Over the last two years the board stakeholder round-table meetings have been focused around student engagement, in 2017 the board had open-ended conversations with groups of students. In 2018 the board met with groups of students who were being served in various programs— Partners in Transition, PASS, ELL, Cascadia Tech, Advanced Placement, etc.
Student voice has been well represented in these round-tables. In an effort to broaden the school board's understanding of the district. The district leadership team has brainstormed different options and is proposing that at the October work session the board have the opportunity to meet with various focus groups of employees. Examples of focus groups :
A protocol that can be particularly effective within groups of stakeholders is called a "Fishbowl." In a fishbowl exercise, the focus group sits in a circle. A question or problem is posed to them and they discuss the question as a team while the board listens to the conversation about the question or problem without interjecting. The group discusses the topic for 10-15 minutes, following which, the observers ask clarifying or probing questions.