No matter what occurs in the movement from engagement to planning goals and objectives to setting indicators of advancement, stakeholders must have been asked the right questions in the engagement phase if you are to be sure you have the fullest perspective of the community that is possible.
To remark on the rapid pace of change in the world and in education feels cliché, but it is becoming clearer every day that specific aspects of technological change are at odds with one another. This is particularly relevant as I help school districts build meaningful, impactful, strategic plans that reflect their communities values, goals, and aspirations.
The role of technology in education has been at the forefront of many adaptations in the last 25 years, and AI has exploded like a bomb in the middle of our educational thinking and discourse. If AI alone were not enough for communities to navigate, there is another technological issue that is quickly rising to the surface. And it’s not really new.
That technological topic is ‘screen time,’ including how much access to screens and devices should schools be making possible. Just a brief online search will bring news from dozens of communities across the country where parents are pushing back on schools’ use of devices in school, especially at the younger grades. Much of this has arisen as a result of recent research findings and the publication of Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation.
When conducting surveys and focus groups, then, a particular tension arises. Many parents would like to see less technological dependence in schools, while sometimes those same parents would like to make sure schools are addressing how students do and do not use Artificial Intelligence, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs). While the two issues are separate, the fact that they are different but related requires a refined approach to aspects of community engagement conducted in preparation for strategic planning.
There are some specific new steps we should remember in this new world when conducting community engagement sessions. First, avoid broad questions about technology and instead ask specific questions about the what, where, and when of technology. Parents today have grown up in a digital world and can address such nuances. Likewise, if parents or students refer to “technology,” making sure to ask specific follow ups to clarify concerns or aspirations. And the same approach must then be adapted to seeking feedback from staff members, especially because their use of AI for their professional work is more easily accepted whereas their allowance of AI’s use by students can be more problematic.
Finally, and this is key, make sure to ask Board members and District leaders probing, often uncomfortable questions related to both of these topics to be sure that you are not allowing them to avoid the issue. No matter what occurs in the movement from engagement to planning goals and objectives to setting indicators of advancement, stakeholders must have been asked the right questions in the engagement phase if you are to be sure you have the fullest perspective of the community that is possible.
You do not want to walk away from a final plan and realize that it does not address a major concern, goal, or aspiration of that district’s community. To do that is to set up the subsequent strategic plan and school community for failure.
