Our Process
Approved in May of 2024 by the Bellevue School District Board, our 2024-2029 plan was crafted through an inclusive process by students, caregivers, educators, and community leaders who joined our Guiding Coalition.
Our Coalition
The coalition was composed using an inclusive model - a third of members appointed directly by the district, a third of the members through an open application and a third of the members through a selection of people from the community to bring diverse perspectives to the group. The coalition believes this approach generated a representative selection of key stakeholders.
Empathy Interviews
The coalition conducted empathy interviews with a broad cross-section of the community. Empathy interviews allow us to hear interviewees' stories so we can better understand their key needs and hear their insights. In an empathy interview, rather than asking people what they think is the right solution to the problems we have identified, we ask questions that help us learn about what they experience, how they feel, and what they see as the root causes of problems.
Problem Statement
Our Guiding Coalition co-created a problem statement addressing the need for a more inclusive and supportive organizational culture within the district. The problem statement guided the creation of three community commitments and three priority areas.
Each member of the diverse BSD community wants to feel heard, valued, and affirmed so that they can feel empowered to do their best work, but there is not yet an organizational culture that helps each individual experience a sense of belonging and support.
Root Causes
Problem statements often emerge from multiple issues. The coalition engaged in an analysis which surfaced these four root causes.
| Root Cause | Summary | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Bellevue Reputation | Extraordinary aggregate outcomes, but intense stratification | The community has not yet figured out how to acknowledge and adapt its legacy as a district with extraordinary aggregate outcomes, but intense stratification, where certain kinds of performance and abilities are valued above others. |
| Efficiency and Inequity | System is not designed to be responsive of diverse needs | The system is organized to support efficiency in reaching these outcomes. The kinds of efficiencies prioritized tend to favor those who are already well-served by the system. The system is not designed to be responsive to the diverse needs in our community. |
| Unresponsive Systems | Systems are not organized to partner with students, families, and educators | District systems are not organized to partner with students, families, and educators to be truly responsive to these diverse needs. The competing pressures and priorities that come from our expectations and mandates stop us from investing in really getting to know our students, families, and the community. |
| Transactional Relationships | Relationships are often about compliance and implementation rather than empowerment, innovation, trust and agency | The need for an efficient system means relationships are often about compliance and implementation rather than empowerment, innovation, trust and agency. This is true of many relationships throughout the district (e.g. teacher to student, administration to teachers, educators to families, etc.) |