Building Tomorrow's Classrooms, Today
How Val Verde Unified Became a Solutions-Driven District Through AI and Systems Innovation
Presented by
Doug Henderson
CTE/STEAM Director
Kevin Bice
TOSA Systems Innovation
Dr. Tara Nattrass
Lenovo
Val Verde Unified School District
Mission
Use AI to prioritize human connection, wellbeing, and sustainable impact. Through empathy-driven design, we build inclusive systems that reduce noise, amplify creativity, and reimagine schools as places where innovation supports people, not overwhelms them.
The Problem We All Face
Teachers Overwhelmed
Hours lost daily to non-teaching tasks
Students Disconnected
Less human connection and attention
Staff Exhausted
Manual systems create burnout
The Paradox
Technology was supposed to help, but it often makes us feel less human.
Our Philosophy: The Ei³ Framework
Every solution begins with understanding pain points and human needs
Empathize
Start by listening. Understand the real challenges people face so we build solutions that truly matter.
Ideate
Collaborate with the people closest to the challenge to imagine solutions that serve, not replace, the human experience.
Iterate
Refine ideas through feedback and testing, staying flexible so solutions truly support the people they're built for.
Implement
Deploy with purpose, ensuring every system reduces noise, amplifies creativity, and gives time back to what matters most.
Three Pillars for AI Integration
Literacy
Understand how AI works and how to use it thoughtfully, so we can create, communicate, and collaborate with confidence.
Capacity
Build skills to solve real problems with AI, transforming pain points into opportunities for innovation.
Agency
Develop confidence to navigate change and shape your role, becoming architects of solutions rather than recipients of policy.
How It All Started: Counseling Queue
The problem that sparked everything
The Pain Point
Students were waiting in the counseling office, sometimes for extended periods, without being seen. Counselors had no way to track who was waiting, how long they'd been there, or prioritize urgent needs.
The Question
What if we could give counselors real-time visibility and students a better experience?
View Demo →
The Ecosystem of Solutions
How one system led to another — organic growth through need
Student Services
• Counseling Queue Management
• Tardy Processing (1-2 hours/day saved)
• ADA/AR Recovery (>$500K in banked ADA hours in 2 months since launch)
Engagement & Connection
• Staff Check-Ins across the district
• Family Engagement Check-Ins
Administrative Support
• Walkthrough Tool (1,600+ completed, 100% adoption)
• Community Schools Grant Automation
Professional Development
Complete reimagining of PD itself through collaborative design
Deep Dive: Walkthrough Tool
The Problem
How do we track walkthroughs effectively across the district?
• Paper-based notes get lost or forgotten
• Administrators spend hours writing follow-up emails
• No systematic way to give teachers feedback
• District leadership has no visibility into classrooms
• Traditional systems feel like surveillance, not support
Deep Dive: Walkthrough Tool
The Solution
Mobile Walkthrough App
Three key features:
1. Speed — Record observations in real-time on phone during walkthrough
2. AI Email Drafting — System generates warm, personalized email to teacher automatically
3. Backend Dashboard — District tracks all walkthroughs, RIGOR metrics, trends without burdening admin
View Application →
The Magic Moment
Administrator finishes walkthrough → AI drafts professional, encouraging email → Admin reviews/sends → Done in 2 minutes → Teacher receives meaningful feedback → District gets data
Walkthrough Tool: By The Numbers
Total Walkthroughs
Unique Teachers
Administrator Adoption
Clarity and Insights
• Time saved on documentation and follow-up
• Teachers receive timely, warm feedback that feels human
• District gains data-driven instructional insights across all sites
• RIGOR framework tracking reveals patterns and growth areas
Deep Dive: Innovative PD Methods
The Problem
Traditional Professional Development Falls Short
• Top-down PD that doesn't stick
• No voice for educators in tool selection
• Generic workshops, not tailored to needs
• No data on what actually works
• Teachers feel like policy recipients, not architects
Innovative PD: Transformative Results
The Solution: Reimagining professional development through collaborative design
Experience-First Approach
• 5 custom web applications for collaborative PD design
• Committee simulation for app review process
• Framework Builder for democratic criteria generation
• Educators co-design every aspect
The Model That Worked
What made this professional development revolutionary
Hands-On Engagement
78% rated hands-on tool exploration as most valuable, with custom AI app building close behind at 67%
Skill Development
Participants achieved 4.1/5 average comfort level across AI competencies in a single session
Clear Priorities
Data privacy emerged as paramount concern (71% of criteria)—demonstrating sophisticated understanding
Sustainable Momentum
72% prioritize classroom integration strategies—ready to implement immediately, not just explore
The Shift
Staff moved from "Can you train us?" to "How can we build this together?" — requesting ongoing support structures like office hours, micro-sessions, and peer mentoring rather than traditional workshops.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Quantifiable Impact Across Val Verde
Walkthroughs documented with AI assistance
ADA recovery through automated systems (2 months)
Saved daily via tardy automation
Administrator adoption of walkthrough tool
Policy criteria generated collaboratively
Unique teachers included in walkthrough data
But the real impact?
Time returned to staff and students for human connection
The Cultural Transformation
From "Can you fix this?" to "What else can we solve together?"
Before
• Staff felt helpless with broken systems
• Waited for solutions from IT
• Problems felt insurmountable
• Innovation happened in silos
After
• Staff actively voice pain points
• Pain points become opportunities
• Systems give time back
• Collaboration drives change
The Key Principle
You can't build effective solutions without the people who will use them. Co-design ensures adoption and actual impact.
On-Premises AI: PSI Assessment System
Transforming phonics screening with privacy-first AI
The Application
A comprehensive digital assessment platform for the Phonics Screener for Intervention (PSI) that transforms paper-based testing into an interactive, AI-powered solution—all running on district infrastructure.
View Demo →
Teacher Interface
Digital scoring dashboard with audio recording integration and real-time progress tracking
Student Experience
Child-friendly design with progressive disclosure and adaptive routing
View Demo →
District Dashboard
Real-time analytics, intervention planning, and performance visualizations
The AI Layer: Privacy-First Intelligence
All AI processing happens on district servers—student data never leaves
Speech Recognition
Local models analyze pronunciation, verify phonemic accuracy, and provide automatic scoring with teacher override
Intelligent Routing
ML models determine adaptive starting points, smart stopping rules, and gap identification—all processed locally
Predictive Analytics
Early warning system and growth trajectory modeling
Automated Grouping
Intelligent intervention groups and lesson suggestions
Quality Assurance
Complete audit trail with human-in-the-loop verification
Maximum Data Privacy: FERPA/COPPA compliant, no third-party data processors, district maintains complete control
Workflow Automation: n8n + On-Premises AI
Connecting systems while maintaining data sovereignty
Self-Hosted n8n
Open-source workflow automation running on district infrastructure. Acts as the "nervous system" connecting all our custom applications.
Learn More →
Walkthrough Emails
Admin submits form → n8n triggers local AI → Email drafted → Sent to teacher
Data Pipelines
Queue check-in → n8n validates → Database updated → Dashboard refreshes
Report Generation
Schedule triggers → AI analyzes data → Reports generated → Delivered to stakeholders
Why This Matters
We automated complex workflows without sacrificing data privacy. Every integration point remains under district control, enabling rapid iteration while maintaining compliance.
Building Tomorrow's Classrooms, Today
It starts with a question:
What if AI could make us feel more human, not less?
It continues with action:
Empathize with pain points, ideate solutions, iterate relentlessly, implement with purpose
It results in transformation:
A district where innovation supports people, not overwhelms them