare

Day of Event

One Month Before Event


 end reminder to participants (via original
S
outreach channels)



I nvite participants to share their contact
information to be invited to subsequent events

Day after Event




ollowing the event facilitators and/or note-takers
F
should collect and organize feedback to distill
important points and takeaways from the forum
If possible, thank community members for their
participation

19

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

ACT ON
COMMUNITY DIRECTIVE

STAGE 2: ACT ON COMMUNITY DIRECTIVE
Once the community has given the directive for which values they want to see reflected in district policies and
initiatives, it is imperative that district staff use this information immediately and with purpose to inform all work
that is currently happening in the district, as well as all planned work in the pipeline.
The relationship between innovation and community values has to be based on what the community wants for
their children. In an ideal scenario, the community would deliver that mandate prior to planning or developing any
initiatives, illustrated by district A in the example below. However, recognizing that many districts may have several
initiatives currently underway when the transition to community collaboration takes place, the toolkit allows for
additional entry points so that all districts can begin this work immediately.

CONSIDER THESE EXAMPLES:
After hosting their community collaboration events, both district A and B know that the top priorities in their
respective communities are: a focus on equity, student-directed learning, and personalized learning. District A has
begun the switch to the community collaboration model with fidelity and currently has no planned initiatives in the
works - all future district work will be directly aligned with the mandate given during the community collaboration
event. District B, however, already had work in progress at the time that they transitioned to the community
collaboration model, and now must reassess how that works aligns with the mandate from their community. What
are the districts’ next steps?

District A
Taking into account the community values surfaced during the community collaboration event, the district
internalizes what the community shared and begins work on evaluating whether a blended learning initiative—
which would address all three community values—could positively affect student outcomes.

Blended Learning
is the strategic
integration of inperson learning and
technology enabling:

Description

Value 1:
Promotes equity

Value 2:
Student-directed

Value 3:
Promotes personalized
learning

1) Use of real time data

2) Personalization
3) Competency-based
progression

20

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

ACT ON
COMMUNITY DIRECTIVE

District B
Prior to engaging with their community, the district had planned to roll out the following initiatives:
• A Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative
• A Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) speaker series
• A student-created art exhibit at the local senior center
• A new maker space
• Additional foreign language offerings
Based on what they learned from the community about the work they feel needs to happen in the district, the
district should map out all initiatives and re-evaluate based on the values expressed by the community. Here is a
sample evaluation rubric:
	

Initiative

Description

Value 1:
Promotes equity

Value 2:
Student-directed

Value 3:
Promotes
personalized learning

BYOD initiative	

STEM speaker series
Student-created art
exhibit
Maker space	

Foreign language

It can be difficult to synthesize community directives and apply them to current and ongoing initiatives, but the
district is responsible to its community and must ensure that school initiatives and programs reflect community
values and direction.

21

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR
SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

Initiative

Description

Innovation Evaluation Rubric Worksheet

Value 1:

Value 2:

Value 3:

22

ONGOING
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION
PROCESS

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

District
REPORT
PROGRESS
DISTILLS
Input

District
STAGE 3: REPORT PROGRESS
INCORPORATES
Community Input
The Initiative(s)
community shares their values and priorities about what the school district needs to focus on to ensure that
into

all students leave K-12 prepared for their next steps, and the districts are then tasked with coming back to tell
the community about how they have interpreted the community directive into school and district programs. This
means that once initiatives have begun to take shape, the district should establish multiple touch points on the
collaboration continuum to ensure that what has been imagined aligns with community directive. The district needs
to be accountable to the community and demonstrate that they’ve taken the community’s priorities and used them
to create an educational system that reflects the community’s values and wishes as well as ensures student success.

Develop/Revise
Initiative(s)

Implement
Initiative(s)

Re-Assess
Initiative(s)

Having this mechanism in place for the community to provide additional guidance not only increases transparency,
but also the community is able to see that their input and insight is valued and is being incorporated into immediate
and future initiatives, making it a truly collaborative interaction.

