As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes in California, education leaders are taking stock of student needs as they plan for the return of all students to in-person instruction. Both the pandemic and the broad outcry for the end of racial injustice have made clear that our systems have disregarded the needs of students of color, students from low-income families, English learners, youth in foster care, students experiencing housing insecurity, students with disabilities, and other marginalized children and youth for much too long.
At this inflection point, we have a unique opportunity for transformation. It’s clear to all stakeholders that students cannot return to schools with a “business as usual” approach. We also have a once-in-a-lifetime infusion of state and federal resources for education. We are urging education leaders at all levels to use this opportunity to reimagine and rebuild our schools in ways that truly put the most marginalized students at the center of how schools operate. Education leaders can do this by using a period of approximately six weeks before instruction begins to offer school communities a restorative restart. During this period leaders can establish practices to transform schools that can continue for the long term. These practices include:
CENTERING RELATIONSHIPS
Prioritize building and nurturing relationships of mutual support and high expectations among students, families, and educators.
STRENGTHENING STAFFING & PARTNERSHIPS
Invest in staff and deepen community-based partnerships—including during summer and out-of-school time—to address students’ individualized learning and mental health needs.
MAKING TEACHING & LEARNING RELEVANT & RIGOROUS
Support educators to prioritize equity; racial, cultural, and linguistic relevance; rigor; and the most essential standards in curriculum and instruction.
EMPOWERING TEAMS TO REIMAGINE & REBUILD SYSTEMS
Lay the groundwork for long-term systemic transformation via collaboration and co-creation among racially, linguistically, and culturally diverse students and families; educators; and community partners.
Reimagine and Rebuild California Schools
Voices from California Higher Education
The California legislature is sending public colleges and universities some of the greatest levels of one-time spending in recent history. Based on insights from college and university practitioners and students, our latest brief provides recommendations on how to use these new funding sources to better support low-income, first-generation students of color, with examples from the field.
