Step 1
Design Experience 1: Embracing the Challenge and the Work Ahead

Pre-work

Preparing for Design Experience 1

Experience

Design Experience 1

Post-work

Post-Work Activities

Engaging Community

Overview

This step is about learning with and from the broader community to strengthen the foundation for a bold school vision. You will use this time to meaningfully engage stakeholders—especially students and families—in reflecting on the current state of their school or schools and shaping what could be possible.

Holistic engagement is important—it should include sharing insights from the Educational Outcomes Audit and Analysis (EOAA) and School Readiness Assessment (SRA), conducting community research, and gathering feedback on the Case for Change. These actions can be combined into integrated activities as appropriate.

Outputs
  • Organized and synthesized community feedback documented in the Design Journey Notebook
  • Draft or updated Community Engagement Plan capturing who was engaged, what was learned, and emerging themes
  • Public-facing share out artifact (e.g., a poster, newsletter, or slide deck) used to share findings and invite continued community feedback

Goal
Collect and analyze community insights to ensure that the school design process is shaped by the voices and experiences of those it will serve.

Owner(s)
School design team

Contributor(s)
District transformation team, students, families, community stakeholders, facilitation partner

Resources

Community Engagement Toolkit
A menu of ready-to-use engagement strategies—from student shadowing to community interviews—to spark listening and learning.

Youth Voice Toolkit
Tools that help students surface issues that matter and shape their school’s future.

Community Engagement Plan in School Design Journey Notebooks
The template schools began using during Design Experience 1 to organize their engagement goals, activities, and timelines.

PRO TIP! What successful community engagement looks like:

  • Community members feel heard and valued.
  • Input directly shapes the evolving school concept.
  • Engagement events are well-attended and inclusive of diverse voices.
  • Feedback is synthesized and visibly integrated into next steps.

Putting It Into Practice

1

Engage your community:

  • To engage the community in meaningful and holistic ways, school teams select one to three learning activities from the Community Engagement Toolbox. These activities should be designed to share and gather insights in ways that honor community voice and deepen collective understanding. This includes the following:
    • Sharing insights from your Educational Outcomes Audit and Analysis (EOAA) and School Readiness Assessment (SRA) with students, families, educators, and community partners to spark dialogue and create shared clarity.
    • Gathering community input on the Case for Change using interviews, focus groups, or feedback protocols.
    • Learning more about the current state by conducting targeted or broad research using the Community Engagement Toolkit to deepen understanding of community hopes and needs.
2

Synthesize and organize feedback:

Designate a team member (or small group) to review all the input gathered and identify emerging trends, key insights, and areas of divergence. Summarize this information in a clear, shareable format so the full team can reflect on what was learned and decide how to apply it. If you need support with data synthesis, reach out to your facilitation partner.

Go to Next Step
Preparing for Design Experience 2
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