A team from Culver City High School has been recruited to present at an upcoming conference addressing “Closing the Achievement Gap for African American Students: Best Practices for Student Success” sponsored by the Association of California School Administrators/Total Solutions, Inc. in Berkeley on March 2.
This conference will be the third in the “closing the achievement gap” series designed to help school districts and school sites provide effective instruction for all students with a focus on students with disabilities, Latino students and English learners, and African American students. CCHS was selected to present because of the gains students have demonstrated in achieving academic goals. The CCHS team will present specific strategies that the school has implemented to support students in accomplishing such impressive results.
Dr. Pam Magee, Principal; Dylan Farris, Assistant Principal; Lisa Cooper, Counselor; and Dr. Carlos Valverde, Teacher, will discuss how changes to the CCHS master schedule allow for collaboration time among teachers and result in deeper changes throughout the school, such as discussing student performance data and adjusting instruction to target student needs. They will explain how they committed to create a college- and career-ready school where most, but not all, of their classes meet University of California A to G requirements. They monitor African American, Latino, English learner and students with disabilities participation in rigorous courses and provide additional support systems for students, such as Read 180 and AVID. They emphasize the importance of adult interaction with individual students and create opportunities for counselors and other adults to establish relationships and provide that extra support. They make a concerted effort to learn about and address the hidden biases that educators may harbor about students from diverse ethnic backgrounds. In addition, they have initiated a series of courageous conversations about race among educators and including students that have led to shared insights and a positive and affirming school culture.
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