San Diego Unified is continuing to strengthen its Community Schools strategy by opening its doors for a series of site tours designed to inspire, connect, and build capacity across the district. These visits provide district principals, educators, coordinators, and families with the opportunity to see how Community Schools are implemented in real time — while gaining practical strategies to apply in their own school communities.
Three schools — Baker Elementary, Fay Elementary, and Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet — served as host sites, each offering a unique perspective on implementing and sustaining the Community Schools model.
At Baker Elementary (Cohort 3, Year 2), participants explored how strong collaboration structures and continuous improvement practices support schoolwide implementation. Visitors engaged in classroom-based learning experiences and learned how staff use improvement science to drive results, including increased student knowledge of coping strategies and strengthened family communication around academic progress.
Fay Elementary (Cohort 2, Year 3) highlights a more established phase of the work, showcasing how systems and routines help integrate Project-Based and Community-Based Learning (PBL/CBL) into everyday instruction. Guests observed classrooms in action and heard from educators and students about how meaningful, inquiry-driven learning is embedded across the school.
At Carson Elementary STEAM Magnet (Cohort 3, Year 2), the focus is on aligning student learning, family engagement, and schoolwide systems within a STEAM framework. Through classroom visits and a campus walkthrough, participants saw how PBL/CBL and relationship-centered practices create engaging, real-world learning experiences for students.
Together, these site tours offer a powerful opportunity to learn from peers, see the Community Schools strategy in action, and walk away with concrete ideas to strengthen implementation.
