The System Portrait

We acknowledge inequities in our system that cause harm and address them by developing systemic processes, such as healing and restorative practices, to support 菠菜网lol正规平台 students, families and other community members.

In our pursuit of excellence for all, we bring in the voices of those most impacted, especially students, to inform our decisions. We allocate resources equitably, reflecting proportional disparity, and based on student needs. This may include, for example, the specific needs of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)

students, foster youth, unhoused youth, students who are emerging multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Using the idea of Targeted UniversalismTargeted Universalism means setting universal goals, such as “all students attain the Graduate Portrait”, and using targeted processes to achieve these goals. (See Othering and Belonging Institute, University of California at Berkeley, for more information). As we learn more about what works for different groups of students, for example, and build success, we can also apply those learnings across the district, and build our capacity to support success for all students.¹⁹, we center the experience of Black students with a dedicated staff and budget to support Black student academics and well-being.

All our schools, including educational and alternative programs, and early childhood centers, are equitably resourced. Every student, including any student with disabilities, is immersed in rich, culturally-responsive learning experiences and has access to the entire core curriculum, including electives and physical education (PE).

We provide ongoing equity training to students, staff, families and community members, supporting everyone to implement new methods and pedagogy. We focus on social justice in professional learning for all staff, and access to rigorous, culturally-sustaining curricula. We recruit, support and sustain a diverse staff that supports our student body with a culture of care.

We use liberatory mindsets Liberatory Mindsets, as defined by the National Equity Project, are intended to surface particular beliefs, values and stances that can then ground our work. They identify 12 mindsets, including: build relational trust, practice self-awareness, recognize oppression; embrace complexity; work to transform power; exercise creative courage. ²⁰ and practices to become a system of empowered change agents that intentionally dismantle structures of oppression, support equity and challenge racism.

Every student is supported to reach their full potential, confidently navigate the real world and prepare for college, career, and/or entrepreneurship in the local and global economy. Every student is equipped with forward-looking knowledge and skills that will grow with them and help them to thrive in the future.

We create a variety of flexible settings and schedules individualized to students’ needs (e.g., flexible learning environments, community-based, in-person, virtual, real-time, asynchronous) to help every student succeed and attain the Graduate Portrait. Authentic and personalized learning experiences are directed by student interest and needs, and involve inquiry and project-based learning connected to real-world problem solving. Flexible, growth-focused feedback systems are used to measure mastery.

We empower students to be proactive participants in support services, actively developed in partnership with students, families and team members.

We create a system that facilitates and implements strong and purposeful engagement with our community. We formalize an engagement framework with our community, including nonprofits, businesses and city partners, to create and maintain integrated systems that meet student and community needs.

We intentionally build connection and trust, creating a culture of welcome for our community. We advocate for, and cultivate, relationships and commitments of time, assets, products and services. We also work across grades, sites and departments, embracing collaboration and the collective genius within our system.

We facilitate creative, student-centered, real-world learning experiences in the community and the wider world. The “1 teacher in 1 classroom” model has been enhanced by collaboration with a variety of caring adults from inside and outside the school district to create “a village” to mentor and support students (including internships, externships and other career-supporting experiences).

We partner with parents to support student goals and learning. We communicate, seek feedback from, and collaborate with families, working together to resolve barriers to student success. We provide training and resources as needed to help families support their students. Schools are community hubs, accessible to students and the community outside of school hours.

We partner with community organizations and city departments to collaborate on citywide issues and opportunities that impact our students. We also partner with the City of Long Beach on initiatives that build on the synergy in both of our visions and strategic plans, to create collective impact for the benefit of our whole community.

We build and celebrate cultural awareness and appreciation. Multicultural dexterity Multicultural dexterity is a term from the Institute for the Future’s “Future Skills Map” that describes the ability to quickly and appropriately shift mindset, grasp local context and utilize localized norms as an important skill in a globalized world.  ²¹ is fostered and integrated into the curriculum to build awareness, affirm students’ and families’ identities and maintain culture.

Multilingualism is valued as an asset that helps students and adults to connect with the global community. We create district-wide multilingual learning opportunities for every student and staff member, adaptive to need.

Students and adults understand how their choices and local actions are relevant and have global effects. We create opportunities for global exchange that support global awareness and understanding for staff and students. Curricula and learning environments foster cultural competence, build global awareness and highlight our interdependence through in-person or virtual international programs.