23

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

CONTINUOUS
COLLABORATION

STAGE 4: CONTINUOUS COLLABORATION
The process of maintaining communication and collaboration with the community should be ongoing. When fully
implemented, the “push” model of community engagement should be completely eliminated and every interaction
with the community should be treated as an opportunity to “pull” in community guidance, as well as reaffirm that
the work of the district is reflective of the community’s values and is on track to fulfilling the community’s vision for
its schools.
Like any major change, the shift to community collaboration will not be without challenges, but realizing this
powerful model and the positive impact it can have on the district and student learning is paramount and worth the
commitment and effort.

Based on their recent deliberative engagement event, District 51 is currently
evaluating how they will go about leveraging the input from the community to

LESSONS FROM
DISTRICT 51

develop the new graduation guidelines. “We intentionally chose graduation

guidelines—which we hoped would be a low flash point topic on our first
foray into the community collaboration model,” explained superintendent
Schultz. “We always intended for this to be an ongoing process, so we look
forward to the next collaboration.”

When selecting a community collaboration discussion topic, remember that narrow topics may not
translate to other future initiatives and innovations. Districts should evaluate whether it makes sense to
ask broader questions to spark deeper discussions about student success and public education in the
21st century.

“We wanted to begin a process that is ongoing and forever—when
we engage our community, we are not ‘selling an idea,’ we want our
interactions with the community to be authentic.”
—Steve Schultz, Superintendent, District 51

24

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

ABOUT THE
AUTHORS

THE LEARNING ACCELERATOR
The Learning Accelerator is the catalyst to transform American
K-12 education through blended learning on a national scale. Both
architect and investor: we cultivate solutions to overcome the
barriers to implementing blended learning in schools and work
directly with districts and states to develop strategies and resources
which can be shared nationwide.
Follow us @LearningAccel

THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
As a dynamic service agency, the Colorado Department of Education
(CDE) provides leadership, resources, support, and accountability
to the state’s 178 school districts, 1,836 schools, and over 56,000
educators to help them build capacity to meet the needs of the
state’s over 889,000 public school students.
CDE also provides services and support to boards of cooperative
educational services (BOCES), early learning centers, state
correctional schools, facility schools, the state’s libraries, adult/
family literacy centers, and the Colorado Talking Book Library. In
addition, CDE provides structural and administrative support to the
Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and the Charter
School Institute.

THE COLORADO EDUCATION INITIATIVE
The Colorado Education Initiative (CEI) is an independent non-profit
that collaborates with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE),
schools and districts across the state to accelerate achievement
for all Colorado students. CEI believes every student can reach his
or her full potential with the right set of supports. This means that
every student in Colorado is prepared and unafraid to succeed
in school, work, and life, and to take on the challenges of today,
tomorrow, and beyond. CEI’s innovative partnership with CDE and
schools and districts in communities across Colorado helps uncover
innovative ways to reach every learner, every day.

25

APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR PROCESS DOCUMENT

HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR
The facilitator’s role in a meeting is not to lead the discussion, but to spark interactions among participants and
move the conversation forward.

GUIDING GROUP DECISION MAKING
Step 1: Introduce the Topic
As a facilitator, it’s important to make sure everyone has a shared understanding of the goals of the meeting before
discussion begins. Doing so will ensure that the conversation is more meaningful and productive.

Step 2: Establish Ground Rules
Provide structure to the meeting by establishing ground rules, both for the facilitator and meeting participants.
Some basic guidelines that can be included are:
Facilitator:

Participants:

• Remain neutral but focus dialogue—keep on-topic.

• L
 isten, contribute, and stay focused on the subject
at hand.

• A
 void having participants vote, plan, or reach
consensus—assess individual input.
• C
 ultivate a permissive atmosphere promoting
participant self-disclosure.

