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Dear friends and partners,
The past school year has been unlike any other in modern history.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an incredible academic, socio-emotional, and physical toll on the kids, families, and communities of Los Angeles. But between the trauma, grief, and loss, it has also been a year in which we have witnessed the incredible resilience of our school communities.
As we chart our path to recovery for the hundreds of thousands of students we serve in LAUSD, this moment requires something different so their future can be brighter. When everything has changed, one thing remains the same: my commitment to putting students and families at the center of our decision-making. I deeply appreciate everyone who has fought to keep our kids healthy and learning throughout this crisis. We will continue to learn, adapt, and overcome any obstacles that emerge—because our kids and families are counting on us.
Scroll down (or click here) to take a look at what we’ve overcome and what we’ve accomplished together, even while we were apart.
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Take a look at our work over this past year to support our students, families, and school communities through this crisis—while continuing to make progress on our long-term priorities for the District.
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As we welcome the majority of our kids and families back to our campuses in the coming months, we will keep working to ensure that a return to the classroom does not simply mean a return to “normal.” Schools will receive new resources to support mental health, accelerate learning, foster early literacy, provide support to students with disabilities, support racial justice, and more. I believe it’s important for us to remember something this crisis has laid bare: the system wasn’t working well for too many students prior to the pandemic. In order to ensure that our students have what they need to recover from this crisis, we need to rethink what we can achieve when kids are at the center of our policies, decisions, and actions, like:
- We can focus on mastery rather than participation and allow flexibility in how students demonstrate knowledge
- Relationships matter — we can use technology and data to ensure that every student is connected with a caring adult on campus, who can monitor that student for additional supports
- In the recent Topanga fire, we were able to transition to distance learning instead of cancelling school as we have in the past.
- Some students excelled in a remote learning, so we should see how this can fit in as an option for families post-COVID
- Students have been able to take enrichment courses remotely with peers across the district, exposing them to different communities and opportunitiesWe should continue giving parents and families online and virtual spaces to participate in meetings and discussions for their children’s education
- We need to figure out the best role for technology in the classroom going forward, to provide a 21st century education for students
The pandemic both began a new crisis and exacerbated existing crises, and we have seen the vital role that schools play in meeting the needs of kids, families, and the broader communities. I will keep pushing for LA Unified to take this opportunity not just to talk about more—but also talk about different.
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