Choicework Discussion Starters
Choicework Discussion Starters: Videos, PDFs And More
Based on decades of research and experience concerning how average citizens think and talk about issues, Public Agenda's Choicework Discussion Starters are designed to help groups and communities talk productively about public problems.
Choicework Discussion Starters present alternative perspectives on an issue, highlighting the pros, cons and trade-offs of going down different paths. They use everyday language, not professional jargon, and focus on the kinds of concerns and values that non-experts can readily engage.
Public Agenda's Choicework Discussion Starters are all available in print versions, and many have corresponding 10-12 minutes videos as well. In some cases, Spanish language versions are also available. Print versions of the Choicework Discussion Starters are available for free PDF download. Videos may be ordered from Public Agenda for $20.00 each.
Choose A Topic
Environment
Facing the Challenges of Climate Change: A Guide for Citizen Thought and Action
Scientists warn that the human activity is causing changes in the climate, with potentially disastrous effects for humans and the planet. How can we address the problem of climate change? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you examine different arguments about the best way to face the challenges of climate change.
Scientists warn that the human activity is causing changes in the climate, with potentially disastrous effects for humans and the planet. How can we address the problem of climate change? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you examine different arguments about the best way to face the challenges of climate change.
Oceans for Everyone: A Dialogue on Seattle, the Sound and the Seas in the 21st Century
Pollution, overfishing, and population pressure are taking their toll on Puget Sound, and threatening the health of its ecosystems. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help Seattle residents discuss what they can do about the state of the Sound and surrounding oceans.
Pollution, overfishing, and population pressure are taking their toll on Puget Sound, and threatening the health of its ecosystems. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help Seattle residents discuss what they can do about the state of the Sound and surrounding oceans.
Early Childhood and Afterschool Programs
Everybody Ready for School: How Can we Ensure High Quality Early Childhood Programs?
High-quality preschool programs can help youngsters be more successful later on in school and life. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you discuss the best way to ensure all children have access to high quality preschool programs.
High-quality preschool programs can help youngsters be more successful later on in school and life. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you discuss the best way to ensure all children have access to high quality preschool programs.
After the Bell: What Do We Want Our Afterschool Programs to Do?
Millions of children participate in afterschool programs, but many people have different ideas about what these programs should accomplish. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you decide which priorities for afterschool programs are most important for your community.
Millions of children participate in afterschool programs, but many people have different ideas about what these programs should accomplish. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you decide which priorities for afterschool programs are most important for your community.
Child Care
How should we support the childcare needs of today’s families? This Choicework Discussion Starter will help your community decide what makes the most sense for children, parents and families.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
How should we support the childcare needs of today’s families? This Choicework Discussion Starter will help your community decide what makes the most sense for children, parents and families.
Interfaith Relations
Police-Community Relations
Improving Police-Community Relations
Many urban communities struggle with tensions between law enforcement and community members or groups. This Choicework Discussion Starter offers communities an opportunity to discuss the best ways to prevent these tensions from developing and of resolving them when they do arise.
Many urban communities struggle with tensions between law enforcement and community members or groups. This Choicework Discussion Starter offers communities an opportunity to discuss the best ways to prevent these tensions from developing and of resolving them when they do arise.
Preventing Terrorism and Promoting Civil Liberties
Local law enforcement plays a critical role in the fight against terrorism. How can law enforcement officers be most effective in fighting terrorism? What role, if any, should the community play in these efforts? The Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community explore this important issue.
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
Local law enforcement plays a critical role in the fight against terrorism. How can law enforcement officers be most effective in fighting terrorism? What role, if any, should the community play in these efforts? The Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community explore this important issue.
Working Together to Promote Public Safety
There are a variety of strategies that can guide a police department in its efforts to prevent crime and promote public safety, and some may be more effective for a given community than others. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you better understand the range of strategies police departments can use and which strategies are most appropriate for your community.
There are a variety of strategies that can guide a police department in its efforts to prevent crime and promote public safety, and some may be more effective for a given community than others. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you better understand the range of strategies police departments can use and which strategies are most appropriate for your community.
Ensuring School Safety
School safety is vital for creating a supportive educational environment. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities evaluate different approaches to ensuring safety and security in schools.
School safety is vital for creating a supportive educational environment. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities evaluate different approaches to ensuring safety and security in schools.
Economy and Budget
Understanding Property Tax Reform in New Jersey
Created for a statewide discussion forum on taxes, this Choicework Discussion Starter is intended to help citizens in New Jersey take stock of the taxes in their state and talk about the ways the state can raise resources for the public services citizens want.
Created for a statewide discussion forum on taxes, this Choicework Discussion Starter is intended to help citizens in New Jersey take stock of the taxes in their state and talk about the ways the state can raise resources for the public services citizens want.
Higher Education
Success is What Counts: A Community Conversation to Help All Community College Students Achieve
Community colleges are a critical part of our nation’s educational system. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help community college administrators, faculty and students discuss approaches community colleges can take to help students achieve their goals and be more successful in college.
Community colleges are a critical part of our nation’s educational system. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help community college administrators, faculty and students discuss approaches community colleges can take to help students achieve their goals and be more successful in college.
