As you may be aware Cape Elizabeth is currently in Phase 4 of an equity audit. The audit is in support of Cape Elizabeth’s goal to ensure all staff and faculty members are supported and celebrated, and that every student is prepared to think critically and engage meaningfully as a local and global citizen. The audit does this by assessing how prepared/adept Cape Elizabeth is to ensure everyone within the community regardless of background has equal opportunities to thrive and attain success.
During this portion of the audit, appropriately named the Discovery phase, I am discovering the community’s feelings, thoughts, and attitudes regarding equity at Cape Elizabeth by way of affinity-based focus groups which are groupings based on a shared characteristic e.g. parents/guardians, teachers, students, etc. We have also added intersectional affinity groups to create space for our intersecting identities. While we are not able to have focus groups for all of our intersecting traits, the Cape Elizabeth decision-making team is dedicated to ensuring that identities outside of the dominant are explicitly included and, as best as possible, community needs are met. As such, we have decided to add two more focus groups.
Religious Diversity Parent group
General Intersecting Affinity Parent group (for any intersecting identities that did not receive their own group e.g. LGBTQIA+ or neurodivergence)
As before, the verbiage of “intersection” is intentional. As this is an intersecting identity, this means you are welcome to attend all of the groups where your identity is represented.
As with all focus groups, this is your time to make your voice heard! These focus groups are meant to be a forum to share openly. Participants will be charged to become specific about their experiences and sentiments toward equity, climate and culture, and curricula, to name a few. In an effort to have the focus groups remain authentic, I will not provide questions in advance. I ask that we all come with an open heart, and honest spirit, willing to speak our truth.
Your experience is invaluable as your opinions and personal stories provide a necessary nuance. The information provided during these groups is essential to personalizing my recommendations at the end of the audit. Focus groups are slated to take place between 10/25 and 11/8. I hope you will participate. If you are interested in participating please complete this survey. (If you have already completed the survey but would like to attend additional groups, you will be able to complete another survey.) If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at info@frootconsulting.com.
Our sincere gratitude to the community members who made their desires known and were the catalyst for these changes.
Thank you for your willingness to be heard,
-Jo Persad
FAQ:
How long are focus groups?
I anticipate that focus groups will last 45 minutes to one hour.
Are you going to try and convince us or the kids of anything?
Focus groups are exclusively for listening and learning not convincing. I will ask questions, listen, and hold space.
Will meetings be recorded?
For data collection purposes, meetings will be audio recorded, the recordings will be destroyed at the end of the audit, and will not be shared.
Will identifying information be used?
No names will be used. A title such as teacher, student, family member, or admin, may be used. However, as it is a small district, descriptors e.g. 9th-grade science teacher, will be withheld.
Do participants have to agree to confidentiality?
Yes, participation requires an agreement to the confidentiality of participants’ names and stories.
What if I have students at more than one school?
If we have the time and ability to have a separate session for those who have students at more than one school we will. If we do not, we ask that you choose a single session to attend. At the end of the focus group, I will ask if those who have students across multiple schools can stay a few extra minutes to talk about the differences they see across the schools as well.
Will the focus groups be held on Zoom or in person?
At this time meetings will be held in person.
Will BIPOC students and family members have an affinity focus group?
Yes. They are also welcome to join any of the other intersecting focus groups.