Brief description: 

After adopting a new, reformed curriculum, the Beaverton schools experienced increasing dissatisfaction from parents and teachers over the way math was being taught and the level of student achievement.  To remedy this problem the district’s Math Project team held two community forums:  At the first, community members sat down with the Project Team members to address specific questions, and at the second a panel of experts in the field was convened and fielded questions.

• Research forum agenda 
• Flier for research forum

Subject the program is most concerned with:

Mathematics.

Which part or the school system (e.g. elementary school, middle school, high school, all levels, special math/science school, etc.) the program focuses on:

Community engagement and all levels of math instruction.  There was a special concern about student achievement in Algebra I.

Higher education partners:

The second panel discussion included representatives from Oregon State University, the University of Oregon and Portland Community College. 

Community partners:

The district partnered with the community in creating the Math Project Team which consists of teachers, parents, students, school administrators and general community members. 

 Obstacles faced by the program:

Forum organizers had to anticipate the community’s high level of acrimony and to present carefully balanced perspectives, supported by research, while still taking a definite stand on the issues.  The initial questions posed for discussion were carefully crafted to place the focus on student learning and achievement, and all participants were asked to observe a code of conduct during the forum.  Careful planning, including the training of moderators, ensured that the issues were dealt with civilly and productively.

Outcomes:

The greatest outcome that the district has seen from the forums is the community’s increased sense of trust in the district, and a redirection of energies away from the conflict around methodologies and towards figuring out what is best for the students.  All members of the community were invited to the forums, and turnout was quite high.  At the first forum, attendees included teachers (43), administrators (9), students (6), and parents and other community members (103).  The district has also improved its assessment program so that teachers can directly compare student performance and monitor the success of different methods of instruction.

Advice for other districts:

• Make sure to provide a balance of opinions, and have data ready to support them.
• Keep the process open and transparent.
• Focus on achievement—everyone wants students to succeed.
• Keep in mind what needs are supposed to be being addressed by changing the curriculum.