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. 

Student Summit

We kicked off this important work with a student summit on November 16 to share with students what the future world might look like and ask them what skills, knowledge, and mindsets they will need in order to be successful.

Guiding Coalition

About 90 stakeholders — parents, students, educators, community leaders, business leaders, and elected officials — have been identified and 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.

The Guiding Coalition members are each committing their time of 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.

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 their time and consideration of our invitation to work side-by-side with us.

Guiding Coalition Design Sessions 

These sessions will include a Friday evening and all day Saturday commitment from every Guiding Coalition member on the days below. The locations are in Santa Clara, California.

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.

Learning Journeys

In-person learning journeys will take place for Guiding Coalition members over two weekdays during the two-week window of December 2 through December 17. Guiding Coalition members 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. 

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. The virtual learning journey will be available to the entire community.

Community Meetings

There will be several community meetings and surveys designed to elicit broader community input into developing our vision.

November and December

Whole community event

• December 11, 5 to 8 p.m. at Cabrillo Middle School in the Multipurpose Room (map and directions)
• This meeting will include multiple opportunities and ways for attendees to participate. This will be a fun, interactive drop-in event and we would love for you to join us, whether you have thirty minutes or two hours to spend with us. Refreshments, snacks, childcare, and Spanish interpreters will be provided. View the invitation news item or the invitation flyer for more information.

Targeted student, family, staff, and community groups

• Student Summit  |  November 16, 2 - 4 p.m. at Mission College in the Hospitality Management Building 
• Family Resource Center Community |  December 9, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Educational Options Campus in the Family Resource Center
• Superintendent's Student Council  |  December 10
• Alviso Community | Week of December 9 
• Middle, High, and Alternative School Students | Week of December 9
• Special Education Community | December 18

January and February

Whole community event

• Week of February 1

Targeted student, family, staff, and community groups

• Week of January 27

Dates and times of events will be updated on this webpage and communicated out to the community as they are scheduled. 

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.