• F
 eel free to express your ideas and opinions in the
small groups and keep or change those opinions in
response to what you hear.

• R
 espect, nurture, and do not discourage differing
viewpoints.

• R
 espect others’ right to share their thoughts; do
not interrupt.

• Accurately record ideas on flip charts.

• F
 eel free to get up, obtain refreshments, or visit
the restroom.

• Stop anyone who attempts to block another’s views.

• Clarify your comments as needed if you want to.
• Do not engage in separate, private discussions.

26

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX A

Step 3: Invite Everyone into the Conversation
Because the purpose of deliberative engagement is to include voices from a diverse audience, it is important to
remember that not everyone in the group will have the same experiences and familiarity with the topic. Be sure
to include questions that provide a relatable access point to the conversation.
For example:
• What do you wish you had learned in school that would make you more successful now?
• What is one thing you do daily that you didn’t do 10 years ago?

Step 4: Facilitate Conversation
While the facilitator should never exert his/her views onto the group, it is often necessary to help guide the
conversation and help the group overcome obstacles to have a more productive conversation. Common obstacles
to overcome during a group discussion could include:
• D
 ivergent thinking: Facilitators need to make sure that all perspectives are given a voice, including those who
disagree with the majority.
• Finding common ground: Once perspectives are voiced, facilitators need to help group members identify shared
values (while there may be no consensus or solution, there should be understanding of different perspectives).
Occasionally, the discussion will evolve beyond what was originally planned. Sometimes this can lead to a much
richer and informative discussion; other times these derailments are detrimental to the conversation. Below are
some interventions the facilitator can employ to help guide conversations more effectively.
1. M
 ove on: After the first person responds to a question, the facilitator must decide whether to move on to the
next person who asked to speak, or stick with the topic raised by the first speaker. It’s important to “honor the
queue” while not letting it get in the way of interaction between participants.
a. “ I see your hand is raised and I will get right back to you, but I am interested to hear if anyone has a reaction
to the point that was just raised?”
b. “ Thanks for pointing that out. We’ll be addressing that issue a bit more later in the agenda, so we’ll get back
to it.”
2. Paraphrasing: Restate a point made by a participant to help the group understand the concept better.
a. “So, I’m hearing that the concern that you have is…”
b. “So, I think what you’re saying is…”
3. P
 robing question: Ask the speaker and/or other participants to dig deeper into something that has just been
shared with the group.
a. “So could someone make the case for that strategy?”
b. “Could you give an example of how what that might look like in practice?”

27

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX A

4. Reaction question: Prompt other participants to react to what the speaker said.
a. “[Name] makes an interesting point. Do you all agree with that?”
b. “To what degree do you think that affects this issue?”
5. Transition question: Guide the group to move on to the next topic to keep the conversation on track.
a. “If we can look at the next point on the agenda—what do you think about [issue]?”

Step 5: Watch for Non-Verbal Cues
In addition to being an active listener, the facilitator should also look for non-verbal cues from participants who
may not feel comfortable joining the conversation. By identifying these cues, the facilitator can find a way to
engage participants so that everyone’s voice is heard.
Some cues to watch for might include:
• Crossed arms: The participant may be feeling upset or defensive.
• Checking his/her watch: The participant may be disengaged from the discussion.
• Talking under his/her breath: The participant may be struggling to find a way to speak up.

Step 6: Be Mindful of Time
It’s important for the facilitator to let discussions unfold naturally, while also being mindful of the agenda that has
been set. To keep things on track, the facilitator should keep time and alert participants as milestones approach
(e.g. “We are nearing the halfway point of the meeting”). Doing so will ensure that important topics get addressed
in the time allotted.

