Community Context
**Mozingo, J. (2015, June 14). San Bernardino: Broken city. Los Angeles Times. Available at http://graphics.latimes.com/san-bernardino/
This article provides a backdrop of San Bernardino’s social and economic context through stories of a diverse set of community members. It also provides statistical and historical information to describe San Bernardino’s economic shift from a thriving middle class environment to its rank as the second-poorest city of its size in the nation. The realities presented bring to bear the systemic challenges confronting San Bernardino, which include the city’s bankruptcy, historical political corruption, and the lingering devastation resulting from state and federal institutions departing to neighboring cities. With few opportunities for upward mobility, working class citizens who remain in the city either fall into a downward spiral of poverty or a constant struggle for employment, often times ad hoc shifts at distribution centers. The article notes that the city council has issued a plan designed to move the city toward solvency, with key features including higher taxes and fees for residents and further cutting their services.
Fallows, J. (2015, April 28). 'Generation Now'—What people do, when there seems to be nothing to do. The Atlantic. Available at https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/04/generation-nowwhat-people-do-when-there-seems-to-be-nothing-to-do/391571/
This article discusses San Bernardino’s current struggles and profiles a group of youth who aim to reverse this cycle amid the frustrations and inequalities they face in modern America. It begins with an explanation of how geography and historical movements have shaped San Bernardino. The author also provides a brief synopsis of San Bernardino’s economic downturn, including details about the steady loss of blue-collar employment hubs and references to its local political structure, largely defined by a “strong mayor” and a discouraging electoral system. Yet amid this backdrop a group of diverse youth have organized under the banner of San Bernardino Generation Now (SBGN) to stay and revitalize San Bernardino. SBGN works to supply social capital and civic fiber through community organizing and engaging the public in meaningful ways. They aim to “take back San Bernardino” through their local efforts and are a key example of how majority-minority communities are building a civic fabric in an economically struggling city. The article closes with the rationale behind what motivates SBGN, including the desire to be the change they believe in and faith in the power of this change.
District Context
**San Bernardino City Unified School District Enrollment by Ethnicity/Race, 2015-16. Data retrieved on February 13, 2017 from DataQuest, California Department of Education. Available for members at this link.
This pie chart and table show San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) student enrollment by ethnicity/ race for the 2015-16 school year. The table also provides SBCUSD and California student enrollment across several demographic categories, including ethnicity/race, English Learners, students with disabilities, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, foster youth, and homeless students for the 2015-16 school year.
**California Proficiency Rates on ELA CST 2007-2013 and Meeting Standards Rates on ELA CAASPP 2015-2016. Data retrieved on February 15, 2017 from DataQuest and California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, California Department of Education. Available for members at this link.
This graph provides California district English-language arts (ELA) California Standards Test (CST) proficiency rates from 2007-2013 and meeting standards rates on the ELA California Assessment for Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) from 2015 and 2016.
**California Proficiency Rates on Math CST 2007-2013 and Meeting Standards Rates on Math CAASPP 2015-2016. Data retrieved on February 15, 2017 from DataQuest and California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, California Department of Education. Available for members at this link.
This graph provides California district math CST proficiency rates from 2007-2013 and meeting standards rates on the math CAASPP from 2015 and 2016.
**California and San Bernardino City Unified School District Cohort Graduation Rates, 2010-2015. Data retrieved on February 22, 2017 from DataQuest, California Department of Education. Available for members at this link.
This graph displays cohort graduation rates from 2009-2010 through 2014-2015 school years for SBCUSD and the state overall. The data accounts for students in a 4-year cohort who graduated in four years or less by earning a traditional high school diploma, earning an adult education high school diploma, or passing the California High School Proficiency Exam.
San Bernardino City Unified School District. (2016). Key performance indicators. San Bernardino, CA: Author. Available for members at this link.
This document outlines SBCUSD’s four strategic objectives to getting students college, career, and civic ready. The district refers to the metrics it uses to measure progress towards the objectives as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). For example, performance on state assessments will reflect students’ mastery of content knowledge, and graduation and dropout rates will contribute to the district’s understanding of student engagement and enjoyment of learning. This document also shows the progress the district has made in different KPIs since 2014-15 and where they would like to be by 2016-17.
Gallup, Inc. (2016). Gallup student poll: Engaged today – Ready for tomorrow. Fall 2016 scorecard, San Bernardino City Unified. Unpublished report provided by Gallup, Inc., to school district. Available for members at this link.
San Bernardino City Unified School District. (2017, January). KPI presentation: Engagement–the results [Gallup poll data and graph from internal slide presentation]. San Bernardino, CA: Author. Available for members at this link.
The Gallup Student Poll aims to measure four areas of students’ readiness for the future: (1) engagement, (2) hope, (3) entrepreneurial aspiration, and (4) financial/career literacy. This document presents the SBCUSD student survey results from fall 2016. Compared to all students who take this survey (which Gallup notes may not be representative of all students), SBCUSD students score higher on entrepreneurial aspiration, lower on career/financial literacy, and about the same on engagement and hope.
SBCUSD students have been taking the survey since the 2013-14 school year; the last page of this document shows some of the trends in survey results since that time.
Collective Impact Strategy
**San Bernardino City Unified School District. (2016). Community engagement plan and local control and accountability plan. San Bernardino, CA: Author. Available at http://www.sbcusd.k12.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/121126
This document frames the district’s mission, its key objectives, the strategies that district staff and community partners employ in service of the mission, and the metrics district staff collect to understand how their strategies are succeeding. District staff and other stakeholders have identified four key strategic objectives—that each student will (1) “pursue an academic and career plan based on his or her interests and talents; (2) demonstrate independent initiative, civic responsibility, and community pride; (3) develop creativity through mastery of fundamental knowledge and applied skills; and (4) enjoy learning throughout life by learning how to learn”—supported by a set of nine strategies. Each strategy, while broad, is supported by several plans. For instance, for its Applied Learning strategy, the district reports it will provide pertinent, and meaningful applied learning opportunities for all students. Three plans support this effort: (1) create a common definition of applied learning, (2) create a structure to support Applied Learning pathways, and (3) create the conditions to ensure that stakeholders are invested in the implementation of applied learning. For each of these three plans, the district identifies a common goal, articulates a concrete plan of action, and describes how other organizations can play their part to support students in other ways.
**This document is considered a priority reading.