The explicit purpose of study circles is to surface perceptions and ideas for use by members and the group itself, not to solicit information for others to act on. Structure of the process. This grounding in experience levels the playing field. Finally, they explore options for what can be done in their own community to achieve these goals. The roots of change are formed when diverse individuals in a community establish relationships with each other, characterized by a sense of trust and belief in their ability to make a difference on an issue.
Growth takes place when collaborative problem solving begins to have a community-building effect.
Emergence of a critical mass of informed and empowered citizens is the final result, representing public ownership of a problem and commitment to providing input to decisionmakers on social policy issues. Application to education issues. Educators want parents and community members to prepare children for school, contribute their volunteer efforts, and support the schools financially. Most also generally want parents to know educators, other parents, and what's going on in the school. Parents and community members want their opinions and concerns about how schools and classrooms are run to be taken seriously.