Improving relationships between the district and community

“Change moves at the speed of trust”

– Steven Covey

At the heart of the Bay Ed Fund’s strategy is a deep commitment to trust and relationships. True transformation isn’t just about bold ideas—it’s about how communities and district leaders come together to make change happen.

Each year, we work with an independent evaluator who conducts focus groups to measure progress and identify areas for improvement.

For the family leaders participating in the coalition, an overwhelming 93% of parents feel the relationship between the district and the community has improved. Families feel they are in a stronger position to make demands and hold the district accountable and they are seeing more participation from Latino families in district and school activities. They also have a better understanding of what’s needed academically for their own children — and, importantly, we’ve seen the district already being more responsive on this front. Here are some of the direct quotes from the focus groups:

From Parent fellowship participants:

“I think the best part of the program was that it gave us the tools we needed …. It helped us look for ways to support our kids and showed an improvement in their academic level. It provided guidelines to advocate for all the support the school can offer…”

“Now all parents are more confident… We’re not afraid to ask questions.”

“For me [what has changed the most as a result of the fellowship] would be the parents… we are more capable of making the school district responsible for what it promises.”

“I feel that now, with all the movement, there’s more awareness that we’re here. They know we’re actively advocating for not just our children’s education but everyone’s.”

“Now there’s more support for both reading and mathematics. They now have teachers specifically dedicated to helping and improving reading and mathematics.”