“ThoughtExchange is a new platform that encourages our community members to not only share their thoughts, but also show how they agree or disagree with others,” said Lakota Spokeswoman Betsy Fuller.
“By answering open-ended questions, participants are able to share detailed thoughts with district leaders. The platform will be used to gather feedback on a variety of topics, from both staff and community members, including the creation of a new Master Facilities Plan (MFP),” said Fuller.
According to a statement posted on Lakota Schools’ website, the first question asked on site was: “What are some specific things you appreciate about how Lakota communicates with you and in what areas can we improve?”
In the first exchange about communication efforts, more than 400 people participated, sharing 328 thoughts. The overwhelming majority, 93 percent, stated that they are neutral to very satisfied with Lakota’s level of communication, with 75 percent being satisfied to very satisfied.
“We appreciate the willingness of our community to try this new tool and for the feedback we have received,” said Fuller. “We will use this information going forward to determine how best to reach our community as we share information and stories about our students, staff and schools.”
Matt Miller, superintendent of Lakota, said “feedback from our community is vital to our key decision making process.”
“ThoughtExchange is another way we are able to ask for feedback from our stakeholders,” he said.
“ThoughtExchange gives us a unique way to reach more members of our community (and) the district plans to use ThoughtExchange for feedback on a variety of topics, both internally and externally. From major decisions, such as the Master Facilities Plan, to agenda planning for meetings, district leaders see many opportunities to take advantage of the tool,” said Miller.
Fuller said the new digital outreach program “is more than just a tool where people answer questions – they are able to return to the survey and rate other people’s thoughts as to how much they agree or disagree.”
“The program’s algorithm ranks the thoughts from most popular to least. This allows not only us, but our community, to see what people think. It is proving to be a great way to receive feedback from our community,” she said.
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