Symposium themes begin to reveal a future vision for education
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A diverse group of 120 participants gathered for a Future Search Symposium held March 15-17. The symposium was one of four community engagement activities being conducted as part of the strategic planning process to shape the future of Vancouver Public Schools. Stakeholder input also has been collected through listserv communication, an opinion survey, and focus groups.
The symposium participants spent most of their time over the three days in small, facilitated work groups, casting a vision of the future given the exponential changes in store for our community and society. They examined the proud history of accomplishments in Vancouver Public Schools. They also carefully assessed opportunities and threats that will influence the future strategic direction of the school district.
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Listserv groups provide perspective online 
Participants in four listserv e-mail groups have offered their perspective on planning for the future of education in Vancouver. These groups have included highly involved and interested parents, community and business leaders, the Vancouver School District Foundation Board of Directors, and the Management Task Force, a longstanding district advisory committee.
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Focus group discussions are underway to ensure all voices are heard
Seven focus group sessions are being conducted in April and May to gather additional input from stakeholders.
The focus groups include current students, recent graduates, district employees, parents (including families with English Language Learners and Special Education students), community and business leaders, and representatives of early childhood and higher education.
“The purpose of convening the focus groups is to obtain valuable and insightful information that we might not receive in any other way,” said Steve Webb, deputy superintendent. “By bringing together groups of people with shared interests, we are promoting rich, in-depth conversations about topics that are relevant to them.”
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Next step: organizing, analyzing, and synthesizing the input
Over the next two months, the district’s Futures Team will review all the data and information collected during the community engagement phase of the strategic planning process. Thoughts, ideas, comments, and suggestions from the symposium, survey, listserv groups, and focus groups will be organized into major themes. Educational experts from outside the district will assist with this process to help ensure that the themes accurately reflect the input of district staff and community members.
In late August, Goal Area Teams will be formed to represent the major themes. The teams will use input from the community engagement activities and other materials to write vision statements, goals, target objectives, and metrics (evidence of success) for the strategic plan.
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