Public Engagement Opportunities:

• Listen and Learn Data Reports: A series of reports to ground planning and community engagement in data to support continuous improvement.
• Regional Convenings: Regional convenings where education leaders will gather to help explore topics in greater depth and collaborate with Agency staff to develop potential solutions and next steps.
• Public Engagement Sessions: Listening sessions open for broader community engagement to review the topics identified during the regional convenings. 
• Educator Engagement Sessions: Listening sessions designed specifically for educators, teachers, and school and district staff to explore educator supports. These sessions will be closed to the public but will run at an earlier time on the schedule of dates and locations (including virtual) below. Educators can connect with their Superintendents or Independent School Heads for more

The mission of the Agency is to provide leadership, support, and oversight to ensure that the Vermont public education system enables each student to be successful. To fulfill this mission, the Agency wants to be a statewide education leader and believes in working in concert with and in support of our partners in the field. Through this Listen and Learn Tour, we (the Agency’s Interim Secretary and staff) look forward to meeting with Vermonters across the state and hearing from those most impacted by decisions made at the state level. Together, we will envision our shared goals for our education system, identify the obstacles and develop a strategic and collaborative plan to move forward. This will help the Agency build a work plan for the future that is aligned and responsive to the vision and the needs of Vermont communities.

During the Listen and Learn Tour, the Agency will be engaging with education leaders, but also teachers and staff, parents and families, community members, and students as we work towards ensuring equitable access to high quality educational outcomes. These conversations will be supported with relevant data to support conversations on how state, regional and district decisions improve educational outcomes for all students. 

Through the Listen and Learn Tour, the Agency seeks to:

1. Align Agency work to regional/district priorities and needs
2. Identify a shared vision for the future of education in Vermont and develop a strategic plan
3. Improve access to high-quality educational opportunities for all students
4. Identify levers for improving student achievement
5. Provide valuable perspective and data to support the work of the Commission on the Future of Public Education

Over the next few months, Vermont will be undertaking efforts to reimagine the future of the state’s education system. At the same time, the Agency of Education is developing a strategic plan to support Vermont’s education goals. This work will inform how education leaders, school community members, and the Agency of Education collectively ensure that all students have equitable access to high-quality educational opportunities. These parallel efforts include:

• Agency of Education Listen and Learn Tour: The Agency’s Listen and Learn Tour will engage deeply with local and regional education leaders and school communities to ensure our work aligns with stakeholder needs and priorities. Stakeholder engagement opportunities will include surveys of all stakeholders, regional convenings with education leaders, and listening sessions with educators, families, students and community members. 
   
• Commission on the Future of Public Education: The Commission was established in the passage of Act 183 of 2024 (the yield bill).  The Commission is charged with: (1) establishing “a statewide vision for Vermont’s public education system”, (2) creating “an efficient, sustainable, and stable education system” that “afford[s] substantially equal educational opportunities” to all Vermont students, and (3) identifying “strategic policy changes” to make statewide vision a reality. 

As the Agency seeks to work in partnership with those in the field to guide its work, the Listen and Learn Tour and related data gathering will enrich and support the Commission’s conversations to meet their charge.