Celebrating the East Side Alliance (ESA) Transformation Network’s Change Agents and Four-Year Journey
May 22, 2024 marked a momentous occasion: the final convening of the East Side Alliance Transformation Network, a four-year partnership of nine schools in San Jose, CA. The network focused on improvement in middle grades math for the first two years and whole-school transformation for the final two years. Partners in School Innovation is very proud to have supported collective action to improve on-track outcomes for students on the East Side.
Photo of a meeting room with long tables and chairs filled with smiling seated people; a column of blue and orange balloons stands in the corner. People are talking to each other and several are looking toward the front of the room.
The celebratory event included opening remarks from Glenn VanderZee, superintendent of the East Side Union High School District; honoring Oak Grove School District Superintendent Jose L. Manzo, who is retiring at the end of the school year; and recognition of five individuals who’ve been awarded scholarships to support them as they earn their administrative services credential and become even stronger Results-Oriented Change Agents (ROCAs).
Photo of superintendent Glenn Vander Zee in a business suit with hands in pant pockets, smiling and looking toward seated attendees in a meeting room.
Keynote highlights from superintendent Glenn Vander Zee
To inspire the network schools further in their work to help create bright futures for all students, our keynote speaker Glenn Vander Zee, superintendent of the East Side Union High School District, opened the event with a strong focus on the importance of equity in education. He shared four actions that must be taken in order to build equitable communities in the East Side:
Welcoming every student as they are, not demanding a ‘fix yourself, get yourself a certain way and then come to us’ approach.
Getting students’ areas of growth and strength to be known by them and the adults, whether academic, social-emotional, or something else.
Responding positively and in the best interest of the student.
Helping students be full participants in their classroom, their schools, and their future.
Four photos in a quadrant featuring various people speaking to an unseen audience while wearing gray t-shirts that say ROCA on the front; each person is standing to the right of a projector screen showing presentation slides.
Photo of four people wearing gray t-shirts with their school logo on the front; several are holding pieces of paper while smiling and one is speaking to an unseen audience.
Reflections from school teams and educators, the heroes of this four-year journey
Because we believe in the power of storytelling as a way for schools to capture their continuous-improvement work and spread successful practices, we invited each team then to encapsulate their growth in five-minute “Ignite” presentations that they put together after reflecting on the work they’d done, unpacked successes and challenges, and discussed implications for the upcoming school year.
Teams reflected on and shared several improvement efforts taken over the past four years, including a refinement of professional learning communities that has resulted in outcomes such as:
Increase in student-to-teacher relationships
Increased collaboration across grade levels
More celebration of small victories and progress
Additional supports for students (e.g. Homework Club, Friday activities)
Photo of incoming superintendent of Oak Grove School District, Ivan Chaidez (on left), honoring the retiring superintendent, José Manzo. Both are in business suits.
Honoring retiring revered superintendent José Manzo
To great applause, we dedicated a part of the event to honoring Oak Grove School District Superintendent José Manzo, who is retiring this summer. Successor Ivan Chaidez spoke highly of him:
“Through his focus on equity, instruction, systems-thinking, and transforming teaching and learning, José has modeled continuous improvement and collective action for over 12 years in our district. He has always promoted a vision that all of our students will have opportunities to reach their full potential and to thrive.”
True to form, José put students at the center of his brief remarks and gave credit to those who helped him succeed.
“You go into this profession to make an impact and to make things better for the kids whom we serve. If you’re from my district, you know that the individual who did that for me was a teacher who made every single person feel like they were the most special person in their classroom. It’s been my hope to be able to do the same for our students today. Through collective efficacy and continuous improvement, we can make sure that all students in our classrooms feel like they're wanted, they belong, and they're going to succeed. Continue the work!”
It’s been an honor and pleasure to partner with José for many years. We wish him the very best in retirement!
Photo of five scholarship recipients - Karin Mendoza, Marie Mabanag, Courtney Hunter-Quevedo, Ginelyn Kudsi standing in for Kellee Humphrey, and Tara Brown - smiling at the camera and holding blue gift bags with orange tissue paper and awards.
Recognizing Results-Oriented Change Agent scholarship winners
Our work is not sustainable without the efforts of the whole education community, and we were proud to have awarded scholarships to educators pursuing leadership credentials to develop as results-oriented change agents. Educators who make this journey will be powerful leaders for change who can sustain improvements in their schools through leadership transitions and replicate the work in other schools.
We’d awarded several scholarships and heard from recipients about the impact that the East Side Alliance Transformation Network and scholarship have had on them.
Marie Mabanag shared that being part of the network was one of the best things she could have done to better support her students.
“The tools, support, and thought partnership has pushed me beyond my boundaries to explore systems and biases that I did not know could cloud my judgment as an educator.
Change has happened at my site and will continue to happen because of the work in the network. I am proud to call myself a change agent and with the scholarship that Partners has provided me, I will continue to do this work in whatever capacity it is needed to make the change all students deserve and need.”
Courtney Hunter-Quevedo highlighted comprehensive professional development, leadership experience, networking, collaboration, personal growth, and overall inspiration as meaningful ways that the network has impacted her.
“This formal education has deepened my understanding of educational leadership, offering me theoretical insights and practical strategies. I have gained essential skills in strategic planning, effective communication, and problem-solving, which are crucial for driving change in the school environment.
Engaging in leadership roles within the school community, particularly through the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) and Partners, has allowed me to translate theory into practice. This Partners network has been invaluable for exchanging ideas, sharing resources, and providing mutual support. Being involved with the ILT team and other leadership activities has allowed me to connect various moving pieces within the school. Being part of this dynamic network has been incredibly inspiring.”
Tara Brown praised how the network pushed her to grow in ways she could not have managed on her own.
“Being a part of the network has been an honor. Over the past 9 years as a counselor and being a part of the Bernal Leadership Team allowed me to grow in multiple areas. Being a part of the network has increased my skills in facilitating change in our support staff and front office staff.”
Photo of people sitting at a long conference room table and smiling at each other while wearing gray t-shirts with the words ROCA Results-Oriented Change Agents across them.
We have been so grateful to work alongside such thoughtful and driven results-oriented change agents in the East Side over these past four years. Congratulations on an amazing journey!
Read more about the East Side Alliance’s work in their case study “How a Network of San Jose Schools Leveraged Student Voices for Transformative Change” here.
