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
Distributed Leadership in Schools: Students as Ambassadors
Written by Dr. Leighangela Brady, Superintendent, National School District. Dr. Brady is also a member of the Learner-Centered Collaborative Advisory Council. Distributed leadership offers a way to harness the collective strengths of all members of an educational ecosystem, including school staff, parents, community partners, and most importantly, students. While adults often take center stage…
Blog
In a Learner-Centered Community, We Are All Communicators
Creating a learner-centered community requires clear, transparent communication that puts students at the center. Through transparency, feedback loops, and storytelling, we can amplify student voice and build shared vision. Through Muhlenberg’s digital spaces, Mentor’s Guiding Coalition meetings, and Hampton’s multimedia storytelling, we see how intentional communication creates environments where everyone—learners, educators, administrators, and families—contributes…