28

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX B: SAMPLE COMMUNITY FORUM FACILITATOR RECRUITMENT PROCESS
AND INVITATION LANGUAGE
COMMUNITY FORUM FACILITATOR
RECRUITMENT PROCESS

SAMPLE “ASK” LANGUAGE FOR
FACILITATOR COHORT OUTREACH

The facilitator cohort is most effective when their involvement
extends beyond just one particular initiative, so it will be
important to recruit high-quality, engaged community
members. Look for candidates who can offer strong
partnerships through their professional or civic involvements.
To leverage this group to grow forum attendance, identify
facilitators who can strengthen the partnership between the
organizations to which they belong and the forum event. Be
clear about the terms of commitment when recruiting a facilitator
cohort. Terms may range from six months to three years with an
average of one to two community forums per year.

As a local community leader, <NAME> School
District values your insight and guidance, and
would like to invite you to join our cohort
of community engagement facilitators. The
main purpose of building a local cohort
of facilitators is to ensure that the district
develops an ongoing collaboration with our
community to ensure current and future
school initiatives reflect the values and voice
of our local community. Please let us know
if you are interested in this opportunity. We
will be holding the training <DATE, TIME>
at <ADDRESS>. You can RSVP by contacting
<NAME> at <CONTACT INFO>.

Who should you recruit to facilitate?
• Leverage those engaged in your local school board
 Ask board members to send personal invites to
their networks
 Make announcements at board meetings
• Tap your local PTA leaders
• R
 ecruit business leaders through your local Chamber of
Commerce
• Other groups to consider:
 Faith-based groups
 Neighborhood Associations
 Racial, ethnic, or cultural groups
 Local community and volunteer groups
 Retiree community
NOTE: Participants of the Community Forum may not feel
comfortable voicing their concerns if key stakeholders serve
as facilitators (school board members, school administrators,
or teachers); however, it may be necessary to leverage this
group to serve in these roles. Regardless of whether they will
become facilitators, it may be useful to have this key stakeholder
audience participate in the Facilitation Training to have a greater
understanding of the process.

We believe that when citizens deliberate
about an issue and when a community is
given the ability to help make choices, the
directions that are chosen often are better,
more innovative, and have a legitimacy
that simply doesn’t exist otherwise. We will
be providing training to our cohort on the
practice of leading small group deliberation
to better understand how to navigate the
various perspectives and insights from our
local community members in a constructive
and positive way. We hope that this cohort
will be as invested as we are in the process
and will continue to help the district engage
with the community for years to come.

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX C

APPENDIX C: SAMPLE GRADUATION GUIDELINES FACILITATOR DISCUSSION GUIDE

INTRODUCTIONS:
Good evening,
My name is _____________________ I am a trained volunteer facilitator for the local school district and I will be
coordinating the effort of a team of trained volunteer facilitators as we engage the public in a dialogue with the
school district about the education and safety of the students of in our area. Tonight we will be asking for your
ideas and opinions about the skills our students will need in the 21st century and how they relate to the new
Colorado State Graduation Requirements. Although the district will ultimately have to comply with the new state
requirements (and in many cases they already are); how that is done and what skills this community thinks are
important to know in addition to the standards are the reason you have been invited here tonight to share your
ideas. The task of our team tonight is to help you articulate those ideas AND to hear the ideas of your fellow
community members. This public engagement meeting is designed to guide you through a series of questions
to consider and respond to in small groups, even as you hear the responses of other groups to those same
questions. The meeting should last about 90 minutes and your participation is entirely voluntary, so if you do
not want to respond to a question or stay through the entire conversation, you are welcome to choose not to
participate at that time. The results of this conversation will be shared with district staff, the School Board, and
others who will be responsible for helping in some way to educate the students of this county.
Let me introduce the team of facilitators. My assistant facilitator is _____________________ he/she will be
assisting me in recording your responses and will make sure you have the materials you need to participate
fully in the conversation. Our small group facilitators are ___________________, ____________________, and
___________________________. They will work most closely with you in the small groups to ensure that you are
heard and your ideas are represented accurately back to the large group. Finally, our team’s ideas advocate
is __________________. It will be his/her job to follow up with the school district staff and others on the ideas we
generate here tonight, to ensure that they are heard and considered by those who might benefit our students
by hearing those ideas. We are also joined by several members of the district staff who are here in a listening
capacity to hear your comments and ideas. Finally, we are joined by other volunteer facilitation teams as part
of our on-going training to enhance our facilitation skills.

