School services symposium accentuates positive
EL CENTRO — Aiming to maximize student outcomes, Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) hosted a Los Angeles school support service at Valley Academy on Friday.
Student Support Services Solutions (S4) is a consultancy that emphasizes meeting goals of the Local Area Control Plan (LCAP) by cultivating best academic achievement, launched by former school teachers, Maria Hwang de Bravo and Jennifer Gomeztrejo. De Bravo recently served as acting director III in the division of student programs and Gomeztrejo as division of student support services at the Los Angeles County of Office of Education.
The consultancy provided the tools to school districts that effectively implement their strategies, noted Monalisa Vitela, senior director of ICOE alternative education.
“Elementary schools look different from high schools, and there are cultural differences between the North End and Calexico,” said Vitela. “And it would have been difficult for us to get 45 administrators and support staff to travel, but welcoming them here, our staff can improve from enhanced professional development.”
Gomeztrejo highlighted three LCAP goals: student engagement, school climate and parent involvement. “For years the focus had been on curriculum, instructional strategies and testing, “said Gomeztrejo. “But with LCAP, we know there are other impacts on academic performance.”
She pointed out a stressful neighborhood environment may drain potential by: drugs and alcohol, poverty, homelessness, immigration status, cyberbullying, divorce, gangs or other challenges.
Fernando Ocampo, Central Union High School assistant principal, noted the workshop leaders elaborated on practices the districts need to incorporate every day.
One of the most challenging issues is to make sure students are college and career ready by graduation.
“Being close to the border, the exact relationship of adult guardians is always relevant to ask about, especially if it is a foster parent or care giver with power of attorney,” he said. “But the symposium is covering that and other critical elements: enrollment, record keeping, attendance and discipline.”
The LCAP offers an opportunity to build an awareness of the priorities of school climate, engagement and parent involvement, remarked Hwang de Bravo. Engagement, she noted, focuses on attendance, absenteeism, drop-out and graduation rates. Climate aims to foster a connectedness among students who see themselves as peers. Meanwhile, parent involvement reaches out to give parents a voice of what goes on in the classroom.
“There are laws and policies we need to adhere to,” said Hwang de Bravo. “By following the rules, we better serve our students. And we follow best practices by implementing policies that enable us to attain the highest possible academic standards.”
Hwang de Bravo cited several bills to help transparency in support services. Assembly Bill 2097, bars school districts from collecting social security data. AB 1101 allows investigators to inquire if families actually reside or work mandatory minimum hours in the school district where children attend school. And Senate Bill 1455 provides students meet residency requirements, if a parent is transferred or has a pending transfer to a military installation that is within the boundary of a school district.
Crystal Saiza, a Calipatria Unified School District (CUSD) attendance clerk praised the symposium leaders for clarification on outdated laws and practices.
“You can’t consider curriculum and test scores without first ensuring good attendance,” she said. “There are multiple factors at home- hunger or violence that can affect attendance.”
Ramona Campos, CUDS counselor on special assignment, noted if frequent lines of communication with parents remain open, districts keep them aware of school regulations.
“Increasingly we work toward early intervention,” she said. “Meeting with parents is not just about discipline, but can be something positive. Keeping parents informed can prevent miniscule issues from getting too serious.”