Education Reform
Ready for 21st Century Careers
A solid background in math, engineering, technology and science is necessary for a growing number of good jobs and promising careers. This Choicework Discussion Starter is intended to help your community discuss how to work together to ensure students today get the education they’ll need to succeed in the 21st Century.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
A solid background in math, engineering, technology and science is necessary for a growing number of good jobs and promising careers. This Choicework Discussion Starter is intended to help your community discuss how to work together to ensure students today get the education they’ll need to succeed in the 21st Century.
Creating a Formula for Success in Low-Performing Schools
While schools are places where most students learn and grow, there are also too many schools where students are just getting by, or worse, are failing to learn much at all. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community talk about ways to boost student achievement in schools whose students are not succeeding academically.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
While schools are places where most students learn and grow, there are also too many schools where students are just getting by, or worse, are failing to learn much at all. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community talk about ways to boost student achievement in schools whose students are not succeeding academically.
Helping All Students Succeed in a Diverse Society
Everyone wants to see students succeed, but too often too many are doing more poorly than they should. The Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to support community dialogue about how, in a society as diverse as ours, we can work together to help all students succeed.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
Everyone wants to see students succeed, but too often too many are doing more poorly than they should. The Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to support community dialogue about how, in a society as diverse as ours, we can work together to help all students succeed.
Making Standards Work for All Students
Many states have established some form of academic standards for student learning that define what students should know and be able to do at different stages of their school careers. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities talk about how to make sure these standards work for all students.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
Many states have established some form of academic standards for student learning that define what students should know and be able to do at different stages of their school careers. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities talk about how to make sure these standards work for all students.
Neighborhood Schools and Student Diversity
Most families would like to send their children to good, safe schools close to home but also think it’s important for children of different backgrounds to go to school together. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community discuss how to balance the often competing values of neighborhood schools and student diversity.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
Most families would like to send their children to good, safe schools close to home but also think it’s important for children of different backgrounds to go to school together. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community discuss how to balance the often competing values of neighborhood schools and student diversity.
Parental Involvement
Most parents and educators agree that parental involvement is crucial for schools to be successful. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors discuss what is most important to you about parental involvement and how schools can encourage more involvement by parents.
Most parents and educators agree that parental involvement is crucial for schools to be successful. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors discuss what is most important to you about parental involvement and how schools can encourage more involvement by parents.
Purposes of Education
What are the purposes of education and how should schools prioritize these purposes? The Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors discuss what purposes of education are most important to you and what educational priorities you’d like to see in your own community.
What are the purposes of education and how should schools prioritize these purposes? The Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors discuss what purposes of education are most important to you and what educational priorities you’d like to see in your own community.
School Funding
School funding is one of the most controversial issues facing many districts today. Do schools have the funds necessary to do a good job, or are they limited by their budgets? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community have an open conversation on different approaches to school funding.
School funding is one of the most controversial issues facing many districts today. Do schools have the funds necessary to do a good job, or are they limited by their budgets? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community have an open conversation on different approaches to school funding.
School Choice
Some people want educational alternatives to the traditional public school system through voucher or charter school programs. Others think the best route to better educational is through reform of the traditional public school system. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you discuss which approach is best for your community.
Some people want educational alternatives to the traditional public school system through voucher or charter school programs. Others think the best route to better educational is through reform of the traditional public school system. This Choicework Discussion Starter can help you discuss which approach is best for your community.
Teaching Methods
Are the “tried and true” teaching methods with the best way to help today’s kids learn, or are there new, innovative approaches that work better? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community examine different teaching methods and discuss which approach you would want in your school district.
Are the “tried and true” teaching methods with the best way to help today’s kids learn, or are there new, innovative approaches that work better? This Choicework Discussion Starter can help your community examine different teaching methods and discuss which approach you would want in your school district.
Ensuring Teacher Quality
Most people would agree that you can’t have good schools without good teachers, and that it’s crucial to ensure there is a quality teacher in every classroom. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help your community generate ideas about how to make sure all students have quality teachers.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
Most people would agree that you can’t have good schools without good teachers, and that it’s crucial to ensure there is a quality teacher in every classroom. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help your community generate ideas about how to make sure all students have quality teachers.
The No Child Left Behind Legislation
The national school reform legislation known as No Child Left Behind (or NCLB) applies to every public school in the nation. Its stated purpose is to make sure that every student in every public school is learning at grade level by the year 2014 and its central mechanism for improving education is school accountability.
Will NCLB’s accountability system lead to higher achievement for all students? Or, are changes needed to meet the goal of leaving no student behind? This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors decide for yourselves.
- See the video
- Download PDF (available in English and Spanish)
The national school reform legislation known as No Child Left Behind (or NCLB) applies to every public school in the nation. Its stated purpose is to make sure that every student in every public school is learning at grade level by the year 2014 and its central mechanism for improving education is school accountability.
Will NCLB’s accountability system lead to higher achievement for all students? Or, are changes needed to meet the goal of leaving no student behind? This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help you and your neighbors decide for yourselves.
Ensuring School Safety
School safety is vital for creating a supportive educational environment. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities evaluate different approaches to ensuring safety and security in schools.
School safety is vital for creating a supportive educational environment. This Choicework Discussion Starter is designed to help communities evaluate different approaches to ensuring safety and security in schools.
Talk It Over