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Case Study

Oakland Unified School District

Family, School, and Community Partnerships (FSCP), the Oakland public school system's largest department, addresses all non-academic support for students and families. Previously the staff of FSCP, which formed as a merger of two departments, had worked from numerous offices scattered across the district.

In the summer of 2012 staff members were brought together under one roof. They needed clarity about their linkages and saw potential to improve services in the new configuration. They also sought to improve their articulation of the department's service offerings to the rest of the district and the community.

Toward that end, The Grove co-facilitated a one-day retreat in September 2012 with all 80 staff members. Following the retreat, a design group continued to meet for a series of working sessions to clarify the content for a Storymap.

The completed FSCP Storymap, now up on the wall in their offices, articulates the department's values, mission and vision and shows how all the parts of the department fit together. This visual tool conveys the department's most important ideas and information in a consistent, clear way, aiding both internal and public communication.

“It was important to establish a partnership with an external provider who really listened to us about the purposes we needed support for, the venues we wanted to focus in on, and the specific things their team could offer us to carry the work forward. We were listened to with sensitivity to what support we needed as we moved the work system-wide.”

Kristina Tank-Crestetto
Director of Social Emotional Learning and Leadership, FSCP

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