It has been a whirlwind few weeks at Californians for Justice as youth leaders and staff presented on Relationship Centered Schools work to teachers at Cabrillo and Lakewood high schools. The luncheons included an overview of the work in the district so far as well as interactive questions, relationship building and delicious food.

Over 60 teachers were in attendance and heard from CFJ youth leaders Oscar Favela and Liliana Ayala about the importance of relationship building with students on campus. Our students co-presented with CFJ staff in order to show the power of youth and adult allies leading together on school policy and practices.

As Relationship Centered Schools continue to roll out at Lakewood and Cabrillo High schools, critical and central to the work are teachers. We talked to teachers about creating shared spaces where teachers, students and staff can come together to discuss shared practices to center relationships of trust of campus. At Lakewood this will look like a site team comprised of teachers, administrators and students. At Cabrillo this will look like a Peer Learning network

Guiding our work is the data point that 1 in 3 students cannot identify a single caring adult at school. During the luncheon, a teacher at Lakewood High school shared that after hearing that data point at our district wide learning day earlier this year, she actually went home and asked her two highschool aged children if they had a caring adult at school and 1 out of them did not. This data point reflects the need to create relationship centered schools where every student in LBUSD is succeeding because they have at least 1 caring adult on their campus.

We look forward to continuing to partner with teachers throughout LBUSD to support them in their efforts to center trust and relationships with their students. When we develop these relationships, we show our students, families and communities that schools our schools are safe and supportive environments, built to ensure every student can thrive, regardless of race or zipcode.

CFJ Making Waves Statewide and Nationally

During the last few weeks Californians for Justice’s work with allies in the education field has helped shift the narrative around school safety, equity and racial justice in education.

• Californians for Justice and the Alliance for Continuous Improvement Announce 8-Point Plan to Improve CA Schools & Student Achievement
• CFJ Youth Feedback Featured in National Report on School Safety Solutions for Students and Families