30

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX C

GROUND RULES
Each of us have a role to play in the process tonight, let’s go over some of the ground rules for those roles: (show
slides and read each to large group)

• Moderators and Small Group Facilitators:
 Remain neutral but focus dialogue—keep on-topic
 Avoid having participants vote, plan, or reach
consensus—assess individual input

 Cultivate a permissive atmosphere promoting
participant self-disclosure

 Respect, nurture, and do not discourage differing
viewpoints

 Accurately record your ideas on flip charts
Facilitators will report back to larger group on ideas
generated in the small group

 The moderator or small group facilitators will stop

• Participants:
 Listen, contribute, and stay focused on the
subject at hand

 Feel free to express your ideas and opinions
in the small groups and keep or change those
opinions in response to what you hear

Respect others’ right to share their thoughts; do
not interrupt

 Feel free to get up, obtain refreshments, or visit
the restroom

 Clarify your comments as needed if you want to
 Do not engage in separate, private discussions

anyone who attempts to block another’s views

PROCESS:
The conversation and discussion you engage in tonight is part of a larger commitment the school district has
undertaken to develop better public policy by engaging communities in a process of collaborative democracy
in which the public listens to one another and articulates their ideas about educational matters that affect
their community. This is part of a long tradition in democracy from Greek forums to New England town hall
meetings where public policy has been well served by opening up the conversation on policies to the larger
community. This is NOT a decision-making exercise, but an important decision-informing process. Democratic
theory suggests that democratic decision-making requires and informed public and benefits from hearing a
diversity of perspectives on the issues at hand. If the process is successful, the participants will see evidence of
their deliberations in the final decisions that are made by the School Board and the district staff. Certainly, the
participants in these community engagement meetings, after hearing others and expressing their own ideas, will
walk away from this process with a greater understanding of the complexities of the decisions that need to be
made, and the policies that will be enacted.

31

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX C

QUESTIONS?
Are there any questions so far about why we are here, what we want to get done tonight, or the ground rules and
roles we all have here tonight? If not, let us begin….

Content 1: Changes:
Life is a lot different after high school than it used to be. Here are some telling projections from the CDE [show CDE
stat slide and discuss briefly]
Clearly, high school is no longer the end of learning and beginning of work, but a springboard into specialized
training or college that leads to work.

Content 2: Skills:
(Skip if they are already seated in groups) We would like you to go to your “color” group table set up around the room.
Now, please turn to your group and briefly introduce yourself to someone you don’t know in the group.
Your small group facilitator has a few markers and a flip chart to record the group’s ideas and responses to the
questions we will be raising here on the front screen/projection.
The first set of questions revolves around the kinds of skills we think our students need to develop or acquire in
school. (Questions are asked one at a time as moderator advances through the slide. Give about 3-5 minutes for each
question)
• So, what skills do students in our community need to be successful in the 21st Century?
• What skills do our graduates need to be successful in the workplace?
• What skills do our graduates need to succeed in college or vocational training?
• Are there similarities or common skills that apply to each of these questions?
o (The responses for this last question are the set of responses that the facilitators report back on to large group.
The three earlier questions set up this response which acts as a synthesis of the earlier conversation).
[Each group reports back to the meeting as a whole and hangs their flip chart page on the last question up on the wall
after their presentation]
Experts who have done extensive research with industry on a global scale indicate these skills are what they’re
looking for. In this short video, educator Tony Garner talks about some of these skills
(Large group question with small group skills on the wall)
o  How do the skills we have identified on the wall here relate to the video’s discussion of skills needed?

