Deep Learning As A Declaration of Love For CA Youth
By Asher Ki “Transformative Community Schools Framework” is THE long-term strategy for whole school and systems transformation. Community schools are an authentic approach designed directly by impacted students, along with their families, community partners and educators, centered on a framework inclusive of partnership, equitable decision making, and learning as a tool for transformation. A strategy…
Read More
California’s Budget is Good News for School Transformation!
Above: Original art by Eden Meseret (she/her) for the California Partnership for the Future of Learning 2022 Arts Showcase. Two weeks into the year and we’re already celebrating some good news! On Tuesday, Governor Newsom released the 23-24 State Budget proposal naming key investments for students, and doubling down on commitments to public education. Most…
Read More
We Want To See Joy, Celebration & Liberation in CA Public Schools
Students walking back into classrooms this fall deserve to feel safe, seen and celebrated. We want CA’s public school students to see teachers and staff who look like them, come from their local community and understand the hurdles they face. We want Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander students and families to be centered…
Read More
Californians for Justice Part of Statewide Lead for Community Schools
The California State Board of Education approved the Lead Technical Assistance Center for the California Community Schools Partnership Program, a team that includes Californians for Justice (CFJ). The $3 Billion program prioritizes racially just, relationship-centered community school models across the state. Californians for Justice is honored to be named part of the team and will…
Read More
Why We Organize For Relationship-Centered, Community Schools
By Asher Ki, CFJ Organizer, Fresno Dear Community, it’s time for something new. A lot of the problems that we’ve been hearing about schools during Covid – learning disparities between Black students and white peers, the need for mental health resources, students feeling unsafe and needing relationships – existed before Covid, this pandemic has just…
Read More
Public Schools Are the Heart of Our Communities
Above Image: CFJ Youth Leaders hanging out pre-pandemic at Fremont High School in Oakland. Love is in the air, and we’re celebrating by taking a moment to appreciate one of the major relationships in our life – the CA public school system! That’s right, decades into our relationship, CFJ remains enamored with public schools and…
Read More
New Case Study Shows the Power of Student Voice to Transform Our Schools
We’re excited to share key findings from a case study released by the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools showcasing the lasting impact student voice engagement has in our schools. The new report “Nothing About Us Without Us” examines the last decade of CFJ’s work organizing with student leaders in the East Side Union…
Read More
Honoring Native American History Month
While the United States has tried to eradicate Indigenous people and cultures across Turtle Island, this Native American History Month and National Day of Mourning, we are proclaiming from the top of our lungs, Indigenous People Are Still Here! Indigenous people, languages, and traditions have existed and thrived on these lands for millennia. Not only…
Read More
Students Need A Return to Community, Not Just Classrooms
Back to school season is upon us and the stakes are high for students and families across California. Many are starting at new campuses, meeting new teachers and navigating social settings they haven’t been exposed to since before the pandemic began. And if that isn’t already overwhelming enough, young people are also carrying the trauma…
Read More