Union School District: Building Belonging Through Language Access

Located in San Jose, California, Union School District sits at the heart of Silicon Valley, a region long shaped by immigration and global movement and one that continues to grow more diverse each year. In Santa Clara County, immigrants make up about 40% of the population, and across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, about 53% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Those figures far exceed national averages and reflect a community where multilingualism is woven into everyday life.

As conversations about immigration continue across the country, Silicon Valley stands out as a place where newcomers arrive not only for opportunity, but to build lasting roots. That reality is visible inside local schools, where languages, cultures and lived experiences from around the world converge each day.

The Union School District serves about 5,300 students and about 600 employees, mirroring the broader region it calls home. Families arrive from many parts of the world, bringing with them a wide range of languages and cultural backgrounds. Communication across languages is part of daily life across classrooms, front offices and school sites.

For district leaders, those everyday interactions often determine whether a student feels welcomed and supported as they adjust to a new environment or is left to navigate it alone.

Making Inclusion Possible From Day One

Some students arrive midyear with limited English and must quickly find their way through new classrooms, routines and social dynamics. Without a shared language, even simple moments like asking for help or connecting with peers can feel isolating.

Experts in the district said those early experiences shape how students see themselves in a new school. “As educators, we want our students to feel confident and part of our community as soon as they enter our schools,” staff shared. “We want them to feel safe and able to connect with their teachers and peers. Pocketalk allows us to connect immediately by helping remove language barriers students may face.”

That reality pushed district leaders to look for tools that could help students engage more fully from day one, not weeks or months later.

Belonging Comes Before Instruction

To meet those needs at scale, the district purchased 142 Pocketalk devices for students and staff, building on an initial pilot that demonstrated how quickly students could begin participating and connecting.

District staff have seen how language access can change a student’s earliest experiences in school. In one case, teachers supported a student who arrived speaking Hebrew and no English. Using Pocketalk, he was able to communicate with classmates, teachers and staff, and use the device’s camera to take pictures of his work so he could continue learning alongside his peers. Over time, educators noticed that he relied on the device less as his confidence grew.

That progression reflects a broader belief held across the district. Students want to feel like their peers, not singled out or dependent on extra support. Language access tools can help remove barriers early, creating space for students to engage socially and emotionally while they begin developing English skills.

What stood out was not that the technology disappeared, but that it helped create the conditions for students to ask questions, take risks and participate more fully.

For Union School District, that sense of belonging comes first. Academic growth follows more naturally once students feel seen, supported and able to take part in daily school life.

Language Access Beyond the Classroom

Pocketalk supports belonging in moments that often go unnoticed. Staff use the devices not only in classrooms and offices, but also in places like the lunch line, where quick exchanges matter, leading to 48,245 conversations translated. For students still learning English, being able to ask a question, understand a response or take part in a brief interaction can make school feel less intimidating and more welcoming.

Jenny Torres, a solution support specialist for the district, oversees device distribution and support. She said the portability of the devices matters, especially for students who may already feel self-conscious. “It’s a smaller device, so it’s not as apparent,” Torres said. “Students don’t want to stand out. This makes it easier for them to use it without feeling different.”

That focus on design was intentional. The district chose Pocketalk over tablets after testing accuracy and usability, finding the translations more reliable and the single-purpose device less distracting and more cost-effective for students throughout the day.

Rethinking Translation Resources

While the district continues to maintain a phone-based translation service, staff increasingly rely on Pocketalk for everyday communication. In practice, the devices now support most routine interactions, prompting district leaders to reconsider the role of third-party translation lines in daily school life.

Staff like Heather Scharer, Director of Educational Services, have found that removing an outside interpreter from the exchange makes conversations feel more direct and private. Interactions move faster, and educators can see translations in real time, rather than waiting through pauses or relying on a third party to relay meaning. That immediacy helps conversations feel more natural and keeps communication centered between staff, students and families.

A Bridge, Not a Crutch

Union School District is intentional about how Pocketalk is used. Devices are prioritized for students with the greatest needs, including those identified through language proficiency testing as having limited or no English. District leaders view the technology as a bridge, supporting students as they build confidence and connections during their earliest days at school.

The goal is not to replace English language instruction or slow language development. Instead, Pocketalk helps remove the immediate communication barrier that can leave students isolated or hesitant to participate. Once that barrier is lowered, learning and confidence can grow together, allowing students to engage more fully with their peers and school community.