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX C

Content 3: Preparing Our Students:
Many of the skills we have identified here this evening in our small groups and through the video are similar to the
skills identified by the Colorado Department of Education. Those CDE skills are found on the handout our assistant
moderator will be handing out now. [hand out CDE handout graphic]
Do these skills identified by CDE encompass the skills we have identified tonight? Are there any surprises or ah-ha
moments you have considering the CDE skills in light of our conversation so far?
Let’s get back to our small groups so that we can work through another series of questions trying to get at how to
prepare our students to acquire and develop these skills we and CDE have identified. [Questions are asked one at a
time as moderator advances through the slide. Give about 3-5 minutes for each question]
• How well are we preparing our students now?
• What else should we be doing?
• How can the community support the success of all students?
• What are three take-aways from the last 15 minutes of your conversation that we should keep in mind as we move
forward?
o (The responses for this last question are the set of responses that the facilitators report back to the large group. The
three earlier questions set up this response which acts as a synthesis of the earlier conversation).
[Moderator will direct the presentations by small group facilitators and the questions or discussion that conversation raises]

Content 4: New Graduation Requirements:
The CDE is changing the graduation guidelines to adjust to the changing economic conditions and skills students
need. Let’s review the new graduation guidelines from the CDE.
[Moderator or district staff member will walk participants through the Graduation Requirements that will be available for
all to see through a power point slide at this time]
One final time, we are going to ask you to get back into your small groups so we can discuss these new guidelines
with a few questions to spark the conversation.
• Are we addressing these new requirements with our current programs now?
o What can we do for example, to incorporate the state’s civic requirement?
• A
 re there requirements beyond what has been established by these new CDE graduation guidelines that we
should add to our local requirements based on our earlier conversations about skills needed by our students?
• Are there options for students that you would like to see, that the district currently doesn’t offer?
• Do the guidelines and options available adequately measure and encourage some of the “soft skills” (such as
hygiene, interpersonal communications, self-confidence, etc.) that we think our students need?
[Facilitators will need to clearly label which of the questions a particular flip chart set of answers is responding to – If there
is time, we can report back to large group. Facilitator may ask group to identify one or two ideas in each question response
that they think the larger group would benefit from hearing and considering]

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX C

CONCLUSIONS:
We have come to the end of our meeting tonight but before we go, let’s briefly review what we have accomplished
here tonight. We collectively agreed that the economy is changing and students need several well-developed
skills to capitalize on and apply the knowledge they gain in school. We agreed the key skills to be: (point to flip
chart pages from Skills section). We identified several challenges and opportunities to prepare our students to
acquire and develop these skills (point to the flip chart pages from the “Preparing our students” section. And, we
identified the graduation guideline options that these best fit our community (point to the flip charts completed
for the graduation requirement section). Look around you. You are literally surrounded by the ideas we generated
tonight in response to the challenges and opportunities we face preparing the students of this school district for
participation in our society and our workforce in the 21st Century.
This is really good work, but the conversation doesn’t end tonight. We will talk with a few other groups of your
fellow community members in similar community engagement meetings to this one. IF you know someone you
think offers an interesting perspective on these matters, or that the district should hear from, please encourage
them to attend these other meetings (offer dates and times if possible).
We will need to also come together again to discuss some of the approaches that might help us to achieve our
goals identified here. Approaches such as performance-based learning will be the subject of future community
engagement meetings such as this one. We hope you will stay engaged in the process, and join us in future
meetings. ______________________ our information advocate on the facilitation team will take these great ideas and
make sure they get to the right people in the district and on the school board with the ability to act on these ideas.
On behalf of the school district and our entire facilitation team, I would like to sincerely thank you for your time and
your participation this evening. We look forward to visiting with you again in the future on other topics in these
community engagement meetings. Have a good evening and a safe journey home.

