Findings from Imagine Shaker, the community engagement project designed to solicit public input for the District’s strategic plan are now available online. Dr. Ronald Fry of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, who has been guiding the process, provided an overview of themes emerging from the interviews and next steps for incorporating the themes into a strategic plan. View Dr. Fry's report.

More than 900 residents, students, and staff members have participated in extensive interviews about their experiences in the Shaker schools and their hopes for the future. The next step will be a comparison of the themes emerging from Imagine Shaker with initiatives already under way in the schools to see where efforts need to be intensified or redirected. View timeline. Moving forward, there will be additional opportunities for public input into the plan. Sign up to receive updates.

Imagine Shaker was initiated by the Board of Education to involve residents in planning for the future of the Shaker schools. A Design Team made up of members of the Board, administration, faculty, parents, and community played a crucial role in selecting consultants to guide the process, identifying an "afffirmative topic," developing and testing interview protocols, and recruitment and training of interviewers. Guidance has been provided by Dr. Fry and Dr. Charleyse Pratt of Cleveland State University, one of his former doctoral students.

Imagine Shaker has employed a technique called Appreciative Inquiry, pioneered by Dr. Fry and colleagues at Weatherhead. Appreciative Inquiry has been used by corporations, public sector organizations, and nonprofit organizations around the world to create positive change.

Appreciative Inquiry involves personal contact with many individuals to hear their stories and from their stories derive themes, priorities, and ideas that will drive the design of a strategic plan for the District. The resulting plan, drawing also on the District's existing Strategic Framework, will position Shaker for the future.