Schools in West Kern Consortium beat the odds
Since 2018, the Lost Hills Union Elementary, Maple Elementary, and Semitropic Elementary Schools Districts have been working in partnership as the West Kern Consortium (WKC) for Full Service Community Schools, and it is really paying off. A full-service community school model centers the school as the community hub -- a one-stop shop for support and services. Community schools are an evidence-based strategy for school improvement that leverage the resources and voices of the community to support the whole child.
The WKC districts focused their resources on five priority areas: early childhood education, math and literacy education, expanded learning programs, family and community engagement, and social and mental health services. Whereas many people think of community schools as primarily providing wraparound services, WKC is at the leading edge of the work by centering student learning. Per the 2023 California Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment data release, most school districts in California have struggled to catch up to their pre-pandemic numbers. Meanwhile, the original members of the WKC have seen significant growth. In fact, they’ve seen more growth than any other local district or charter school in Kern.
Math proficiency data retrieved from California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress website: https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/
*Represents WKC districts
ELA proficiency data retrieved from California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress website: https://caaspp-elpac.ets.org/caaspp/
*Represents WKC districts
Said Lost Hills Principal, Veronica Sanchez-Gregory, "We want our educators to know how great they truly are. And, even more so, we want our families to know they made the right choice by enrolling their children in the Lost Hills School District."
Only six districts in Kern County exceeded math proficiency comparing pre-pandemic levels to 2023 levels, with WKC schools showing the most growth. The consortium attributes much of these gains to focused math coaching for teachers, including support from a hired math coach that rotates among three schools, support from Kern County Superintendent of Schools, and support from Harvard's Mathematical Quality of Instruction e-coaching model. The districts on their own would likely not have been able to afford these additional supports; however, by leveraging their combined resources, they have increased investment in math.
Said Bethany Ferguson, Superintendent at Semitropic, "Small districts do not traditionally have the resources that districts in places like Bakersfield, Delano, or even Shafter have. Thanks to supplemental [community school] funding, we are able to have coaches supporting our teachers and instructional aides. We are proud of our gains but we have a lot more work to do. We are worried about what is going to happen once funding dries up."
The WKC districts–small school districts of one or two schools each–have built economies of scale, weaving together funding from grants, emergency COVID dollars, and LCAP funding to invest in whole-child supports like teacher coaching, community school coordinators, school social workers and mentors, nurses, afterschool and summer programs, and system improvement coaching.
The WKC also has an intermediary organization, Figueroa Consulting, to help with strategy, their data infrastructure, grant writing, project management, and the facilitation of the Children's Cabinet of West Kern. Additionally, the districts have been awarded funding from the federal and state community school programs, the federal school climate transformation program, and even from private foundations like the McClatchy Foundation and its partners via the Emerging Bilingual Collaborative.
As Assistant Superintendent and project director for the consortium, Fidelina Saso, says, "It really does take a village to get to this level. But, we want the world to know that it is possible. Children, no matter their life circumstances, are capable of learning at high levels. We must lead with this in mind if we are going to get to our goal as the highest performing district in Kern County.”
WKC has made gains in more than just math and literacy. The original three districts have also seen an increase in available mental health services and a decrease in chronic absenteeism; their numbers now fall below the county's average of 26.3%, with Maple District leading the way with an impressive 7.4% rate. These holistic efforts have been supported by the Children’s Cabinet of West Kern, an advisory body comprised of community organizations, human service agencies, school district representatives, and parents from each district. Maple's community school coordinator and facilitator of the attendance subcommittee, Niki Espinoza says, "It's such a blessing to work with all these great people. All in all, we want to make sure every student and parent knows they are seen, heard, acknowledged and loved."
The WKC partnership is gaining attention at a state and national level as an example for a rural community schools partnership. Community schools are often thought of as solutions for urban communities, but WKC is paving the way for how rural communities can adapt community school practices to help their students and families. Recently, members from the WKC partnership went to visit a similar initiative in rural New York. The year prior, the team in New York visited schools in Kern. Because both consortia are organized in such a unique way, they have forged an ongoing learning partnership, which they lovingly call “Almonds to Apples”, reflecting the crops each community is known for.
Since WKC's inception, the consortium has grown to include Elk Hills Elementary, Wasco Union High School, and Taft Union High School Districts. WKC predicts these schools will make similar gains in due time, with some already showing seeds of success.