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX D

APPENDIX D: SAMPLE STIMULUS MATERIALS: GRADUATION GUIDELINES

PREPARING STUDENTS
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Why do we need new graduation requirements?
Life beyond high school is different from what it used to be. Most jobs require education beyond
high school. These new graduation requirements provide a road map to help students and their
families plan for success after high school. The graduation requirements take effect with ninth
graders in fall 2017.

Most jobs in Colorado will require additional training or education beyond high school.
Jobs that require training beyond high school are growing three times as fast as jobs that require
only a high school diploma.
By 2020, three out of four jobs in Colorado will require education or training beyond high school.
That adds up to 3 million jobs.
Already, Colorado employers cannot find enough workers to fill jobs in some manufacturing,
health, technology, and science-based industries. They say that students are not prepared to be
successful in thousands of available jobs in our state.
Additionally, nearly 40 percent of students entering college are unprepared for college-level work.
Our state ranks in the bottom three nationwide for jobs open to dropouts— or high school
graduates with no additional training or education.

Middle and high school is the time when students should start planning for life after
high school—which may include jobs, military service, or college.
It is essential for students to talk with their families about their passions and interests, to think about
their careers, and to understand the world of work.

Early results are promising.
For example:

More than one-third of Colorado high school students enroll in career and technical education
courses that translate to real-world skills—and nearly 90 percent of those students get jobs in their
field within one year.
One in five 11th graders and graduating seniors in Colorado takes college courses in high school
—at no cost if they earning a passing grade.
More than one-third of Colorado high school students take an Advanced Placement exam, often
earning college credit.

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APPENDIX D

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

COLORADO BY THE NUMBERS
Few jobs will require only a high school education.
Colorado ranks 48th in available jobs for high school graduates or dropouts.

Many jobs will require additional training beyond high school.
Colorado ranks third in the proportion of 2020 jobs that will require a bachelor’s degree.

Between 2010 and 2020, new Colorado jobs requiring post secondary
education and training will grow by 716,000 – compared to only 268,000
new jobs for high school graduates who have no additional training.
This means that jobs requiring additional training beyond high school are growing three
times as fast as jobs requiring only a high school diploma.

In 2020, 74 percent of all jobs in Colorado – 3 million jobs – will require
education beyond high school.
26 percent will require a high school diploma or less.
32 percent will require some college, an associate’s degree, or certificate.
29 percent will require a bachelor’s degree.
12 percent will require a master’s degree or higher.
Source: Georgetown University, Job Growth and Education Requirements, 2013

77%

More than half
of District 51 graduates
enroll in college (53.6%).

Three quarters of high
school students graduate.
(*2014 graduation statistics, CDE)

(*2013 Legislative Report on the
Postsecondary Progress and
Success of HS Graduates)

Combined cost to the
state and students in
2012-13 for remedial
courses was $56.1 million.
(*2013 Legislative Report on
Remedial Education, CDHE)

37%

More than one third of
graduates need
remedial classes in
college.
(*2013 Legislative Report on
Remedial Education, CDHE)

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APPENDIX D

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

MENU OF COLLEGE AND
CAREER-READY DEMONSTRATIONS

GRADUATION REQUIREMENT CHANGES
A new state law requires school districts to meet or exceed new Colorado graduation guidelines starting with
ninth graders in the 2017-18 school year. Using the state menu of college and career-ready demonstrations
below we will begin to develop our own college graduation requirements. Following the new requirements,
students will demonstrate competency in four subjects that reflect Colorado standards and 21st century skills
in order to graduate from high school in one of four ways:
Earn minimum scores
on state and national
tests

