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A message from Cora Watkins, Director,
Community Schools Initiatives
A critical component of the LA Unified Community Schools model is the belief in shared governance and leadership practices. It is more than one of the Four Pillars, it is the "through line" that supports all other pillar work. This pillar is at the heart of and quintessential to building trust. And since collaboration builds at the speed of trust, the work around this pillar must be emphasized from the time a school applies to become a Community School and then every day thereafter.A great starting point for work related to this pillar is to re-examine and assess existing structures within the school. Weed out the ineffective and focus on making the remaining structures more collaborative and elevate the critical role that each plays in reaching the student outcomes your school aspires to achieve.One way that LA Unified Community Schools are unique both in LA and across the country is in the way that the Local School Leadership Council, School Site Council, and English Learner Advisory Council interface and coexist to center the school decision making and budget design on social and language justice. - CoraFor additional information, please contact Esperanza Martinez at emartinez@utla.net or Cora Watkins at cwatkins@lausd.net
