Equity-Focused High School Alumni Connections: A Design Guide for Alumni Surveys

Developed by Digital Promise in partnership with SAP and the Learner-Centered Collaborative, this design guide serves as a practical toolkit for K-12 school and district leaders seeking to launch equity-focused alumni surveys. The guide details a collaborative co-design approach piloted and refined with multiple school and district partners between 2021 and 2025. Utilizing this Alumni Survey model leverages the lived experiences of students, staff, families, and graduates shifting educational research from designing for communities to designing with them. Central to the resource is a comprehensive nine-step technical roadmap that navigates teams through the survey design and launch so that their efforts translate into genuine institutional change. Real-world impact stories from partner districts illustrate how they have used their alumni data to transform their programs, address educational equity, and improve student outcomes. This guide concludes with strategic recommendations for educational leaders and researchers interested in maximizing the value of alumni feedback.