MULTIMEDIA OPPORTUNITY: Video of Kearny High School student talking to researchers may be aired https://youtu.be/ljGzQIai1G0
Once again, SD Unified Named one of California's Top Academic Districts
Researchers Highlight Academic Success of all Students, Including Historically Underserved
News Release
San Diego (Sept. 25, 2019) – For the second time this month, independent researchers have found the San Diego Unified School District is leading the state in academic gains. The UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools singled out San Diego Unified for effective use of state education spending to improve student results in a study released this week. Like the another recently released study, UCLA found the academic gains in San Diego Unified were broad and included many students from historically disadvantaged communities.
"Giving Learning and Graduation New Meaning: One Student at a Time" was released in San Diego at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. The report mirrored findings by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI), which was co-authored by the Chair of the State Board of Education. The reports show that San Diego Unified has succeeded in boosting outcomes for historically disadvantaged students while raising academic standards for all students.
"We knew from the start that raising academic standards would improve outcomes for all students, and that is what we have done," said Superintendent Cindy Marten. "Our students are proving every day that equity and academic growth are not competing goals. We know our work is not done, but we also know we are headed in the right direction."
The UCLA report cited ten reforms the district implemented that helped boost achievement for historically disadvantaged students. The changes also led to improved outcomes for the overall student population.
Lead researcher Joseph Bishop, director of the Center for the Transformation of Schools at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, said these "equity levers" were so effective that other California districts should consider replicating San Diego Unified's initiatives.
Among the key changes implemented by the district and cited in the report: The elimination of a tracking system that had long determined which students were headed to college, and which were not; the restructuring of the central office to better, and more directly, support schools; and an overhaul of high school course offerings, including the dramatic expansion of AP courses districtwide.
The study highlights how San Diego Unified's gains are particularly significant since San Diego Unified, like so many other districts, was still struggling to recover from the fiscal crisis when the LCFF went into effect. The district was well-positioned to implement LCFF because of "equity audits" and other work it had done leading up to the new funding formula.
"Without a clear focus and strong leadership, SDUSD's central office would be struggling to keep the district afloat after hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts," the report states. "But they're not. Instead, the district is embracing some of the hardest equity fights and working tirelessly to change SDUSD's culture. Supt. Marten and her team have used the bold intent of LCFF and Vision 2020 to begin an ambitious process of de-tracking students so more SDUSD youth are prepared for college and a quality job."
The report serves as a case study for other districts working to implement reforms that target underserved students.
Researchers highlight data that show an increase in students (notably African-American and LatinX) completing the A-G sequence of courses necessary to apply to UC or CSU campus; gains in the number of English learner students reclassified as English-fluent; and increased access and enrollment in AP courses.
In dozens of revealing interviews with researchers, San Diego Unified educators, students and community representatives brought the reforms to life.
The full report can be viewed here: http://transformschools.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/sdusd-case-study.pdf
The LPI study, Closing the Opportunity Gap: How Positive Outlier Districts in California Are Pursuing Equitable Access to Deeper Learning, also documents academic gains for historically disadvantaged children. San Diego Unified is highlighted in the report as a "Positive Outlier District" for gains made by African-American and LatinX students who have demonstrated achievements at higher-than-predicted levels when compared to other districts with similar demographics. The report also recognizes San Diego Unified's comprehensive professional development offerings made available to teachers throughout the district, which contributes long-term stability among teachers.
Board Vice President John Lee Evans said "it comes down to meaningful graduation and Vision 2020. Graduation must mean something more than a piece of paper and at SD Unified it does."
See Coverage (below links) of the studies in the San Diego Union-Tribune
UCLA Study:
LPI Study:
CONTACT: Maureen Magee, Communications Director, (619) 381-7930.
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