Listen & Learn 2023: Community Conversation

  • Fall 2023

    Hello AAPS Students and Staff, Parents, Families, and Community, 

    We value the voices of our students and staff, families and community members; it was a meaningful experience, an honor, to engage and hear directly from so many individuals during our Ann Arbor Public Schools Community Conversation, Listen and Learn 2023 last April and May. 

    We share our deep gratitude for all those who invested their time to participate in an important community conversation focused on moving forward in the AAPS. Hearing directly from you about your experiences informs our efforts to improve our work in service to children, to refine and extend the AAPS Strategic Equity Focus areas, and lifts your ideas, thinking, and experiences in our schools to inform the future of the Ann Arbor Public Schools. 

    In spring 2023, more than 2,300 individuals shared their firsthand experiences, including during in-person conversations at community meetings and/or participated via the ThoughtExchange tool. 

    We have shared the results with our Board of Education and the AAPS community, and you can view more detail about the sessions as well as review the results below. 

    Quality community schools are achieved through the engagement and participation of students and staff, parents and community who value our students and schools, and strive together to ensure equity and excellence in education experience for every child, every day. Your participation in the Ann Arbor Public Schools community conversation 2023 is a critical link in this ongoing endeavor of improving our work to serve our students, families and community well, for today and into the future. 

    Sincerely, 

    Jeanice Kerr Swift
    Superintendent of Schools
    Ann Arbor Public Schools 

    Results

     

    Community Listen and Learn Sessions Overview


    Engagement Summary

    During  the AAPS Spring 2023 Listen and Learn tour, AAPS staff conducted 13 in-person Listen and Learn Community Meeting sessions. Sessions included public meetings that were open to all community members, district events, and meetings hosted by our partners or focused on special populations. 

    • Public sessions were held at AADL library branches and other locations. Family members, community members and students attended the public meetings. 

    • District events included the AAPS Newcomer Fair, which specifically targeted families who had newly arrived to the United States, and the AAPS STEAM and CTE expo, which was attended by family members and students involved or interested in AAPS STEAM and CTE opportunities. 

    • Targeted sessions were an effort to reach families who may not otherwise attend a traditional public Listen and Learn session. In collaboration with AAPS Strategic Partners, AAPS held Listen and Learn sessions targeting specific populations. These sessions included attending a Peace Family Center family night event, a focus group of families whose children attend the En Nuestra Lengua program, and an engagement event at the Creekside Community Center in partnership with the Community Action Network.

    Spring 2023 Listen and Learn Participation Overview

    Type of engagement

    # of engagements

    Approximate # of participants 

    ThoughtExchange for Family Members, Students, Community Members

    1

    1,188

    ThoughtExchange for AAPS Staff

    1

    510

    Public Meetings at Libraries and other Community Venues

    8

    150

    Attendance at District Events–STEAM Expo and Newcomer Fair

    2

    200

    AAPS Leadership Meetings with Principals and Cabinet Members

    4

    139

    Meetings with Staff from Student-Focused AAPS Strategic Partners - Peace Neighborhood Center, Avalon Housing, Student Advocacy Center, Community Action Network

    5

    62 staff representing approximately 1,015 students.

    Targeted Meetings with specific populations - En Nuestra Lengua,  Creekside Community Center, Parent Advisory Committee for Special Education

    3

    118

    TOTAL Engagements and Participants

    23 

    2,367

    Community Listen and Learn Sessions

    Type of Engagement

    # of Engagements

    Approximate # of Community Members Engaged

    Public Sessions 

    8

    150

    District Events

    2

    200

    Targeted Sessions 

    3

    118

    TOTALS

    12

    468