Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s redesign focused on deepening personal relationships and students’ feelings of connection within the school community. To figure out how to realize this vision, the design team planned group empathy interviews with a diverse array of stakeholders, including students, parents, and teachers, emphasizing inclusion for historically underrepresented groups like Spanish-speaking families.

Additionally, in keeping with their board’s stated goal to listen to and engage with all stakeholders, the cabinet held an “empathy interview board meeting” where they invited students, staff, and teachers to respond to interview questions in a town hall format. This brought important voices and insights to an even broader audience – including powerful decision-makers like board members – and built deeper connections among community members through personal interviews.

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