Changing the Odds in Whittier Union High School District

1. Establishment of a structured system for teacher collaboration and support using a teacher leaders model;

2. Assessment, curriculum, and instructional design and review guided by collaboration between teachers and administration;

3. Measurement of progress through data reflections at student, school, and district levels.

As a result of the partnership with Orenda, the district developed substantive collaboration across courses, departments, and schools and more effective coordination with all five elementary partner districts whose students matriculated to WUHSD schools. Additionally, the district also benefited from an extensive network of teacher leadership that facilitated the continual improvement of instruction through conversations about student data and best practices to improve student performance.

Data from state assessments before, during, and after Orenda’s intervention in WUHSD revealed significant proficiency gains across the board. By the time Orenda completed their process in 2006, 45% of students in the district tested at or exceeded grade level proficiency in math and 47% in ELA. The graph below illustrates that this growth in student learning continued to improve in the six years following the partnership, exemplifying the sort of long-term success that can be sustained by systems-based change.

The school district is comprised of five neighborhoods: Santa Fe Springs, West Whittier, South Whittier, Whittier, and North Whittier. According to data from the 2000 Census and the 2017 American Community Survey, the percent of Latinx households in these neighborhoods increased from 66% in 2000 to 76% in 2017, well above the Los Angeles County average of 48% in 2017. Meanwhile, the percent of white households in the same communities declined from 27% in 2000 to 17% in 2017. This seems to suggest that these particular communities of color are actually not being displaced by these interventions, and instead families in these neighborhoods continue to reap the benefits of strong schools.

What’s more, over the same time period these increasingly diverse neighborhoods benefited from dramatically expanded educational and economic opportunities. The share of residents with less than a High School degree fell from 30% in 2000 to 20% in 2017, while the college graduation rate grew by 9 percentage points. These educational gains, in turn, improved community livelihoods. In 2016, only 12% of households had incomes below the federal poverty line, well below the Los Angeles County average of 17%. Moreover, median income increased for every neighborhood in the district from 2000 to 2016, with the aggregated average growing from $65,332 in 2000 to $68,451 in 2016, well above the Los Angeles County neighborhood average of $57,952.

If we change the conditions surrounding students so that all neighborhoods have equitable access, resources, and opportunities, then we empower students to change their odds. Based on this belief, Orenda and Think Together are extending their model to other districts throughout Los Angeles County. Having partnered with a number of schools and districts in Southeast Los Angeles over the past decade including Lynwood Unified, Little Lake School District, and Los Nietos School District, both organizations are currently working with cohorts of schools in LAUSD. In addition, they are partnering with districts across California, including Orange County, San Diego, and the Inland Empire. With efforts like these, communities throughout California can feel confident that their children – regardless of income or race – are being equipped with the tools they need to ensure that demographics do not determine destiny.