Santa Clara USD used a mix of strategies for input and feedback. The process included four different kinds of groups who engaged in a variety of ways, from the deep involvement of the Core Team to community members who responded to surveys. This approach enabled us to reach diverse groups and invite multiple perspectives. Through the process, we also used a variety of modalities including individual reflection and writing, small group discussion, large group discussion, large-scale posting of anonymous Post-Its at community meetings, and response to online surveys. Although questions and instructions were given in English and Spanish, participants were invited to respond in whichever language they preferred at in-person meetings, and the district’s translation department translated the responses. The Guiding Coalition groups, where most of the design work happened, were built around small, diverse groups which included at least one student, one site-based educator, and one family member. To gather input from people who were not part of the Guiding Coalition, we scheduled a variety of community meetings. For example, with the help of district staff and family advocates, we gave brief overviews of the process and ran input and feedback exercises at group meetings that were already scheduled. These included: DELAC, Migrant PAC, Special Education PAC, Elementary and High School districtwide leadership meetings, and the Superintendent’s Student Council. Additional targeted meetings were scheduled outside of these regular meetings, but at sites where groups were already located or were familiar with attending. Because students are at the heart of this work, the input sessions kicked off with a special student summit at the local community college (Mission College). However, it can be difficult for students to get to meetings outside of school hours. To address this and reach as many students as possible, the high school team did a stellar job of interviewing students during targeted school meetings, hearing from 500 students in focus groups over two weeks. In general, student reflections had a particular impact, as one member of the Guiding Coalition noted, “[The student panel] was very powerful to listen to their voice, and what they had to say about how we need to think about the future.”

For reasons of historic bias and persistent inequity, and/or to protect their families, some communities are wary of interacting with any formal institutions. Reaching these communities was one of the most important areas of the work (along with hearing from students), and trusted individuals who are from the community, or have worked deeply with the community over time, were critical connectors. These individuals may be from nonprofits serving the local community or maybe faith leaders and local politicians. Local school site staff and the district’s Family Resource Center staff also functioned in this capacity. To honor the time people gave to the process, the district employed a variety of ways to thank them. Students participating in the Guiding Coalition, or those who came to the Student Summit or one of the community meetings, gained community service credits. Staff participating in the Guiding Coalition were compensated for their time. Nutrition Services catered drinks and snacks for the community meetings, and participants at the Family Resource Center gained early access to a food distribution event and additional free entries to a Christmas raffle. However, there were many people — family members, community members, and business leaders who participated in the Guiding Coalition — who generously gave their time and perspectives simply for the benefit of public education in SCUSD. Participants were asked to work generatively. This work is about creating a vision for the future. We began the process by asking people to share what they would like to stop or let go, allowing participants to share grievances and complaints. There is important information in this for the district and the process, but it also gives people somewhere to put their grievances to clear space for their creativity to come through. We spent much more time in the process thinking about the future that this community wants to create for its young people, and while the future is not a blank slate and we need to proactively ensure that the current inequities are not replicated, there was more space for diverse groups to think together about what they would like to create. (For more on Prospect Studio’s strategic foresight process visit: .) The community input phases of this process were nearly completed when the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order went into effect. Because the process included strategic foresight and was intended to guide the district into the future, its elements have remained relevant even through the crisis of the pandemic. The first strategic plan connects key vision areas with actions that help staff, students and families navigate the unprecedented disruptions of COVID-19. The work and community engagement will continue Vision 2035 is ambitious, both in its 15-year-long vision for the district and its breadth, encompassing goals not only for SCUSD’s graduates but for adults and the system overall. Both the district and Prospect Studio are members of Scaling Student Success, a California network of LEAs and support providers working together to develop strategies for the transformation of K-12 education to meet 21st Century needs. Developing effective community engagement strategies is integral to the network’s efforts because the boldness of its members’ visions requires ongoing partnership with students, staff, families, community members and business leaders. It is for that reason the SCUSD vision document ends with a Call to Action, essentially an invitation to all to participate in the ongoing work: “We ask you to consider that the health and success of the school district drives the health and success of the Santa Clara Unified community. Whether you are a student, a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a civic leader, a business leader, or a senior citizen, consider what YOU can do to support the Graduate Portrait, the Adult Portrait, and the System Portrait, and consider how YOU can positively influence the efforts of your organization, family, or community group to work toward these goals.” We are counting on the continued support of our community and a sustained partnership throughout the journey to realize SCUSD’s Vision 2035.

Reynolds, A. Lewis, D. “Teams Solve Problems Faster When They're More Cognitively Diverse” HBR, March 2017 Beilock, S. “How Diverse Teams Produce Better Outcomes,” Forbes, April, 2019

Stella Kemp is the superintendent and Brad Stam is the chief academic and innovation officer at Santa Clara Unified School District. Fiona Hovenden is the founder of Prospect Studio.