Community Engagement Strategy and Advocacy

  • The Community Engagement Team (CET) creates culturally relevant, transparent and authentic engagement strategies through consultation, strategic planning and advocacy across the district. We are committed to creating shared accountability and decision-making through mutual trust with all of our community partners, families, students, school leaders and staff. Our approach is community-inspired and district supported, ensuring that those closest to the pain are closest to the decision-making. We are committed to honoring our communities through storytelling, listening to understand and creating community-driven processes across our family of schools. We also provide tools to create capacity across the district because we believe that community engagement is everyone’s responsibility.

Framework for Our Approach

  • Framework

Community-Inspired, District Supported

  • A clear engagement process with clear decision-making involving those most impacted by decisions helping to shape outcomes and build trust amongst all parties involved.

    Defining Community:

    • Issue Proximity:
      • Those closes to the issues, those most impacted directly by the issues participate in engagement around shared-decision-making that may help to shape long-term outcomes. Who is missing from the conversation? How do we ensure those most impacted by decisions such as families, youth, staff are able to provide feedback towards more community refective outcomes. 
    • Geographical:
      • Those close in geographical proximity to the issue or subject, such issue non-profit partners, surrounding schools, community members, alumni etc.

    Community Network Analysis (CNA):

    Ensuring that that the regional demographics are representative during engagement processes. This is an opportunity to evaluate those with a missing voice in the engagement opportunity. The CNA serves as a tool to ensure that we are properly mapping our regions to ensure representation, determining who our network connectors are, determining the proper communication opportunities (and barriers) and considering our engagement methods.

    If you'd like to be added to our Community Network Analysis contact pool please reach out to Amanda_bouche@dpsk12.net We are always looking for new community partners, thought partners and ways to improve district communication around availble resources and connections! 

     

  • Age

    Students/Young Adults

    Home/private school students

    • Pre-school children
    • K-12 students
    • On truancy connection
    • Community colleges/career, technical center students
    • In the workforce
    • Affinity groups like skateboarders and gamers

     Parents/Guardians

    • Single parents
    • Foster parents
    • In-home and larger scale daycare providers
    • Parents in groups or organizations associated with students or school
    • Grandparents
    • Aunts/Uncles

    Seniors

    • Retirees
    • In the workforce
    • Living at home
    • Living in senior housing
    • Living at home with assistance/day care
    • Living in care facilities

  • Work

    Business/Professional Community

    • Elected officials
    • Chamber of commerce
    • City staff
    • Educators
    • Stay at home partners
    • Work from Home

     Workforce

    • Construction workers/tradespeople
    • Teachers
    • Government staff/municipal workers
    • Retail and service employees
    • Part-time employees
    • Miners
    • Police officers
    • Firefighters/emergency service providers
    • Healthcare providers

  • Housing

    • Renters
    • Seasonal/second homeowners
    • Community members without permanent homes
    • Homeowners
    • Homeowner associations

  • Community Members and Groups

    • Faith communities
    • Families and loved ones of inmates
    • LGBTQ community
    • Community members with low resources
    • Military members and their families
    • Persons with disabilities
    • Non-profits and DPS partners
    • Special clubs and interest groups
    • Refugees and new Americans
    • Alumni to the community
    • Education Justice Leaders

  • Language/Race/Ethnicity

    • Vietnamese, Iraqi Arabic, Karen, French, Tigrinya, Nepali, Sudanese Arabic, Somali, Spanish, English
    • Black/African American, LatinX, White (need census information and %)
    • Need demographic representation to compare to outreach and engagement

  • Step 1: Convening

      Convening:

    • Storytelling and Story Listening
    • Framing the conversation
    • Identifying Stakeholders
    • Framing the kind of solutions We Expect
    • Scoping the Relevant Interests
    • Building consensuses on purpose, process and participation.

  • Step 2: Opening

     Opening:

    • Stating the Purpose
    • Clarifying Roles – Mediator and Others
    • Agreeing to Ground Rules and Protocols
    • Educating One Another – First Statement of Interests

  • Step 3: Reframing:

    Reframing:

    • Restating the purpose and process in context of interests
    • Stating the criteria for success

  • Step 4: Exploring:

    Exploring:

    • Collecting, disseminating and discussing the data
    • Delving into interests and giving meaning to the data
    • Educating one another –shared learning

  • Step 5: Generating

    Generating:

    • Developing options for mutual gain
    • Considering possible outcomes

  • Step 6: Evaluating

    Evaluating:

    • Considering whether potential solutions are viable
    • Integrating interests, data and criteria
    • Searching for common outcomes

  • Step 7: Refining

      Refining:

    • Focusing on the more viable option(s) and making it (them) better
    • Building consensus
    • Framing the solution
    • Ensuring buy-in and implementation

  • Step 8: Closing Exploring

    Closing Exploring:

    • Ratifying
    • Concluding the process and establishing common ground

  • Step 9: Lessons Learned

      Lessons Learned:

    • Ratifying
    • Concluding the process and establishing common ground

CONTACT

QUICK LINKS