60 Day Report

     Dr. Alexandra Estrella continued implementing her Entry Plan, deepening her understanding of students, schools, and the systems that support them. Building on the relationships and insights developed during her first 30 days, this phase of her transition provided opportunities to engage more directly with students, families, staff, and community members while spending meaningful time in schools across the district.

     This period marked the launch of the Superintendent's Transition Team and the first phase of the Listening and Learning Tour, expanding opportunities for stakeholders to share their perspectives on the strengths, challenges, and aspirations that define Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). Through these conversations, stakeholders consistently expressed pride in the district and a strong belief in its potential. They also raised important questions about how learning opportunities are experienced across the system. While participants consistently highlighted the breadth of opportunities available to students, many wondered whether all students have equal awareness of, access to, and support in taking advantage of those opportunities.

     Student voice provided particularly valuable insight. Conversations with students underscored the importance of belonging and the critical role relationships play in their educational experience. Across schools and grade levels, students spoke about the lasting impact of trusted adults and the ways those relationships influence engagement, motivation, and success. Many also described how teachers, counselors, coaches, and other caring adults help students discover and access opportunities, highlighting the important connection between relationships and equitable access.

     Feedback gathered through the Entry Plan reinforced the importance of leveraging the district's strengths while continuing to build the coherent systems that drive excellence at every level of the organization. The Listening and Learning Tour will continue throughout the next reporting period. The insights gathered will inform the Transition Team's short- and long-term recommendations and help shape the development of the district's next Strategic Plan.

Executive Summary

On August 11, 2026, the Superintendent’s Transition Team held its kickoff meeting, convening over 195 parents, students, educators, staff, national experts, and community members across five subcommittees to begin developing recommendations for Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella’s transition plan. The Team is co-chaired by Stan Hall, President & CEO of Explore Gwinnett and Gas South District, and Belisa Urbina, CEO and co-founder of Ser Familia.

The five subcommittees — Culture & Climate; Operations, Facilities & Finance; Academics; Human Resources & Talent; and Community Engagement — reviewed district data, shared key noticings and wonderings, explored emerging questions, and identified initial focus areas for further consideration. In parallel, three student focus groups gathered input from 25 students across 24 schools. This report presents a summary of subcommittee findings, cross-cutting themes, and outstanding data needs. It also outlines the community engagement strategies and tools designed to broaden stakeholder participation in advance of the Transition Team’s meetings on September 22 and November 12, 2026. The report concludes with recommended actions and next steps to guide the work ahead.

As part of her Entry Plan, Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella launched a districtwide Listening and Learning Tour to gather perspectives from students, staff, families, and community members across Gwinnett County Public Schools. The Listening & Learning Tour includes in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and surveys. The feedback collected through these sessions will be shared with the Superintendent’s Transition Team and used to inform both short- and long-term recommendations, as well as the development of the district’s next Strategic Plan. In addition, the key-takeaways and themes will be shared with the GCPS community. Visit the Listening & Learning page to view live survey updates.

Session Overview:

Each Listening and Learning session is structured as a one-hour collaborative conversation.

Sessions begin with opening remarks from Dr. Estrella before participants engage in facilitated table discussions. Participants work together in small groups to identify and prioritize GCPS' greatest strengths and opportunities. They then share their top three GCPS strengths and opportunities for growth with the larger group, allowing common themes and unique insights to emerge across table groups.

Student Voice at the Center

Student voice is a central component of the Superintendent's Entry Plan. For the first time, students from across the district are coming together to engage in structured conversations about the future of GCPS. Students representing every GCPS high school, along with Gwinnett Online Campus, the International Transition Center, GIVE Center East, GIVE Center West, Buice Center, and Oakland Meadow School, are participating in collaborative discussions focused on the district's strengths and opportunities for growth.

In addition, all students in grades 4-12 will have an opportunity to share their perspectives through the ESS survey.

Continuing the Conversation

The Listening and Learning Tour is one of many opportunities for stakeholders to contribute their perspectives. Throughout the Superintendent’s Entry Plan process, we are committed to creating many meaningful opportunities for stakeholders to engage.

Additional feedback opportunities include:

• Student voice survey for students in grades 4-12 during the ESS window
• Ongoing engagement and feedback opportunities with principals, assistant principals, and district leaders throughout LDI and LDII meetings
• Regular updates and conversations with cluster superintendents
• Continued stakeholder surveys and engagement opportunities

If you have not yet participated, we encourage you to attend a Listening and Learning session and share your perspective.