Complete challenging
learning projects guided
by a faculty mentor

DEMONSTRATION

Accuplacer

Pass college-level
courses taken during
high school

ENGLISH

Earn
professional
certifications

MATH

62 on Reading Comprehension

61 on Elementary Algebra

ACT

≥18

≥19

ACT Compass

79

63

ACT WorkKeys

≥Bronze

≥Bronze

AP

≥2

≥2

ASVAB

≥31

≥31

State-wide scoring criteria

State-wide scoring criteria

Concurrent Enrollment

Passing Grade

Passing Grade

District Capstone

Individualized

Individualized

Industry Certificate

Individualized

Individualized

≥4

≥4

430

460

Collaboratively-Developed,
Standards-Based Performance
Assessment

IB
SAT

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APPENDIX D

THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

HOW WE GOT HERE
The state’s graduation guidelines have been in development since 2007. They reflect
Colorado’s updated expectations for students and education, and were informed by
considerable input from stakeholders – a process that included nearly 50 in-person
stakeholder meetings across the state and in-depth conversations with nearly all of
Colorado’s 178 superintendents.

2007
Legislature passes House Bill 07-1118
requiring the development of state
high school graduation guidelines for
school districts to meet or exceed.
18-member Graduation Guidelines
Council forms to develop
recommendations for the state board
of education.

2012
A reconstituted Graduation Guidelines
Council forms to build on initial
recommendations of 2007 council.
Forty-eight stakeholder meetings are
held across the state to gather input.

2015
State board of education will update
the Colorado menu of college and
career-ready demonstrations based
on input from graduation guidelines
work groups in order to complete the
college and career-ready
demonstration menu.

2008
Graduation Guidelines Council
presents initial recommendation
to state board of education.
Legislature extends timeline to
adopt revised state high school
graduation guidelines to May 2013,
allowing time for revised Colorado
Academic Standards to be
developed.
Graduation guidelines were
reinforced and integrated into
CAP4K policy.

2013
State board of education adopts
Colorado Graduation Guidelines
proposed by the council, including
the Colorado menu of college and
career-ready demonstrations.
Graduation guidelines work groups
convene by topic area to begin a
two-year statewide discussion of
career and college-ready
demonstrations.

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX E

APPENDIX E: SAMPLE COMMUNITY FORUM PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT PROCESS
AND INVITATION LANGUAGE

INVITING COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FORUM
Once you have established your facilitator cohort and scheduled the forum, it will be important to get the word out
to the local community. Here are some suggested ways to promote your event:
• Post event to your local newspaper’s Community Events section
• Include a note to parents and staff in your district newsletter and/or all staff email
• Tap local media outlets
• Promote on all social media channels
• R
 equest that local community groups announce the invitation via their own communications platforms (Chamber
newsletter, Rotary email blast, neighborhood associations’ Facebook pages, etc.)

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THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR SCHOOL INNOVATION TOOLKIT

APPENDIX E

SAMPLE INVITATION LANGUAGE FOR COMMUNITY FORUM
Please join us from <TIME> to <TIME> on <DAY, DATE> at <LOCATION> for an opportunity to provide community
input into current and future initiatives as our school district looks for innovative and effective ways to meet the
growing challenges facing public education in the 21st century.
While we will take this opportunity to discuss <SPECIFIC TOPIC IF APPROPRIATE>, this meeting reflects our ongoing
commitment to ensuring that our district programs reflect the values and wisdom of our local community. As
we look to prepare our students for college and career, we want to be sure we understand our community’s
perspectives on questions like these:
• What do graduates from this school district need in the 21st century to be successful?
• How do we prepare the students in this district for a rapidly changing economy?
• How do we ensure that all students are being well served in our district?
• What do you hope and expect students in this district will know and be able to do?
• What could learning environments in this district look like to ensure that students are prepared for the world once
they graduate?
The input we receive from the community will influence all future, developing, and existing initiatives and
innovations. We believe that when citizens deliberate about an issue and when a community is given the ability to
help make choices, the directions that are chosen often are better. We would very much appreciate your input, and
hope you are able to attend.
Please let us know by <DATE> whether you will be able to attend. Call us at <PHONE NUMBER> or email us at
<EMAIL> with your response or any questions.
Thanks in advance for your participation.
Sincerely,
<NAME>
Superintendent

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