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