In early December, for example, LA CADA provided an overview of the symptoms of opioid overdose for more than 50 staff members and gave each participant a life-saving fentanyl kit to keep on hand in their office or classroom. Their team of mental health professionals has been highly influential in the design of The Oasis Wellness Center at El Rancho High School that opened mid-January, advising site staff on the most effective, research-based resources and programs to include. Their imprint can also be found in sensory rooms on each of the district’s elementary and middle school campuses, featuring a number of zones and manipulatives to assist students as part of the school day.

Community agencies have also made it possible to provide after-school programs at elementary and middle schools. The Boys & Girls Clubs opened its doors to El Rancho High School students in March 2016, ensuring that participating students have a safe place to go to complete homework, interact with others and gain life skills. A recent ribbon cutting ceremony was held in recognition of the opening of the El Rancho Youth Center, which expands the current Boys & Girls Club program while incorporating the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics (P.R.I.D.E.) program. This after-school program will offer opportunities for students to participate in social and emotional wellness lessons, academic support, workforce development, leadership building and mentorship. Additional after-school programs have been developed by the city of Pico Rivera’s Reach Program, providing engaging day care programs at each elementary site, and by Think Together at each middle school. Since the existing program offerings remain consistently full, students on the waiting list and others will have the opportunity to join two new programs provided by other entities later this school year. Families have come to trust the school staff and partner agencies providing these programs, a vital link to ensure that families can count on day-long care for their children (Epstein, et al, 2018).

When a student and their family find themselves in a crisis, ERUSD’s partners step in to go above and beyond what normal resources can provide. During the 2022 holiday season, the California Highway Patrol donated gifts to 30 of the district’s most in-need families, rising to meet a need in fewer than three weeks’ time. Another local nonprofit, the Terri Large Keeping the Faith Foundation, provided gifts for the family of a young cancer survivor. Local elected officials and their staff provided holiday meals. The district has also established a connection with Shoes That Fit this spring, fitting students with a new pair of shoes and socks. Each of these events is managed with the utmost care and confidentiality, so students and families participating in these programs receive support when they need it.

Honoring the dimensions of students’ cultural identities, ERUSD has been at the forefront of establishing a number of learning opportunities for students. As the first public school district in California to require a five-unit Ethnic Studies course as part of graduation requirements that also meets a University of California/California State University A-G Requirement, high school students and staff have long seen themselves and their history as part of the curriculum. Course content is closely tied to significant historical events from around Southern California, creating a deeper sense of belonging to the local community. A Spanish dual language immersion program has been available to El Rancho families since 2016, working to ensure that students can become bilingual in English and Spanish as they participate through elementary and middle school, choosing to complete the Seal of Biliteracy before they graduate. Every district teacher has access to training on culturally responsive practices as part of a thriving professional development program (Goldrick-Rab, 2016).

Engaging with students, families and the community in two-way communication, district and school leaders realize the highly important significance of serving as an approachable, visible part of the community while also remaining available to listen and learn. First and most significantly, student voice continues to drive the team’s work, as the superintendent and cabinet members meet with students quarterly in a formal, structured meeting and additionally as the need arises. Their insight about the programs they would like to see informs the district’s direction. Input from staff and families provides a second yet equally significant source of input and feedback (Lezotte, 1991). The district will host a Parent Summit in April to engage with and recognize parents — a vital link to the success of the students we serve — which was designed in large part by a committee of local parents. Furthermore, each participating adult will have the opportunity to share feedback on their experience in the summit and suggest topics for future events. The planning team will use this information to enhance existing relationships and increase the sense of community and the welcome extended to families as partners across the district.

Remaining accountable to students, staff and families enhances the leadership team’s tireless drive toward continuous improvement (Fullan, 2009). Realizing that students rely on their teachers, counselors and administrators for vital instruction and support even more urgently today, the district has made a renewed commitment to sustaining practices tied to the principles of transformational leadership bound by the mantra, “Promises made, promises kept.” Follow through is prized and necessary, as the way forward will require additional trust earned through keeping commitments aligned with the district’s mission: “Students will be challenged to become college and career-ready and life-long learners. The El Rancho Unified School District will actively partner with the community as its leading educational institution that provides a technology-rich and innovative learning environment for all students.” As everyone works together to ensure that every student thrives, the team realizes how urgent and vital our efforts continue to be in their lives.

Sustaining a school system built around connections to mental health support, robust community partnerships, acknowledgment of students’ cultural identities, mutual communication and accountability requires vision paired with compassion and tireless relationship building. In light of the challenges many children in the United States face each day, such as traumatic grief, the threat of violence and the impact of destructive addictions, combined with the normal developmental adaptations required of them, it is not surprising that students and their families are seeking more support and engagement with their school and district community. Working collaboratively to attain a shared, common goal of a thriving community filled with individuals who have attained their full potential, the ERUSD team in partnership with students, families and community members will beat the odds of post-pandemic life and inspire a renewed sense of hope in the academic and social lives of the students we serve (Muhammad and Cruz, 2019).

As the district evaluates the results gained from our work post-pandemic and in consideration of the challenges today’s students face, we acknowledge that measurable outcomes are part of an effective system. Many students in ERUSD feel connected to their school; generations of families have a sense of proud commitment to their schools, the district and the city of Pico Rivera, working together to ensure that all children and families have access to resources to learn and grow. The California School Dashboard, California Healthy Kids Survey, feedback from staff training and parent/family engagement events and students’ voices will influence the team’s direction and outcomes gained. The urgent nature of the work of educators, magnified by the additional challenges today’s students and families face daily, requires us to look ahead to working with them on behalf of this generation and future ones.

Epstein, Joyce, et al. (2018). School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Fullan, Michael. (2009). Realization: The Change Imperative for Deepening District-Wide Reform. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Goldrick-Rab, Sara (2016). Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

Lezotte, Lawrence W. (1991). Correlates of Effective Schools: The First and Second Generation. Okemos, MI: Effective Schools Products, Ltd.

Muhammad, Anthony and Cruz, Luis. (2019). Time for Change: Four Essential Skills for Transformational School and District Leaders. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, Inc.