Community Learning Exchange

As part of this year’s theme, “Reconnecting with the Past to Reimagine our Future”, Edcouch-Elsa district and school leaders came together with EEISD alumni Drs. Miguel Guajardo and Frank Guajardo to bring the 2022-2023 theme to life, build community and create a vision for our learners.

We were reminded that people are the greatest assets in communities.

The Guajardo brothers believe the best theories are theories in practice. District leader Dr. Miguel Guahjardo designed a weekend of reflection and learning centered around imagining the vision for our school district. Participants shared stories grounded in practice with the understanding that place and space matter. We were reminded that people are the greatest assets in communities. The learning process, known across the world as the Community Learning Exchange (CLE), allowed members of the Edcouch-Elsa school community, many of whom are graduates and residents of EEISD, sharing their wisdom and individual experiences, to help paint a picture of where we have been and where we are going.

The “Pláticas” created the weekend’s foundation for this leadership team. Pláticas are phenomena our parents, grandparents, and ancestors practiced very effectively. Based on practicing listening, sharing, and learning, it is a necessary skill and tool to use when positioning the concept of cultural competence at the core of this work. The CLE convened at the Museum of South Texas History to encourage leaders to not only reflect on their own past but also to listen to other people’s experiences. District staff imagined how we create the idea of living knowledge in our schools every day, effectively allowing our learning institutions to become local museums of the past that will help us in the future.