Rodel Foundation Using Public Engagement in Delaware

The Rodel Foundation of Delaware has been hosting a series of community forums on methods of improving public education in Delaware. Rodel, founded in 1999 under the Delaware Community Foundation, is a statewide education foundation that researches needs in education, suggests improvements, and works with communities and policymakers to implement solutions. Relying on the state's relative wealth, responsiveness of leaders, and small size, Rodel aims to make Delaware's public system among the ten best in the nation by 2012. In July 2005, it published a 44-page report, Opportunity Knocks: Assessing Delaware's Education System. On its heels, the Foundation now seeks to gather feedback from local communities on ways to achieve its goal.

Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity Knocks assesses the student performance and system conditions of Delaware's schools in comparison to those of states around the nation. Student performance (that is, academic achievement) is evaluated through high school performance, middle and elementary school reading and mathematics test scores, and early childhood and kindergarten readiness. The system conditions identified by the report are: teacher quality, leadership development, standards and accountability, school finance, school choice, and family and community engagement. The analysis finds that although Delaware displays strong elementary achievement (especially in reading) and ranks among the top seven states in educational spending, student scores on standardized exams markedly decline in the upper grade levels, contributing to low graduation rates and a lack of preparedness for college or work.

Response: Public Engagement

The report, however, “is just the beginning,” according to Paul Herdman, president and CEO of the Rodel Foundation: the next step is to seek public opinion and ideas about education reform through “old-fashioned town hall” meetings. By hosting a series of public forums in local communities, the Foundation hopes to gather input aimed towards generating solutions. Rodel intends to collect the suggestions put forth at the meetings and provide those ideas to the public, private, and civic leaders who will shape future education policy. By going directly to the public for response, Rodel says it affirms its commitment to parental involvement in school for the social and academic success of students; in addition, Rodel prioritizes establishing relationships with business and grassroots organizations in order to provide continuity of community support for the schools.

The forums, each an hour and a half long, are occurring in six Delaware towns. Herdman opens the session by presenting highlights from the report, but intentionally refrains from imposing a set of recommendations; instead, he opens the floor to parents, teacher, and community activists to express their reaction to what strikes them the most. Debra Banks, an experienced facilitator and education expert from Colorado, moderates the discussion. The participants brainstorm together and contribute ideas that they would like to be communicated to policymakers, or “the grasstops.”

During three forums held in mid-August, parents expressed concerns about bullying, the emphasis on standardized tests, poor graduation rates, and deteriorating buildings; they expressed a desire to strengthen the resources for early childhood education, teacher training, and safety and discipline at school. They identified teacher accountability, a need to understand diversity better, and achievement gaps as potential challenges to strengthening the system. Some at the meetings also questioned the methodology of the report, particularly its use of various standardized exams.

The Next Steps

Three more forums will be held at the end of September. In attending forums and suggesting ideas either vocally or in writing, parents, teachers, and members of the community can take more ownership of the process of making education policy. Rodel believes that not only will they have more invested, but also the resulting set of recommendations will address the most relevant issues. After the full series of meetings is completed, Rodel will assemble the input to formulate a “call to action,” which will identify a set of measurable goals in educational improvement and specific targets for investment over the next seven years.

Prepared by Katherine Lu, August 29, 2005.