So, what is a community conversation?

A Community Conversation is a deliberative discussion designed to bring together a diverse group of community members to talk through issues and ideas. Participants include parents, students, educators, taxpayers and people of different ages, races and occupational backgrounds. We could have great discussions, sharing opinions, personal experiences, and favorite solutions. But with deliberative discussion, we go beyond that and work together to try to understand the problem and find solutions that will be best for everyone. It means working on a problem as if solving it is up to us and no one else. Because it is.

We first meet as a large group and will hear introductions, followed by a presentation on the topic. Most of the discussion occurs in small groups with a moderator whose job is to keep the discussion focused and moving along in a way that works well for all. Each small group summarizes areas of common ground, of disagreement, questions & concerns, and possible next steps before returning to the large group to share their findings. 

_{*adapted from Institute for Educational Leadership and Public Agenda}