San Diego Unified School District

Area 7 Cluster Model – Mission Bay Cluster

The San Diego Unified School District is committed to a community-based school reform model
to elevate all schools within the district to higher levels of student achievement. This model
empowers faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents, guardians, and concerned citizens
within a cluster community to improve student achievement.

Developing clusters is part of the restructuring approved by board action on April 20, 2010. This
model charges leaders with building clusters and communities in decisions and discussion about
how best to serve the needs of the respective cluster to better address the needs of students and to
capitalize on the synergy of a fully articulated school system. It provides a structure that better
positions our school district to monitor students Pre-K through graduation, as well as build
strong relationships and a sense of joint ownership.

DEFINING a cluster: A cluster can be defined as a Pre K- 12 community of schools with

established feeder patterns. Within these communities of schools, there are specific needs and
interests that are both common and unique to the cluster.

ESTABLISHING a cluster: A cluster is best developed and operated through the commitment,
expertise, creativity, and synergy of its members. Paramount to establishing a cluster is
empowering students, parents/guardians, faculty, staff, administrators, community/business
members to act to foster organizational capacity and positive change.

WORKING as a cluster: Effective clusters will be focused on positive changes that impact
student learning and achievement by:
• Improving instruction so all students achieve at high levels
• Implementing curriculum
• Supporting continuity and impact
• Increasing student attendance
• Engaging families
• Supporting vertical teaming Pre K- 12
• Articulating curricula, processes, and protocol among elementary, middle, and high
schools
• Developing leadership capacity, empowerment, and sustainability
• Improving facilities
• Leveraging resources
• Interfacing on policies that affect cluster schools
• Addressing safety and security issues

Suggestions, initiatives, requests, changes, and issues identified from cluster meetings need to be
brought to the Area Superintendent for consideration. If the Area Superintendent is in
agreement, he or she and the cluster administrator leaders should present to the Deputy

Revised January 20, 2011

Superintendent for Academics and/or Business prior to any decision being made. Consideration
at cabinet will be determined by Deputy Superintendents.

The Deputy Superintendents and/or cabinet and the board should provide feedback and be
responsive to the cluster prior to any decision. If the cluster is to have any autonomy as a cluster,
board and or superintendent should—within fiscal and state mandated legal requirements—allow
the cluster authority in making decisions that positively affect them.

MEETING as a cluster: A suggested structure could be to identify cluster leaders who will lead
the work through frequent cluster meetings. When appointing members, every school in the
cluster should be represented by a member.
One possible structure could be:

• Two administrator leaders

• Five site administrators from each cluster
• Five teachers or other certificated staff from each cluster
• Five parents/guardians or community members from each cluster
• Two support staff from each cluster (one secondary and one elementary)

ESTABLISHING the agenda: Members of the cluster may use a variety of methods to
determine critical areas that need to be addressed for their cluster. Gathering issues may be
accomplished through surveys, meetings, interviews, and data collection and analysis.
Establishing a priority order for items should be done before beginning on any one issue.
Creating either an action plan or a strategic plan should be done early on in the process.

SUPPORTING a cluster: Area Superintendents support the work of the cluster by empowering
the cluster to set the vision, create enhanced learning opportunities for students, and implement
new programs, procedures, and the like.

Revised January 20, 2011