In education, we often talk about listening to our students, our communities, and our staff. Sometimes, the clearest signals don’t come from top-down directives, but from what teachers need.
That was the case in Corpus Christi Independent School District, where thousands of teachers continued using a communication platform even after we transitioned to our district learning management system’s communication tool.
When I stepped into my current role, I saw that this tool wasn’t just lingering—it was thriving, especially in K–5 classrooms. It had been organically adopted and was clearly gaining traction. That prompted a closer look at whether we should formally support, secure, and more intentionally integrate it into our district’s technology ecosystem.
A Conversation That Sparked a Shift
At the time, I was managing several major initiatives and had to evaluate every new option through the lens of feasibility, impact, and budget. During a quick lunch at the TCEA conference, I learned just how many of our teachers were still actively using the platform. That conversation sparked a closer look at what was working, what teachers needed, and whether this tool could support our long-term goals.
What I discovered surprised me. This wasn’t just about communication—teachers were using it to manage classrooms, recognize positive behavior, and build classroom culture, all in ways families could see and contribute to in real time.
Evaluating Through a District Lens
With 56 campuses, more than 4,000 teachers, and over 35,000 students, our district needs solutions that are thoughtful, scalable, and a good return on investment. Especially in a year marked by statewide budget pressure, any new adoption had to clear a high bar. In this case, the pricing model immediately removed one of the biggest hurdles: the platform came at no cost to the district. Still, we evaluated it as we would any enterprise tool, accounting for training, rollout, ongoing support, ticket volume, and maintenance. The difference? Adoption was seamless. The support was strong. And the long-term operational cost was effectively zero.
Of course, cost wasn’t our only concern. Our district takes cybersecurity and data privacy seriously; we’re one of a small number nationally recognized for our standards. In fact, several years ago, we couldn’t even sign a data addendum with this vendor. This time, we ran the platform through our full vetting process, including checks on data residency, FERPA compliance, third-party risk, and incident response planning. The vendor had met all the certifications and endorsements we require to integrate safely into our learning ecosystem, with the confidence and clarity our standards demand.
Amplifying What Was Already Working
The most compelling reason to adopt the tool was already in front of us: strong teacher usage and positive feedback from families. Without formal support or training, teachers had kept it going. Now we had an opportunity to give that grassroots success a foundation through training, clear guidelines, and shared expectations.
We’re currently rolling out the tool across all K–5 campuses, with plans to explore secondary implementation next year. Principals are supportive, many even applauded when we announced the plan, because they’d seen firsthand how it led to more positive school climates and strong family engagement.
To guide the rollout, we created grade-band expectations. In pre-K, we ask teachers to share daily photos and updates to help families feel connected and reinforce learning at home. In K–5, teachers share updates, student celebrations, and classroom highlights that help tell the story of what’s happening at school.
Building Stronger Family Partnerships
This initiative isn’t about compliance—it’s about connection. We want families to feel like part of the school community. That includes consistent communication, tools that work in any language, and ways for school leaders to shape a positive culture across classrooms.
While formal implementation is still underway, our long-term goal is to make family engagement seamless across grade levels. We’re already exploring tools that can support that, like an AI-powered messaging assistant to help teachers send timely, personalized updates.
What Mattered Most
If I had to sum up what we were looking for in a tool, it would be this: something that helps us build stronger connections. In a district as large and diverse as ours, that’s no small task. But by listening to teachers and taking a closer look at what was already working, we’ve been able to turn a grassroots effort into a districtwide strategy built on partnership, not prescription.
The platform we adopted was ClassDojo for Districts, but the bigger takeaway is how we used teacher-driven insights to make a system-level technology decision. When grassroots usage aligns with strategic outcomes and meets our bar for scalability, security, and support, it’s worth leaning in.