|
Sanger Unified School District (USD) serves approximately 12,000 students in California’s Central Valley. Seventy-three percent are from low-income families, 70% are Latino/a, and 18% are English learners. By developing a culture of continuous improvement and an instructional regime of direct instruction, Sanger USD has become one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
|
Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) educates approximately 72,200 students, 90% of whom are students of color, while 65% are from economically disadvantaged families and 15% are English learners. LBUSD employs critical practices and policies to promote learning, making it one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
Taylor AllbrightJulie A. MarshEupha Jeanne DaramolaKate E. Kennedy
|
Hawthorne School District (HSD) is a small district serving a working-class suburb of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Eighty-seven percent of students are from low-income families, 71% are Latino/a, and 21% are African American. HSD employs critical practices and policies to promote learning, making it one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
|
Gridley Unified School District serves more than 2,000 students in a small rural town in California. The median annual household income in Gridley is just over 60% of the state average. Located in a close-knit community, Gridley Unified has created a culture of support to promote student learning, making it one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
|
Clovis Unified School District (USD) serves about 43,000 California students, with sizeable groups of Latino/a and Hmong students and 40% of all students being eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Clovis USD’s unique culture and its specific approaches to supporting student learning have made it one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
|
Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) is California’s largest elementary school system with over 30,000 students, 90% of whom are students of color and over one third of whom are English learners. CVESD has made significant investments in capacity building and focused on continuous improvement, making it one of California’s “positive outlier” districts in which students performed better than predicted on California state tests from 2015 through 2017.
|
Well-implemented programs designed to foster social and emotional learning (SEL) are associated with positive outcomes, ranging from better test scores and higher graduation rates to improved social behavior. This LPI study examines San Jose State University's successful teacher preparation program and Lakewood Elementary School's in-service program that incorporate SEL instruction in an effort to inform policymakers, practitioners, and teacher educators about the components of strong, SEL-focused teacher preparation and development systems.
Anne PodolskyLinda Darling-HammondChristopher Dosssean reardon
|
LPI studied 156 California school districts of significant size in which students of color, as well as White students, consistently achieve at higher levels than students from similar racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. What are these "positive outliers" doing to raise achievement and support students of all backgrounds?
|
In 2018, the Trump administration rescinded voluntary federal guidance intended to help states end exclusionary and discriminatory school discipline practices. Many states had implemented policies based on evidence-based approaches outlined in the guidance and have seen lower rates of suspensions and expulsions among all students, including students of color, and other benefits. Loss of that guidance removes an important set of resources available to states and districts to end harmful practices.
|
Money matters when it comes to improving our nation’s schools, but how that money is spent is critical. This report reviews and analyzes efforts by four states to undertake progressive school funding strategies in order to substantially improve learning opportunities for all students and provides recommendations for federal and state policies to address funding inequalities that contribute to the cycle of poverty.
