The following descriptions of our requested autonomies can be found on pages 3 & 4 of our Innovation School Plan.
Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
Esperanza School requests autonomy and flexibility in the areas of curriculum, assessment and instruction in order to effectively implement a two-way dual language immersion model in English and Spanish. To develop bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural students, Esperanza School must ensure that its curriculum, resources, language objectives, instructional pedagogy, and assessments are aligned to the process of teaching and learning in two languages.
Budget
The school is seeking budgetary autonomy and flexibility over its resources in order to fully implement the proposed educational program to meet the unique needs of our students. Flexibility in budgeting will enable the school to allocate resources as needed to implement this new educational approach in the district. For example, the school will need to allocate a significant portion of the budget for professional development and instructional materials and resources for Spanish language development as well as English, especially in the first two years. While the school will elect to purchase some discretionary services through the district, approved contracted services will be used in other cases when deemed appropriate and cost-effective. Further, the school may opt out of certain services, such as the district’s allocation to technology, textbooks or other materials.
Schedule and Calendar
The school will use its autonomy and flexibility to determine its school schedule and calendar in order to maximize learning and instruction time for our students and staff. Having the opportunity to rethink the typical school day will enable staff to best address the needs of families in supporting their children’s education by offering an extended school day as well as before and after school enrichment opportunities. In order to ensure increased achievement for students, the schedule will allow for increased collaborative planning time and professional development opportunities for teachers to analyze data to inform curriculum and instruction and provide individualized support for students.
Staffing
The school will benefit from the autonomy and flexibility of staffing to meet the specific qualifications of teaching and working in a school that is dedicated to developing bilingual, biliterate and multicultural students. Esperanza School will employ a quality instructional team that sets the highest academic expectations for our students and is committed to the concept of bilingualism and multiculturalism. All Esperanza staff will understand and embrace the principles of working within a culturally diverse community, will understand the challenges and best practices in supporting students in acquiring two languages, and will appreciate the cultural and community contexts in which our students and families live.
Professional Development
The school will use autonomy and flexibility to ensure that staff has the tools and resources to implement a two-way dual language immersion model. To this end, increased professional development for all staff is essential to carrying out the school’s mission and vision. Esperanza will use its autonomy to schedule professional development that provides staff with the necessary tools to achieve the highest standards inside the classroom and schoolwide.
District Policies and Procedures
The school will use its autonomy to establish a system of shared leadership and cooperation designed to achieve all of its goals. Above all, this system will promote and expect participatory leadership from all stakeholders. All faculty members at the Esperanza School will work as instructional leaders to share decision-making responsibilities in order to provide professional leadership, expertise, and the hands-on-experience needed to ensure high student growth and achievement. All decisions will be based on the needs of the students. Esperanza will share a commitment to involve and consider appropriate stakeholders in the decision-making processes and agree to be transparent about how different types of decisions will be made. Making decisions in schools can be challenging, time-consuming, and stressful. We commit to seeking a balance of garnering input while making decisions in an efficient and time-conscious manner.
