Page 18 - BusinessWest February 3, 2021

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adding that what has been most important in this process has been not only hearing such comments, but hearing them over and over, and from different constituencies.
“What I thought was surprising, and important, was how aligned what we heard was,” he told BusinessWest. “We went from conversa- tion to conversation and heard the same things over and over again. For example, we heard ‘financial literacy’ at every conversation. There wasn’t a group that we spoke with that didn’t say that was important.
“It was the same with things like problem solving,” he went on. “It wasn’t surprising that we heard those things; I think it was sur- prising that we were hearing the same things from every group; we were talking to business leaders, we were talking to parents, and we were talking to teachers, and they were identifying the same things, which is good.”
Canavan agreed, and said one of the broad goals of the initia- tive is to create a sense of ownership within the community when it comes to the city’s schools, or a stronger sense of ownership, as the case may be.
“Getting the collective wisdom of the community is important,” she said, “because I’m hopeful that one of the things that will come out of this is our community embracing that notion that this is our responsibility — that it’s not just the responsibility of the schools or just the responsibility of the parents — it’s our responsibility.”
The process of gathering feedback from these constituencies
18 FEBRUARY 3, 2021
EDUCATION
PAUL FOSTER
“Instead of traditional educators looking at this problem, we have a wider breadth of involvement from the community at large and the business community.”
began in the fall of 2019, and the seeds were planted for the ini- tiative maybe six months before that, said Foster, adding that the school department has been hosting what it calls ‘community con- versations,’ a phrase chosen over ‘focus groups,’ which comes with some preconceived notions, not all of them good.
These conversations, organized by various stakeholders, have been going on continuously, he went on, adding that they have involved the business community, the refugee community, parents, educators, students, alumni, the faith community, and other con- stituencies. One was comprised of area business owners who are also alumni of Springfield Public Schools.
Traditionally, these groups, when involved in such conversa- tions, focus on what needs to be done differently in the schools. For this exercise, they didn’t start there, but rather with two questions: ‘what are your hopes and dreams for children growing up in Spring- field?’ and ‘what are the knowledge and skills that young people growing up in Springfield will need to realize those dreams?’
The feedback was intriguing, and in some cases powerful, said those we spoke with, especially when it came to students, what their dreams are, and what they need to make them reality.
This is reflected in those six aforementioned pillars and how the assembled feedback has shaped the working portrait with regard to how the school system must address each one.
Under ‘persist,’ for example, it notes that the Springfield Public Schools and the Springfield community will prepare students to:
• Remain focused on goals, using coping strategies and flexibility to overcome obstacles;
• Speak up for themselves and the issues that are important to them;
• Engage in self-reflection to build on strengths and weaknesses; • Evaluate choices and outcomes when making decisions; and
• Give, receive, and respond to constructive feedback.
Under ‘communicate,’ the bullet points include ‘write and speak
with clarity, evidence, and purpose’; and ‘know how to listen to oth- ers, ask questions, and seek to understand.’ And under ‘lead’ are these points, among others: ‘be curi-
ous, creative, open-minded, and flex-
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