Eugene 4J School District 4J Vision 20/20 Strategic Plan

Creating surveys for 4 distinct stakeholder groups to achieve multiple goals.

Eugene School District 4J began the 4J Vision 20/20 Strategic Planning process in 2016, with specific goals:

Educational excellence with equitable access and outcomes for every student
Multiple pathways for student success
Communication and connection with the community
Diverse, world-class workforce
Stable, sustainable stewardship

Part of the strategic plan was to begin work in North Eugene, the district’s region most in need of strategic visioning.

The Challenge

In order to achieve these diverse goals, their strategic planning required data from four populations: students, parents, community members, and staff members. The goal was to obtain specific data on what stakeholders felt was important and what their priorities were, as well as to gather qualitative data that would allow them to explore ideas and identify solutions during the strategic planning process.

86.4% of North Eugene High School students graduated on time in 2019, an increase of 5 percentage points over the previous year and an exceptional 15.6% over two years.

The Solution

We created the North Eugene Visioning Survey which included a component for each population: a middle/high school student survey, a teacher survey, a parent survey, and a community survey. Because much was riding on the results (i.e. major strategic planning, including the building of a regional high school), the produced reports featured ANOVA significance testing that allowed the district to clearly identify priorities of each stakeholder group. We were able to survey 219 staff members; 1,120 parents; 1,085 students; and 587 community members.

The Result

In 2018, North Eugene High School had the fourth largest improvement in graduation rate in the entire State of Oregon. At North Eugene HS, 86.4% of students graduated on time in 2019, an increase of 5 percentage points over the previous year and an exceptional 15.6% over two years.

Eugene 4J has publicly noted that family and community engagement stemming from Visioning Project results and strategic planning played a significant role in the region’s success.

The district approved a bond measure in 2018 to build the HS. Construction began in 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in 2023. The building was designed with visioning data and strategic planning findings in mind—a great example of how solid data can help drive decision making on all fronts. Understanding student, staff, and community needs is allowing the district to make the most of the bond measure funds by building a school that will help the region to achieve its vision.