Countering Democracy’s Challenges By David Mathews p. 2 Recasting the Narratives That Shape Our Public Life By Paula Ellis p. 23 CONNECTIONS Being a Civically Engaged College An Annual Journal of the Kettering Foundation | 2017 By Adam Weinberg p. 36
Experiments in DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP The Kettering Foundation is a nonprofit, operating foundation rooted in the Editors American tradition of cooperative research. Kettering’s primary research Melinda Gilmore question is, what does it take to make democracy work as it should? Kettering’s Randall Nielsen research is distinctive because it is conducted from the perspective of citizens and focuses on what people can do collectively to address problems affecting Copy Editors their lives, their communities, and their nation. The foundation seeks to Lisa Boone-Berry Laura Carlson identify and address the challenges to making democracy work as it should through interrelated program areas that focus on citizens, communities, and Design and Production institutions. The foundation collaborates with an extensive network of com- Long’s Graphic Design, Inc. munity groups, professional associations, researchers, scholars, and citizens Illustrations around the world. Established in 1927 by inventor Charles F. Kettering, the Long’s Graphic Design, Inc. foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that does not make grants but engages in joint research with others. For more information about KF research and publications, see the Kettering Foundation’s website at www.kettering.org.
Connections is published by the Kettering Foundation, 200 Commons Road, Dayton, Ohio 45459. The articles in Connections reflect the views of the authors and not neces sarily those of the foundation, its directors, or its officers.
© Copyright 2017 by the Kettering Foundation ISSN 2470-8003 CONTENTS
2 Countering Democracy’s Challenges David Mathews
15 The Educating Neighborhood: How Villages Raise Their Children John McKnight
23 Recasting the Narratives That Shape Our Public Life Paula Ellis
30 Park Life: Experimenting with Democracy and Civic Engagement in Cincinnati’s Oldest Public Park David Siders
36 Being a Civically Engaged College That Contributes to Democratic Ways of Living: Reflections of a College President Adam Weinberg
45 Parents for Public Schools: Encouraging Educational Citizenship Joann Mickens
51 Becoming a Catalyst for Civic Learning Betty Knighton
59 Public Deliberation, Historic Decisions, and Civic Education: A Journey with a Presidential Library Kathleen Pate
67 Science and the Cultivation of Public Judgment Daniel Sarewitz
72 How I Learned What Not to Do as a School Superintendent Charles Irish ecosystem to study and explore the Park Life: ecology of democracy: a myriad of stakeholders and institutions sur- round the park—including businesses Experimenting large and small, a large number of residents, and one of the busiest with Democracy public libraries in the nation. All are neighbors of the park; all are part of and Civic the larger ecosystem. Naturally, toxic problems exist that will most likely never go away. In Engagement recent years, stakeholders attending community meetings have essentially in Cincinnati’s decried, not in my backyard! They say things like: Oldest Public • We don’t want homeless people in our park. Park • Teenagers loiter and make me uncomfortable. • Too many panhandlers in the By David Siders iatt Park, established in 1817, park! is the oldest public park in • Where are the police? P Downtown Cincinnati, being • Why is there so much litter on witness to nearly 200 years of civic Tuesdays in the park? life. Imagine the scenes of daily life But others who regularly use the park over the decades as times changed ask other questions: amidst this beautiful urban oasis, two city blocks long, featuring rows • Why can’t you leave me alone of benches for public seating and and just let me enjoy the park? densely populated with trees and Isn’t everyone allowed to be in flowers. What could be a more lasting the park? tribute to democracy alive and well • Where else would I go if I can’t in a community than a public park stay here? I have a right to be here! that welcomes all people, no matter Next, add to all of this a strong background or socioeconomic status? dose of cultural, environmental, and Today, Piatt Park serves as a perfect socioeconomic change: a powerful
30 CONNECTIONS 2017 A bronze statue of William Henry Harrison points to a historic Presbyterian church and another residential building along Piatt Park.
Piatt Park is Cincinnati’s oldest public park, established in 1817. This photo includes two of several large residential buildings along the park.
community development group funded by major corporations of the city of Cincinnati is surveying property and real estate in the blocks surrounding Piatt Park, with the intent to develop new retail spaces, Beginning in 2016, the Public restaurants and bars, and high-end Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton condominiums. In the same area, a County joined in a research exchange former-hotel-turned-apartment with other libraries throughout the building (15-stories tall located at country and the Kettering Founda- the east end of the park) recently tion. Kim Fender, executive director suffered a financial crisis while being of the library, and I were excited to renovated and construction stopped initiate a new experiment in democ- immediately. Broken windows theory racy and civic engagement. Initially, could swiftly apply to this hindered our library planned an experiment project. Vast and dramatic change that was designed to tackle the broad, will certainly alter this ecosystem. toxic problem of homelessness.
www.kettering.org 31 We prepared to hold facilitate communication, delibera- tion, and collective learning pertinent deliberative forums, with to the concerns and facts surround- the easy-to-understand ing individuals and groups of people who utilize the public space of Piatt name “Community Park. Thanks to the wisdom of our Conversations in Piatt group, we now have a template for Park,” in order to a communication model that can “ serve to unite people on issues of meet people where public space and to allow a collective, they are. community-defined understanding of a citizen’s responsibilities to enjoy public spaces. Our public library’s experience with delivery and out- reach of services to all citizens in a free and public manner, our experi- ence in planning and organizing, and During research exchange ses- our provision of meeting spaces for sions at the Kettering Foundation, public use positions us with a poten- we decided to refocus our project to tially effective strategy to unite people consider how all citizens might use based on collective learning of shared and enjoy Piatt Park. We developed issues of concern. a planning and advisory team com- We prepared to hold deliberative prised of stakeholders that represent forums, with the easy-to-understand our community: employees of Cin- name “Community Conversations in cinnati Parks, the CEO of Downtown Piatt Park,” in order to meet people Cincinnati, Inc. (a nonprofit busi- where they are. We wrote a script ness organization with a mission to to guide how our forums will work build a dynamic metropolitan center within, ideally, an hour timeframe. valued as the heart of the region), The framework includes open-ended and the director of Strategies to End questions such as: Homelessness (a local umbrella of direct service providers and advocacy • What do you want your neighbor- for unhoused people). hood park to look like? Our planning and advisory team • What bothers you? was essential in our capacity to • How does this problem affect you develop community forums that will and your colleagues?
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