Focus Groups in Process

As part of District 4J's strategic planning process, "Shaping the Future," eight focus groups composed primarily of district staff met the week of Nov. 13, 2006, to begin to address several unanswered questions that will have an impact on future decisions. The eight focus groups were:

1. Special Education
2. Title I
3. English Language Learners
4. Pre-Kindergarten and Full Day Kindergarten
5. High School Size
6. Elementary and Middle School Size
7. Technology
8. Grade Configuration

Each group identified a number of implementation options that could be considered by the district and the implications associated with those options. They also reviewed demographic and enrollment information, instructional literature, and identified key values and beliefs upon which they based their implementation options. Finally, they identified a number of issues and questions they thought should be considered by the school board, the think tank that will be operated by the University of Oregon, and the community.

See Shaping 4J's Future: Strategic Plannning Process Focus Groups for more information.

Below are pictures of the focus groups in process. Click the pictures to see a bigger view.

Each group had a facilitator to guide them through their tasks. Here, Gene Thurmond reviews the Title I group tasks for the day.	David Piercy and Marilyn Clotz met with group facilitators each day to review process and answer questions	David and Marilyn were also available to each group to give them feedback and assistance during their process.
During the breaks, focus group members got a chance to talk with other focus groups about how their recommendations might connect with others.	Sometimes the discussions got pretty empassioned, as elementary principal Paco Furlan here lobbies for children from poor and 2nd language families.	Lunch time provided another opportunity to have further discussions both with and between focus groups.
Each task in the focus groups built on the one before - seeing how current services are offered, the implications, how services could be offered differently to what effect...	Here the Title I group tries to group their recommendations into more manageable categories, and examines implications for: equity, open enrollment/neighborhood schools, program staffing, state and federal mandates, transportation, elementary, middle & high schools, regional impact...	The last day, each group readied their presentation for the whole group - is that clear? accurate? does that capture what we had talked about?
Superintendent George Russell, Paul Duchin and Merri Steele from the Eugene Education Association, 4J Board member Beth Gerot, and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Tom Henry listened to the presentations.	The High School Size group started out as each group did by stating their values and beliefs which guided their recommendations in three scenarios: funding as is, moderate funding improvement, and funding at or above the Quality Education Model from the State of Oregon.	The Middle and Elementary Size group did a dramatic act to demonstrate the effects of school size and money on collegiality, the diversity of curriculum offerings, school climate, and comprehensive services.
The Grade Configuration group did a careful analysis of the pros and cons of various grade groupings, with a K-8 version, too.	Click below to see the Pre-K and Full Day Kindergarten Focus Group presenting their stirring recommendation in action... "Pre-K, all day, all the way!"   [Use QuickTime to view, available free for Mac or Windows computers]	The Technology Focus Group stressed access for all with tech support and coverage, including trainin for classroom integration.
The focus group on Special Education organized their recommendations around the concept of student inclusion in the regular education classroom.	Janis Swan, Director of Federal Programs, lists the specific recommendations her group made in each scenario.	English Language Learners Focus Group looked at the impact of 4 types of students at different levels of achievement in native as well as English language.