Cedar Rapids: Centering Student and Teacher Voice Through Empathy Interviews

Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) knew the data: there were stark academic outcome gaps across demographic groups in the district. To explore the root causes of these gaps, CRCSD conducted interviews with affected students and teachers, designing an interview guide that would evoke stories and emotion from those whom the system was not working well for. These conversations not only helped shed light on the problem but also surfaced ideas about what it would take to close gaps. Given CRCSD’s existing strategic plan and annual focus on standards, assessment, and grading, the team also included targeted questions about students’ and teachers’ experiences with these systems in particular.

Type: googleDoc

Topics:
Community & Culture, Visioning, Continuous Improvement

Sub-topics:
Parent Engagement, Community Engagement, Vision Development, Program Capture