As we are navigating this situation and ALL of the new ways of working, connecting, family-ing, etc. we don’t always have space or time to listen to stories from others who are also navigating. We are starting a series through our “Connect, Design, Learn” blog to amplify stories from our Austin ISD community as a way to celebrate each other, stay connected, and learn “at-home” together!
Each week we will collect stories from all across our beautiful and interconnected district. We will hear from AISD teachers and staff as well as students and families and community members too!
We have created THIS FORM to help collect and organize your stories! We may not be able to share them all but we can try!
In the last 2 weeks alone, there are HUNDREDS of stories we could share of families adapting to being home together, teachers finding tools to help them connect to their students, administrators creating new systems for meeting and planning with staff, district leaders and teams working diligently to connect all the dots and provide support where it is needed!

Check out this fantastic tweet from Walnut Creek Elementary, featuring PreK student, Nathan, as he explains the symptoms of coronavirus as well as some preventative measures we can take to stay healthy! See the full videos below.

Another incredible story to share is that we had over 800 educators, administrators, and district leaders “gather” (virtually) for a virtual conference focused on supporting students and families in this new virtual context! Content from the conference is still available to AISD teachers HERE.
Dr. Cruz and district leadership worked immediately and tirelessly to ensure that families continue to have access to critical district nutrition resources, AISD hourly staff continue to earn wages(Press Conference), and students have access to technology tools that will support their continued connection to their learning communities as well as instructional content!
AISD.TV also shared this “Social Media Roundup”
These are just a few of the incredibly inspiring stories we have witnessed since the initial closing of schools on March, 13th, 2020.
Do you have a story to share? Do you know of someone or something that we can amplify and celebrate? Please click the form and tell us about it!
Thank you!
The Austin ISD Technology Design Team