San Marcos Unified School District Recognized by
Project Tomorrow for Using Speak Up Survey Insights to Transform Learning
San Marcos Unified School District was awarded a Speak Up Hero Award by Project Tomorrow for leveraging local and national insights to better support students
San Marcos, CA (October 31, 2023) – San Marcos Unified School District announces Project Tomorrow, one of the nation’s leading education nonprofits, awarded the school district a Speak Up Hero Award for leveraging local and national insights from Project Tomorrow’s annual Speak Up Research Project to transform learning at the school district. The recognition is a testament to San Marcos Unified School District innovative leadership in improving education and its acknowledgment of the value of stakeholder input in shaping the future of education.
Celebrating 20 years, the Speak Up Research Project asks K–12 educators, students and families about the role of educational technology in and out of the classroom. The development of the Speak Up survey is a year-long process, and the topics change to ensure the survey is relevant and reflects what’s top of mind for education leaders. Since 2003, more than 6.2 million K–12 stakeholders have participated in the initiative—helping inform federal and state policies, as well as local changes at the individual school level.
“To date, more than 30,000 schools have leveraged the insights from our annual Speak Up Research Project,” said Dr. Julie Evans, Chief Executive Officer and Lead Researcher at Project Tomorrow. “It is incredible to think about the impact of the survey, and it is so rewarding to see firsthand how the data is transforming learning at school districts. I am so honored to recognize San Marcos Unified School District as part of this year’s inaugural class of Speak Up Heroes for their commitment to leveraging the unique and diverse views of their educators, students and families to make meaningful change. A huge congratulations to all the Speak Up Hero Award winners.”
As part of the celebration, Project Tomorrow recognized 10 K–12 school districts nationwide committed to improving education and effectively leveraging the views of their educators, students and families within their decision-making and strategic planning processes. San Marcos Unified School District was one of the 10 school districts recognized.
San Marcos Unified School District and the other winners were recognized at a celebration event and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., at the end of October. In addition, the Project Tomorrow team will meet with leaders at San Marcos Unified School District for a planning workshop to implement the latest round of stakeholder input in the coming months.
To learn more about Project Tomorrow and the Speak Up Hero Award, please visit https://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/heroaward/.
About Project Tomorrow & Speak Up
The Speak Up Research Project is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow, an internationally recognized education nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all students are prepared to become tomorrow's leaders, innovators and engaged citizens of the world. Each year, the Speak Up Research Project polls K–12 students, parents and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school and the impact of new learning models on student outcomes and teacher effectiveness. The Speak Up dataset represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder voices on digital learning. Since the fall of 2003, more than 6.2 million K–12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, principals, technology leaders, district administrators, communications officers and members of the community have shared their views and ideas through Speak Up. Education, business and policy leaders report that they regularly use the Speak Up data to inform federal, state and local education programs, policies and initiatives. Learn more at https://www.tomorrow.org/speakup.
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