How we helped a community-oriented public library set priorities for the future.
The Vancouver School District (VSB) engaged Spur to create a practical, district-wide communication and engagement framework that would help staff across all schools communicate more clearly and equitably with students and families. Between teachers, school offices, PACs, district departments, and outside agencies, families often receive information from many different sources. The new framework would provide practical tools and clear guidance to help VSB schools navigate this complexity and centre families’ needs.
There were several challenges for us to overcome:
The funding for the project was released right as the school year was drawing to a close, creating a crunch on the amount of time we had to develop and mobilize a rapid engagement strategy that could reach students and families before school ended. We jumped right in and worked as fast as possible, without skipping critical steps that would build trust in the process, like pre-engagement with key vocal representatives.
This project spanned both communication and engagement activities, which are often related and connected, but distinct. Communication referred to information shared by the District to families, like news and updates, while engagement provided more formal invitations to provide feedback on policy changes or programs. We had to both educate participants on the difference at every stage, and ensure we asked questions and facilitated activities that allowed families to provide feedback on both kinds of interactions with the District.
The District cares deeply about reaching families who may not speak English as a second language – or at all. But the timeframe and budget for the project made full translation of all engagement activities impossible. We partnered with VSB’s accessibility and inclusion team to create a survey landing page that was translated into 14 different languages, wherein respondents could indicate they would fully participate in VSB engagements if they were offered in their language. This allowed us to gather invaluable data even from families who could not participate in the English-only activities.
Families often receive messages from multiple sources—including teachers, school offices, the district, and parent advisory committees (PACs)—without clear consistency in tone, timing, or purpose. This created confusion and made it difficult for caregivers to know what required action. It also meant this project had to continually clarify the differences between content from the District vs. other sources, to focus the conversations and generate the most relevant data.
Spur designed a thoughtful and inclusive engagement process to inform the development of the framework. This included: A pre-engagement meeting with members of the District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) and PACs from multiple schools; a district-wide survey open to students, families, and other interest holders, which received over 5,500 responses; and an in-depth journey-mapping workshop with families representing a wide range of lived experiences and access needs. These activities helped ground the framework in the real, everyday experiences of VSB families and provided rich insights into what works, what doesn’t, and what’s missing.
The final deliverable was a comprehensive, user-friendly framework with clear sections designed to support school and district staff in daily communication and engagement work. The document included:
Four detailed audience personas representing the diversity of families in the district, with specific guidance on how to communicate effectively with each
A communication format matrix showing when to use different tools (e.g., email, newsletters, in-person meetings) based on the type and urgency of information
Resourcing recommendations that helped staff determine when to use internal capacity versus when to seek outside support for communication and engagement
Emergent practices and pilot opportunities, including the creation of family engagement panels across different grade levels and learning contexts to provide regular input to the district.
The framework was deeply informed by data and co-designed with the people it aimed to support. Throughout, it emphasized equitable access to information, respect for families’ time and capacity, and the importance of two-way communication—not just sending messages, but building trust and connection.
We were proud to hit the following key performance indicators:
The VSB team was thrilled to receive such a comprehensive, data-informed manual—delivered quickly and tailored to their context. The framework has already helped central office teams and school-based staff rethink their approach to family engagement and identify opportunities for better alignment and accessibility.
