Initiative Overview
Oregon Humanities provided funding to Kitchen Table Democracy in 2018 for "Educated in Oregon" as part of its Public Program Grants that support programs across Oregon that get people together to explore challenging questions and strive for just communities.
In school board meetings, community listening sessions, and other public processes focused on education, participants are often asked to focus on their own experiences and perspectives, and they aren’t necessarily engaged with what others have experienced. Individuals are also commonly focused on very particular components of what is or isn’t working in education and haven’t been invited to think about the greater purpose of our public education system. "Educated in Oregon" aims to demonstrate storytelling's power in public dialogues about education and to explore how hearing others experiences with the education system can help individuals reflect and empathize, resulting in broader and more generous conversations.
In 2018 KTD worked with audio storyteller Aimee Craig, who has also worked for statewide education advocacy organizations and at the Oregon Department of Education, to develop audio stories about a range of educational experiences and hold two community conversations, using the audio pieces to provide a common starting place for the conversation and explore values and beliefs about education. The audio stories are available online with a downloadable discussion guide for self-hosted gatherings.
En Espanol
Educated in Oregon busca dar a los participantes la oportunidad de imaginarse a sí mismos viviendo las experiencias de otros y debatir problemas educativos y políticas desde una postura empática. Nuestra esperanza es que estas conversaciones brinden a los participantes una nueva percepción sobre las experiencias de las personas y una mayor conexión con el futuro de la educación en Oregon y con su comunidad.
Creemos que escuchar las experiencias de los demás con el sistema educativo puede ayudar a que las personas reflexionen y empaticen para dar como resultado conversaciones más amplias y generosas. Creemos en el poder de la conversación para relacionar a las personas y crear oportunidades para conectarse a través de las diferencias.
La idea para realizar este proyecto también surgió tras reconocer que la mayoría de los medios no tienen la capacidad o recursos de antes para exponer tantas historias acerca de lo que está ocurriendo ahora en las escuelas. Quienes toman las decisiones, entre ellos, los superintendentes, los miembros del consejo directivo escolar y los funcionarios que crean las políticas que se aplican en la ciudad y el estado, necesitan tener la capacidad de escuchar las historias y experiencias de sus comunidades para servirles mejor.
Tenemos la esperanza de que esta producción de historias de audio en combinación con las conversaciones públicas se convierta en un modelo para hacer que se escuche la voz que está faltando en las discusiones e invitar a un diálogo público significativo acerca de los problemas importantes de la comunidad.
Transcripción en español de historias de audio
Guía de discusión: Educated in Oregon
Audio Stories
During the spring and summer of 2018, Aimee partnered with Alder Creek Middle School, a middle school in the North Clackamas County School District, to record audio stories from a number of different students and a school administrator. The audio stories are intended to capture sutdent perspectives about what their middle school experiences have been like for them.
Episode 1: Listening & Being Heard
Episode 2: Joy & Connection
Episode 3: Change
Community Conversations
Two community conversations were held in November 2018 with educators (teachers and administrators), parents, and students in attendance. Other self-hosted community conversations are in the works. If you'd like to hold a community conversation using the audio stories, we also have discussion guides to help you host a small (or large!) group discussion.
Educated in Oregon: How to Host a Discussion
Educated in Oregon: Brief Discussion Guide
If you attended a community conversation, KTD is interested in hearing from you about how your thinking about education and school changed from when you first walked in the room. Please take a few minutes to share with us!