The superintendent then sifts through all he or she has heard and recommends a course of action that filters the district's desires and the concerns of special-interest groups into a position that makes educational sense. And neither builds public support over the long term. Another model of public engagement is now gaining support across the country. Imagine a community forum that provides a setting and a structure for people to deliberate an issue. Regardless, the important thing is to make sure a broad spectrum of community interests is present and to structure the forum to encourage deliberation.
Deliberation requires a thoughtful consideration of different views on an issue.
It involves weighing the pros and cons of each view, working through different perspectives, and seeing where people agree and disagree. Over time, this in turn enables school boards to provide more consistent leadership, which enables school staff to build stronger programs. This diversity makes for richer deliberations, allowing more points of view to be heard. It also builds stronger trust among groups as people learn they share many basic ideas, even if they disagree on the specifics of implementation. Issues that are framed in terms of three or four choices.