“It’s almost like Republicans and Democrats,”  said Matt Dobrin, parent of a student in Providence’s public schools.   “You have two opposing views — probably somewhere in the center is a great idea.”

Dobrin, speaking about the difference between traditional public schools and new charter schools like Democracy Prep, says that as a parent, he feels caught in the middle when it comes to school reform. Add a few “he said/she said” quotes, and you’d have a workmanlike article for any regional daily.

That’s good, but a little unsatisfying if the real aim is to get policymakers and citizens to grapple with issues of real importance. That’s where the kind of face-to-face gatherings between policymakers and citizens that the Rhode Island Foundation and WRNI, Rhode Island’s NPR affiliate, come in.

On October 6, the team held the first of a series of Rhode Island Community Forums. The forum, on the topic “What Makes a Great Teacher,” was sold out, and a capacity crowd listened to state education officials, an expert from an education think tank, and teachers on the front lines — and got their own two cents in as well. I often hear cynicism when it comes to whether or not Americans really want to hear about — much less engage with — matters of civic importance.   Too often, I hear comments like “they’re just interested in celebrity fluff and won’t get off the couch.”  The Rhode Island Community Forum’s sold-out gathering on a serious topic shows that attitude is just a failure of imagination.

The spirited conversation was rebroadcast on WRNI, and it’s available online here.