Tulsa Talks process draws criticism

Tulsa Beacon ^

[hedgetrimmer]

A controversial community process called Tulsa Talks is drawing a host of criticism because its purpose, backing and methods are misleading.

The stated goal of Tulsa Talks is to form study circles of 10, each with a trained facilitator, to get feedback from the public concerning Tulsas education efforts. The goal is to have 10,000 Tulsans trained in 1,000 groups. Critics are saying Tulsa Talks is a thinly disguised effort to sway public opinion using the Delphi process, a strategy that invites input but dismisses it in favor of a predetermined line of thought. Study circles have been used in other cities by the National School Board Association.

The organizers and supporters of Tulsa Talks include Mayor Bill LaFortune, Oklahoma State University-Tulsa President Gary Trennepohl, Dr. Thomas K. McKeon, president and CEO of Tulsa Community College, Dr. Cathy Burden of Union Public Schools, the Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, the Islamic Society of Tulsa, the Kendall-Whittier Ministry, The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, YWCA, the City of Tulsa, Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa Interfaith Alliance and the Eastern Oklahoma Labor-Religion Council.

Jenks Public Schools declined to take part.

The list of backers is filled with politically liberal groups who oppose traditional values and seek social change in public schools. The study circle movement has the financial backing of George Soros, founder of Moveon.org, a left-wing organization that spent millions to try to get Sen. John Kerry elected president. Tulsa Talks is also supported by homosexual groups in Tulsa. One parent said Tulsa Talks is simply a way to facilitate acceptance of the Islamic and homosexual agendas in public schools while outlawing Christian influence.

A press release issued last week stated that Tulsa Talks was seeking volunteers to be trained as facilitators but those spots were filled before public notice was given. The study circles model requires effective dialogue leadership and training, said Carol McGowen, who is the staff liaison for Tulsa Talks with the community. Every citizen has the potential to serve as a facilitator but the training is essential. We need to develop dialogue skills rather than debate skills so that all views are part of the process.

The idea is to stifle debate concerning public education and instead reach a pre-set conclusion, critics say. The same method was used in 2003, when LaFortune convened a vision summit. More than a thousand people showed up for meetings. They were surveyed and the No. 1 suggestion for building Tulsa was development along the Arkansas River.

Those suggestions were substantially ignored and officials put construction of a downtown arena as the top priority. Now, LaFortune and other backers of Vision 2025 claim widespread support for the arena based on the process and ultimately its passage at the ballot box. Typically, the Delphi process uses trained psychiatrists as facilitators. Their goal is to stop dissenting opinion and convince study circle members that the conclusions came from them not from the promoters of the process.

Ken Freeman of Alabama, an expert on the use of the Delphi process, spoke to Michael DelGiorno of KFAQ radio. Its a deceptive process, Freeman said. Its very complicated. They try to make you believe the facilitators are good guys. The purpose of the meeting is to manipulate the crowd into thinking they came up with the answers. The outcome is predestined. This is a game they are playing.

According to www.studygroups.org, the Five Core Principles Guiding Study Circles are:

1. Involve everyone. Demonstrate that the whole community is welcome and needed.

2. Embrace diversity. Reach out to all kinds of people.

3. Share knowledge, resources, power and decision making.

4. Combine dialogue and deliberation. Create public talk that builds understanding and explores a range of solutions.

5. Connect deliberative dialogue to social, political, and policy change.

Tulsa School Board member Gary Perceful said the idea to use study circles was hatched during public hearings concerning Booker T. Washington High School in 2003. I took the time to go through facilitator training and plan to facilitate a study circle during the first wave of meetings next month, Perceful told the Tulsa Beacon. I am satisfied this is a highly appropriate activity and fully endorse it. No agenda is being pursued except to promote community participation in shaping the direction we take with our schools.

He said study circles was chosen as a methodology because the League of Women Voters had used it successfully in Oklahoma several years ago.

Its too late to be a facilitator.

Patrons can contact Tulsa Talks at 594-8189 or email tulsatalks@osu-tulsa.okstate.edu.

[hedgetrimmer]

Tulsa parents need to pay attention to the outside groups agitating for control of their schools. Schools must be accountable to local interests, parents and taxpayers.

Many of these groups of outsiders agitating for change have funding from internationalist organizations, and the type of social engineering they espouse soon pushes academics out the door, and the quality of education takes a nose dive.

[hedgetrimmer]

You might be interested in this.

[hedgetrimmer]

A message from KFAQ's Michael DelGiorno: "It's time to "Stand Up For What's Right" and fight an effort being pushed by the Tulsa Interfaith Alliance and several local education leaders."

An effort is underway in the Tulsa and Union school districts to conduct as many as a thousand "study circles" to push a diversity agenda that goes against Christian and Conservative values.

In addition to the Tulsa and Union school districts, the city of Tulsa, Tulsa Community College and Oklahoma State University-Tulsa are partners in the "Tulsa Talks" effort.

Organizations behind Tulsa Talks include the Tulsa Interfaith Alliance, the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and the Islamic Society of Tulsa.

The organizers admit their goal is to create a plan that would impact decisions being made by public school administrators and have an impact on curriculum.

It's important we take action to "take back our schools."

Here's where you can find out more information about what they are planning:

Study Circles

Tulsa Interfaith Alliance

Tolerance.org
(Note: Check out the "Tell Your Story" link)

Contact these Organizers to Voice Concern:

Tulsa Talks (594-8189)
EMail: tulsatalks@osu-tulsa.okstate.edu

Carol McGowen (594-8189)

Tulsa Public Schools (746-6800)
Superintendent Dr. David Sawyer sawyeda@tulsaschools.org

School Board President Paul Thomas (746-6800)
EMail: paulwmt@cs.com

Union Public Schools (459-5432)
Superintendent Kathy Burden

Tulsa Mayor's Office (596-7404)
Mayor's Action Line (596-2100)
Mayor Bill LaFortune: blafortune@cityoftulsa.org

http://www.1170kfaq.com/tulsatalks.html

[spokeshave]

And whom pays the meeting "facilitators" one may ask.....?

Sounds like they need an assessment with extreme predjudice.

[hedgetrimmer]

The study circles group that is facilitating this meeting is funded by George Soros' open society foundation, according to my sources.

If you want to help, go to
http://www.operationinformation.com

You'll find information and contact info as well.

[GeronL]

We need Separation of School & State

[hedgetrimmer]

We also need separation fo schools & global socialists, which would mitigate the situation facing Tulsa right now.

[Jrabbit]

So Jenks opted out of this? Good for them.

[hedgetrimmer]

Study circles are also being used by the smart growth planners to change Tulsa into a soviet style planned city. Study circle facilitation is not just for schools, and watch out because this technique overrides your constitutional government and influences public officials to act for outsider interests, and not in the interests of his/her constituients:

TulsaNow’s Land Use Planning Executive Summary and
Recommendations

"Put in place an effective, formal framework for dialogue with neighborhoods on neighborhood land issues. Consider the adoption of ‘Study Circles’ (www.studycircles.org) as used in many communities, including Oklahoma City.

http://www.tulsanow.org/pdf/LandUse.pdf#search='study%20circles%20tulsa'

[pepperdog]

bttt