| The San Jose Unified School District wins honors | | | | Model has both short and long term goals. In the |
| 13th August 2006 | | | | short term, the San Jose Unified School district |
| Author: Stacy Andell | | | | sought to create a plan that would make the local |
| The San Jose Unified School District has enacted a | | | | community want to send their children there. In the |
| unique plan to build relationships with the local | | | | long term, the school district hopes to engage the |
| community in order to overcome an old negative | | | | community in order to accomplish their goals of |
| image. | | | | improving student performance while building up a |
| The Past Negative Image of the San Jose Schools | | | | network of tools and strategies for communication |
| A series of teacher strikes, bankruptcy, and changes | | | | with the public. Superintendent Don Iglesias explained: |
| in leadership gave the San Jose Unified School District | | | | "The program was developed to increase parent and |
| a bad reputation among the local community. | | | | community participation and understanding within our |
| Students weren't achieving state standards and many | | | | school district." |
| parents and teachers didn't know what to do to fix | | | | Successful Components of the Model |
| the situations. The San Jose Unified School District | | | | District communications are at the center of the |
| faced the daunting task of regaining public trust and | | | | Public Engagement Model and conferences between |
| integrating itself into the needs of the community. | | | | school and community members are held on a yearly |
| The Board of Education Driven Public Engagement | | | | basis. Called "community conversations," these |
| Model | | | | conferences have allowed the school district to hear |
| The solution that San Jose came up with was not an | | | | the thoughts and opinions of over 6000 people. In |
| easy one, nor a quick one. It involved finding new | | | | addition, annual surveys for parents, teachers, and |
| ways to communicate with parents and other area | | | | students help identify the issues to be resolved and |
| residents in a way that allowed all voices to be heard | | | | help all members of the community feel a |
| and real data to be collected about the school | | | | commitment to the success of the San Jose Unified |
| district's problems. | | | | School District. |
| Focus Groups | | | | Evidence That It's Working |
| The San Jose Unified School District organized a | | | | Improvements in student achievement across the |
| series of focus groups to identify what needed to be | | | | board are clear in the 30 California Distinguished |
| done. These focus groups were able to pinpoint the | | | | Schools and 11 National Blue Ribbon Schools in the |
| factors that bred mistrust and disinterest in the | | | | district. In addition, the new relationship with the |
| community. Eventually, the school district was able to | | | | community has also had its rewards. First a $165 |
| say that the basic factors contributing to the | | | | million bond issue and then a $429 million one have |
| problems in the district came from three sources: lack | | | | shown overwhelming public support for the San Jose |
| of school - community interaction, low student | | | | Unified School District, as the local community shows |
| expectations, and uninvolved or uninformed parents. | | | | the new found trust and high expectations it has for |
| With this information, the Board of Education turned | | | | area schools. As Superintendent Iglesias puts it, |
| to business and civic groups to try to find ways to | | | | "Through this project, we have learned what |
| eliminate these factors. | | | | strategies work from a public standpoint, and parents |
| The Goal | | | | feel heard and respected. |
| The Board of Education Driven Public Engagement | | | | |