Leadership Forum: Reimagining the Learner Experience with Santa Ana Unified School District

Our Learner-Centered Leadership Forum series is an opportunity to gain timely, first-hand insights, examples, ideas, and lessons learned from learner-centered district leaders doing the work in the field with their teams, community, and learners.

In this first event in the series in September 2023, Santa Ana Unified School District leaders, Superintendent Jerry Almendarez and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lorraine Perez, opened up about their transformative journey in reimagining the learner experience across their district.

The urban/suburban public school district is the second largest in Orange County, CA serving 45,000 students from early childhood through high school. Hear about their big moves and how they approached:

  • Creating dynamic learning environments that prioritize the aspirations of each learner
  • Development and implementation of their Graduate Profile
  • Alignment with board priorities
  • Leading with social influence

IMPACT STORY: How Santa Ana Unified School District is Listening to Learners to Drive Districtwide Learner-Centered Innovation.

View recording

By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.

Explore the ultimate opportunity to learn from innovative schools across the country in our Learner-Centered Connections program featuring school and industry visits, networking, communities of practice, and coaching.

It’s Your Journey

Explore More Topics

Blog
From Training to Professional Learning: Building a Learner-Centered Culture for Educators
For decades, Professional Learning has mirrored the same traditional, school-centered model it seeks to change: experts deliver information, teachers passively receive it, and hours or seat time serve as the measure of learning. These same structures often show up in classrooms, perpetuating a cycle of compliance rather than curiosity. To create deeper, more meaningful…
Tools
Forming a Strong School (Re)Design Team
Every successful school redesign starts with the right team. This tool, Forming a Strong School (Re)Design Team, helps leaders intentionally build a group that represents the full school community, from leaders, educators, and learners, to families, and staff, who will guide the redesign process together. Note: We recommend using this tool as a supplementary…
Blog
The Power of Why: How Assessment Philosophies Drive Calibration for Meaningful Change
“This feels overwhelming.” “We are moving towards something tangible and realistic.” “This is amazing – we got this.” These reflections, shared by educators, capture the spectrum of emotions that surface when rethinking assessment and grading practices. One names the challenge of stepping into something new, another lifts up the promise of what’s possible, and…