In the middle of dark times, we still have great staff doing great work -- in fact innovative work. I was struck today with the innovation, as we were in the Instructional Sub-Committee of the Board and staff was explaining their investigation and visitation of charter/magnet schools. Without arguing the merits of any or all of these schools, we are gleaning strategies and ideas that help us improve and innovate in our schools.
There was also discussion of our digital textbook initiative that is changing the engagement and learning of students -- led by teachers in our high schools. These resources are deployed across classrooms in all of our high schools PLUS they are helping to reduce the digital divide between students. I don't know of any other school district with this kind of deployment across all of their schools.
Last, but by no means least, we are initiating a pilot AVID program that serves Middle School students that are English Language Learners (ELL). The point of the program is to move from a deficit model to one of asset, and believe that these ELL students can, should, and will matriculate to the university level, as first-generation graduates.
In addition, we are involved with the city of Riverside and RCC in the Communities Learning in Partnership (CLIP) grant that improves the rate of post-secondary completion. Recently, we were funded in a joint math / science project with UCR to improve math / science instruction in the middle grades (as is a focus in national data and statistics). Frankly, I know of no other school district that is in this kind of relentless search for best practice. We can only thank our staff for their efforts and expertise.
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