December 5, 2024
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Unified and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools are thrilled to announce a $16.8 million five-year grant to continue the trailblazing, collaborative journey to enhance and revolutionize how students learn math from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
In 2015, the Partnership launched an initiative to introduce high-quality instructional curricula to schools within the network of LAUSD schools that the organization provides supplemental services to. Los Angeles Unified collaborated with the Partnership to extend the implementation of the upgraded math curriculum to 223 secondary schools across the District.
Since 2020, LAUSD has invested over $73M in transforming its instructional practices in math. In the last year alone, these investments have precipitated District growth in math proficiency that outpaced the state overall, particularly for higher-need student populations.
Supplementing the professional learning opportunities offered by LAUSD, the Partnership and District teams worked closely with prominent educational organizations, including Leading Educators and The Achievement Network, to offer direct support to schools. This support included coaching, teacher professional development, and group learning opportunities for LAUSD school leaders and Regional Directors.
This new round of significant funding will support ongoing District efforts to improve and build coherence around math instruction. The Partnership will work with LAUSD to provide the following:
- District-Level Work: Strengthening professional learning systems to ensure the successful district-wide adoption of the curriculum.
- Regional-Level Support: Building the capacity of principal supervisors, coaches, and principals to ensure robust and consistent implementation.
- School-Level Focus: Direct work with 80 schools across LAUSD, helping school leaders and teachers integrate these materials effectively.
Through this trailblazing strategy, LAUSD and the Partnership will serve as a national model for effective curriculum adoption and implementation. The five-year timeframe allows the Partnership to significantly contribute to LAUSD’s long-term goals for instructional improvement, and the hope is that other districts will look to this work as an example.
“In recent years, the coordinated investments in improving math instructional practice have shown significant gains for Los Angeles students,” said Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “We are proud of our meaningful collaboration with our educators, the Division of Instruction, and the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and look forward to the incredible results that we will achieve with our District’s significant investments in materials and interventions in tandem with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant.”
Guadalupe Guerrero, CEO of the Partnership, expressed excitement about the potential of this initiative to impact math education across the district. “This investment from the Gates Foundation represents a significant opportunity to not only transform math instruction here in Los Angeles but also to serve as a beacon for other districts across California and the nation. By providing our educators with the tools, training, and support they need to implement high-quality instructional materials, we are setting a new standard for what’s possible in public education.”
Last month, Partnership for Los Angeles Schools joined forces with philanthropist and Partnership co-founder Melanie Lundquist and the Gates Foundation to unite 16 districts from across California in a groundbreaking convening. Together, we explored the Partnership’s and LAUSD’s transformative journey in adopting high-quality instructional materials, fostering an exchange of insights and resources to empower educators statewide. This initiative marks a pivotal step toward reimagining math education and creating lasting impact for students across California.
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Launched in 2007, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools is an independent nonprofit partnering with LAUSD to serve 13,550 students in 20 underserved schools across Boyle Heights, South LA, and Watts. The Partnership focuses on accelerating achievement for Black and Latino students and scaling school transformation across its network and beyond.
Contact
Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
Cadonna Dory, Vice President of Communications