During this part of the process, participants articulate the questions they have about the school. Different parts of the school community may have different questions. The kinds of questions a school-board member asks about overall performance often differ from questions asked by middle school teachers. These, in turn, may differ from those posed by parents about graduation requirements. The state or district may question standardized scores.
Taxpayers ask if programs are working.
These are all legitimate questions that enrich the school's own internal questions and process. It identifies the important questions, whoever may be asking them. While all questions are brought to the table, the school community must set priorities for what it can and must address at any given point. A significant part of this activity is determining a specific focus for the next steps in the inquiry. When the questions address outcomes, participants need to take the further step of deciding criteria to judge the level of success.