What is the future of public education in Santa Clara Unified?

Under the leadership of Superintendent Stella M. Kemp, Ed.D. and a committed and supportive Board of Trustees, Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) is seeking to chart a new vision for the future of public education in our district. This vision will serve as a true ‘north star,’ guiding and aligning all of the district’s plans and innovations.

We want you to play a leading role in this critical work.

You are one of about 90 stakeholders — parents, students, educators, community leaders, business leaders, and elected officials — who have been identified and are invited by our Board of Trustees and Superintendent to serve on the SCUSD Guiding Coalition. The Guiding Coalition is our visioning steering committee, tasked with contributing ideas, perspectives, expertise, and experience that will inform the creation of the district’s long-term vision through a series of design sessions, learning journeys, and community meetings. These sessions will be facilitated by Prospect Studio and will include explorations of the future of Silicon Valley and SCUSD, and the connected needs of our students, schools, and educators.

Together we will learn about the forces shaping the education landscape across the United States. We will consider the future of learning through the eyes of students, educators, and policymakers. We will identify existing seeds of transformation and visit extraordinary present-day examples, both inside and outside SCUSD. Drawing from all that we’ve learned, we will use design and innovation practices to develop a catalytic vision of success for our public schools and students — the essence of a diverse and educationally rich Santa Clara Unified School District of the future.

Commitment

Should you accept this invitation, we expect the total time commitment to be roughly six to nine days over six months, including three one-and-a-half-day design sessions, one “learning journey,” one community meeting, and the community installation. As a member of our staff, you will be compensated at your contracted hourly rate.

One: Guiding Coalition Convenings

Participate in all three Guiding Coalition design sessions. These sessions will include a Friday evening and all day Saturday commitment on the days below. The locations will be in Santa Clara and shared with you as we get closer to the sessions. Meals are provided. Translation and interpretation services and childcare will be available upon request. Session dates and times are:

Session One

Friday, November 22, 2019, 5 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 2019, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Session Two

Friday, January 10, 2020, 5 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Saturday, January 11, 2020, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Session Three

Friday, February 28, 2020, 5 p.m. - 8.30 p.m.
Saturday, February 29, 2020, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Two: Learning Journey

In early December, you will have the opportunity to participate in a “learning journey” to see and experience leading-edge ideas in play within and outside of education in order to learn from others, stimulate fresh ideas, and gain inspiration related to reimagining the public education ecosystem in Silicon Valley.

In-person learning journeys will take place over two weekdays during the two-week window of December 2 through December 13.
The virtual learning journey is a self-guided exploration of a specially created website containing videos, links, and articles. It will launch after the in-person visits and takes between one to three hours to explore.

More details will be shared at the November Guiding Coalition session.

Three: Community Meetings

We ask that each Guiding Coalition member attend at least one of several community meetings designed to elicit broader community input into developing our vision. There will be several scheduled opportunities during:

The week of December 9-14, 2019
The week of January 21-25, 2020

A final schedule of dates and times will be shared at the first Guiding Coalition session.

Four: Community Presentation

On March 28, 2020, at the district’s annual STEAM Expo, we will present our draft vision to the public for final feedback. Guiding Coalition members attend this event for one hour to serve as a representative of the Guiding Coalition’s work.

Thank You!

The Guiding Coalition will play a central role in designing the north star for Santa Clara Unified schools. This work will guide the decisions and actions of the school district for the next 15 years and positively impact the future for SCUSD students, and ultimately Silicon Valley itself. We are grateful for your time and consideration of this request, and we hope that you will accept this invitation to work side-by-side with us.

RSVP Here

In gratitude,

Stella M. Kemp, Ed.D.
Superintendent