We are a culturally affirming, empathetic, asset-based culture in which adults recognize and cultivate students’ strengths and assets and teach empathy at all grade levels. We affirm, understand and value (through non- discrimination) all cultures and identities.²²

All students and adults feel a sense of belonging and value through the relationships we build while respecting and embracing cultures. We foster social-emotional understanding naturally through authentic human connections and we focus on relationships as an important vehicle for achievement.

We use culturally-conscious restorative support and encourage embracing failure as a learning opportunity.

We engage all learners through flexible learning environments designed to support different learning styles and needs. We work across sites, departments and grade levels (PK–12), embracing collaboration and acknowledging the assets brought by each person in our system.

In addition to social-emotional well-being, we attend to the physical well-being of students by creating safe campuses, providing good nutrition and ensuring access to exercise and outdoor space for all students. We attend to the well-being of our staff and educators by supporting opportunities for self-care.

We use an equity-centered innovation process that involves cycles of problem identification, research, co-design and co-development, testing, learning and refining solutions to address our most pressing academic, business and operations challenges. We learn from our failures. With this approach, we ensure that those most impacted by any changes are brought into the process as co-designers whose lived experiences, skills and reflections are an integral part of each cycle of the process, thereby disrupting the traditional power structures of a school district and creating better solutions for all.

菠菜网lol正规平台 staff are trained to integrate innovation into their practice, so they can share and model the use of the process for students. We practice agility and adaptability to meet students’ needs and future trends. We also develop students’ skill sets for the future, including communication, critical thinking, collaboration, computational thinking, innovation, strategic foresight Strategic Foresight is a structured and systematic way of using ideas about the future to anticipate and better prepare for change. (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD). ²⁴, creativity, design, collaboration, entrepreneurship and social-emotional intelligence. Social-emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand and manage interpersonal relationships. It includes an individual’s ability to understand and respond to the feelings, thoughts and behaviors of other people. ²⁵

We use the arts and access to arts experiences to develop the creativity of our students and our staff, express culture, affirm identity and learn about the assets of our community.

Our learning spaces and integrated technology are accessible and adaptive to all students’ needs. We learn from the adaptations we create for specific groups of students, for example, students with disabilities, or with language needs, and apply those learnings across the system. Our schools are equitably resourced, and are staffed at a level that enables consistent access and safety.

We take a proactive approach to our facilities, designing for climate resilience and using predictive analysis to support preventive maintenance. We prioritize policies, processes and technology that lead to carbon neutral, climate-resilient facilities (e.g., zero waste initiatives, passive building design that works with the local climate to reduce the need for cooling and heating, and renewable energy options.)

We update our current facilities and design new facilities using the idea of the “urban canopy,” creating green, climate resilient, park-like settings. We work with arborists and irrigation specialists, for example, to design and plan maintenance. We design spaces that allow for true breaks and rest, including wellness lounges and outdoor spaces.

We have a highly technology-enhanced system that supports staff’s work and enables students to experience leading-edge, real-world applications. We engage in proactive, comprehensive technology planning including resources for facilities and technology maintenance, support and staff training. We invest in interoperable data systemsInteroperable describes data systems that can communicate and connect with one another. ²⁶, enabling data access and analysis, and supporting excellent decision-making. We also ensure our adults are trained in technology so that they can use it efficiently to enhance their work and model effective use of technology for students.

Students have opportunities to develop real-world skills and gain credits through participating in the design and implementation of technology initiatives and green facilities programs.

We are a student-centered institution. We believe that the work of every adult at 菠菜网lol正规平台 supports student success, that we have shared ownership of outcomes and that students benefit when we work together to support them. We create a sense of purpose and optimism in staff and students, and foster the belief that we all can be agents of innovative change.

We have a model of leadership that is inclusive, liberatory Liberatory refers to the practice of adopting Liberatory Mindsets and Modes. As defined by the National Equity Project, mindsets are intended to surface particular beliefs, values and stances that can ground our work. They identify 12 mindsets, including: build relational trust, practice self-awareness, recognize oppression; embrace complexity; work to transform power; exercise creative courage. They identify eight modes, including See the System; Empathize, Inquire; Notice and Reflect. ²⁷ and collaborative. We work to share and shift power, and in doing so build the capacity of all. We grow transformational leaders and staff intentionally through policies, processes and high-quality practices that are aligned to, and support the attainment of, the Adult Portrait. These include our recruitment, retention, development and professional-learning policies, processes and practices.

As part of our continuous-improvement cycle we support high-quality practice and ongoing learning for all staff through flexible, growth-focused feedback systems that include student and/or staff voice where relevant.;