“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
We know that top-down change in district reform efforts is rarely sustained. Too often, critical stakeholders are working in siloes or don’t have a seat at the table together. Superintendents or board members change, and new leaders come in with a new vision and direction.
At the Bay Ed Fund, we’re disrupting this pattern by bringing together an unprecedented coalition of district leaders, union leaders, local community organizations, educators, families, and students to build trust, catalyze inspiration, and unite around a shared vision for student success.
Community ownership creates demand for bold change and sustains the work through inevitable transitions in district leadership. This is what we’ve seen in districts like Long Beach and Lindsay Unified over the last 20-30 years. In both communities, district leaders had the foresight to initiate change with families and community stakeholders. In both communities, the outcomes and experiences of students far outpace similar districts.
In April, a broad community coalition at Ravenswood unveiled the Ravenswood Promise Learner Profile at a celebration with almost 200 students, families, and community members!
The vision to inform Ravenswood’s strategic planning process, the Learner Profile was the result of eight months of collaborative dialogue and input from over one thousand educators, students, family members, community and district leaders.
The Ravenswood Learner Profile: Design thanks to the talent of the district’s middle school students who sat on a team that contributed to the vision!
The Bay Ed Fund operates as an all-in strategic partner and unconventional funder, leveraging decades of experience, rigorous research, and hard-won lessons while bringing meaningful funding to district, family, student, and community leaders to support transformative change in schools.