Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/882783
pushing students very hard to do things they have never done before," says English and philosophy teacher Jael Reboh. "So we have to support them academically and emotionally. We talk to them about their hopes and dreams." e student population is low-income and mostly Latino, and many take advantage of a visiting mobile medical health clinic, along with dental, vision and mental health specialists who have partnerships with the school to provide student services. Restorative justice practices are making a difference, says counselor Ozzie Lastre. " He re , k i d s h av e o pp o r tu n it i e s t o c o r re c t th e i r m i st a ke s a s opposed to b eing puni sh ed with det ention or litt er pickup. For example, students who say offensive things have to write letters of apology for being rude so they understand how their behavior affects others. We tr y to reinforce the idea that choices we make impact not just us — but other people as well. It's made our students more compassionate and empathetic." Humanitas has a 91 percent graduation rate and a 90 percent completion rate for "a-g" courses — both rates surpassing those of Los Angeles Unified School District (L AUSD). That's remarkable, considering that the school does not give D's. Last year the school had only two suspensions. "ey expect a lot from us," says Mario Cruz, adding that teachers have come to his house and knocked on his door when they were " Our school is founded on high expectations, and we are pushing students very hard to do things they have never done before." — JAEL REBOH, UTLA 35 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 017 A Model Community School SIX YEARS AGO, eight high school educa- tors in San Fernando believed that they had a more effective way of teaching the population of largely Hispanic, low- income students. They wrote a proposal and submit- ted it to the local school board. The board agreed, and the Social Justice Humanitas Academy (SJHA) opened in 2011. In 2015, SJHA won a National Commu- nity Schools Award for Excellence from the Coalition for Community Schools. The award recognized its extraordinary spike in graduation rates — to 94 percent from 83 percent the previous year. Teacher-led SJHA is now considered a national model for community schools, which emphasize student and community engagement and work with outside partners to provide health, social and other services to stu- dents and their families. A February 2016 report, " Transforming Struggling Schools Into Thriving Schools," by the coalition along with the Center for Popular Democracy and the Southern Education Foundation, highlights SJHA in recommending six strategies that schools can use to transform themselves: 1. Curricula that are engaging, cultur- ally relevant and challenging. 2. An emphasis on high-quality teach- ing, not on high-stakes testing. 3. Wrap-around supports and opportu- nities such as health care and social and emotional services that support academics. 4. Positive discipline practices, such as restorative justice and social and emotional learning supports. 5. Authentic parent and community engagement, so the full community actively participates in planning and decision-making. 6. Inclusive school leadership who are committed to making the community school strategy integral to the school's mandate and functioning. To see a video about SJHA's beginnings, go to bit.ly/2xdNHpu.