A Black male elementary student smiles while holding a green apple.

Assess Your School’s Expansive Opportunities: Ensure Opportunities are Supporting Your Underserved Students

Inflexion February 19, 2021

0 Comments

Fairness does not mean that everyone gets the same. Fairness means that everyone gets what he or she needs.

– Richard Lavoie

INTRO

Do all of your students have the supports and opportunities to build the skills they will need to personalize their futures from both a personal and career perspective?

This activity will help your team examine what additional supports and opportunities are at your school, and if those supports are meeting the needs of your students.

OBJECTIVES

Analyze current efforts to ensure a robust multi-tiered continuum of support is in place for your students

RESOURCES

ARTICLE: Springfield High School – Using Student Voice to Create Programming That Engages All Students

AUDIO: Expansive Opportunities

The below activity is designed for teachers, staff, school leaders.

Read this example of how Springfield High School in Oregon developed engaging opportunities specifically designed to better engage their underserved students.

Think about your students.

What additional supports and opportunities are at your school?
Are they meeting the needs of the students who need additional support?
Do you have a way to identify the students who need additional support?
- If so, what evidence do you use to decide what students need more, and have they had the opportunity to be part of designing what they need?

Next, listen to our CEO Dr. Matt Coleman describe Expansive Opportunities in the context of the Inflexion Approach.

Rate and provide evidence about how well your school is leveraging expansive opportunities using the following definition and scale:

DEFINITION: Expansive Opportunities provide students with opportunities, supports, and curriculum that are needs-based and linked to established standards; they are integrated and supported across academic, social-emotional, behavioral and physical domains; and are delivered using multiple approaches including large group, small group, and individual opportunities.

SCALE:
1. Not at all
2. Somewhat
3. For the most part
4. Totally

A score of 1 (one) reflects that there is little being done intentionally schoolwide.

A 4 (four) would suggest that you have explicit structures and practices schoolwide to support this.

Categories: Evaluation, Leadership Activities, Organizational Structures, Self Evaluation

Tags: Additional Supports, Equitable Access (Individual), Inclusive Practices, School Leaders, Shared Vision for Readiness

Case Study: Merced Union High School District

Through its work with Inflexion, MUHSD is seeing strong results in student outcomes and in closing the opportunity gap for underserved students. California School Dashboard data show College/Career Indicator scores for African American, Hispanic, English Learners, students with disabilities, students who are homeless, and students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are 16 to 29 points higher than the state average.

Inflexion June 9, 2020

0 Comments

Passion. Pride. Promise. Two Leaders Help Pave the Way for Their Students & Communities

Tucked away in the hills of rural western Oregon, the Vernonia and Gaston school districts defy many of the stereotypes most of us hold when we think of rural schools. Their communities face both common and unique challenges. Vernonia Elementary Principal, Michelle Eagleson, and Gaston Superintendent, Summer Catino, share how their small schools and communities achieve greatness.

Vanessa Brazil October 25, 2022

0 Comments

Build Unity Through Change: Engage Staff in Continuous Improvement Processes

Continuous improvement should be embedded in day-to-day work, in a systemized, organic way. You can think of the cyclical process as a formative assessment of the ideas being tested.

Inflexion June 7, 2023

0 Comments

Snapshot of What’s Working: Multi-Tiered System of Support

Few large-scale policy initiatives speak to the potential of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) more so than the California Scale-Up Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Statewide Initiative—simply referred to as California MTSS.

Inflexion February 15, 2019

0 Comments

Family And Community Engagement (FACE): How To Get Started with Community School Development

So you’re familiar with community schools. You’re interested. But getting started can feel like the hardest part. While your own school/district’s path may ultimately differ from Anaheim Union School District’s, their example can help you begin mapping out where to start.

Inflexion April 19, 2023

0 Comments

Your School’s Identity is More Important Than You Think

Like it or not, the cultural identity of your school drives everything else you do. Who you truly are and what you believe about yourself at the core is defined by what you do. In an increasingly competitive climate, it’s more important than ever to clarify who you are and what you value.

Rachel Phillips March 16, 2018

0 Comments

Student Cell Phone Policy: Best Practices for Student Success

As principal of Milwaukie High School, Carmen Gelman (now Director of Professional Development, Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, COSA) worked with the school community (including students) to ensure a firm but balanced approach to student cell phone use. We share their policy and rollout materials to inspire and guide you as you consider tackling this oft contentious topic.

Inflexion May 4, 2023

0 Comments

A Source of Strength and Community: How Identity Keeps Santiam Canyon United Even When Everything Else is Falling Apart

Santiam Canyon Superintendent, Todd Miller, shares how their school district’s identity and maxims are a source of community and strength, especially when faced with unimaginable disaster.

Vanessa Brazil October 4, 2022

0 Comments

Implementing PBIS: 6 Challenges and 7 Supports to Consider for Your Schoolwide Program

Effectively implementing a schoolwide PBIS system that is equitable and meets the needs of all students may feel like a fairy tale. But by understanding the barriers to successful implementation and the supports needed to overcome them, school leaders can better prepare for and modify PBIS at their sites.

Inflexion May 17, 2023

0 Comments

A Black female nurse wearing scrubs with colorful hot air balloons comforts a young girl in a hospital children's area.

Exceptional Situations, Exceptional Students: Networks to Support Students in Intensive Circumstances

The academic and behavioral needs of most students are met through a continuum of support within a school. Some students, however, require out-of-system support due to extreme or intensive circumstances, such as long-term hospitalization. This January 27, 2023, Crowdsource Coffee focused on the proactive building of relationships between schools, districts, and other organizations to provide the structural support necessary for students and families to succeed in exceptional situations.

Inflexion February 24, 2023

0 Comments

Responses

You must be logged in to post a comment.

INTRO

OBJECTIVES

RESOURCES

The below activity is designed for teachers, staff, school leaders.

Related Articles

Responses