Superintendent Lile on why international benchmarking is important. (1 min, 38 sec watch)
It isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about fostering thinkers who can adapt, creators who can communicate, and citizens who actively contribute to their communities. Graduates will leave school ready to excel in higher education, leap into meaningful careers, and engage with the world around them.
A Holistic Approach to System Redesign
To realize the vision, mission, and beliefs the district engaged in two community-wide initiatives.
First, a promise to all students and the community as to the type of citizens that Madera Unified will educate and develop. The Madera Unified Graduate Profile is a framework that articulates key 21st-century readiness skills that they want all district graduates to master. The Profile highlights six key areas: Think, Communicate, Collaborate, Produce, Adapt, and Contribute.
Kristin McKenna, director of College and Career Readiness, describes how the Graduate Profile was developed and why it was important. (2 min, 9 sec watch)
Then an educational system, fully redesigned from early childhood through graduation, to support all students in achieving the promise of the Graduate Profile.
Madera Unified is redesigning itself as a high-performing system comparable to any in the U.S. and around the world. This resulted in the Focus Five – five areas for systemic redesign over the next three years:
- Early Childhood Supports for children and their families before beginning school
- High-Quality Education with aligned curriculum & teaching
- Equity Before Equality by providing resources based on student needs
- Incentives and Supports to continuously improve performance
- Recruit and Retain highly-qualified staff
Superintendent Lile describes why transforming the district is critical to its success (1 min, 42 sec watch)
Following the pandemic, Madera Unified began its systems redesign journey in three areas couched within the Focus Five.
One focus area was the addition of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) activities in the elementary schools. As with the visual and performing arts, the emphasis on STEM in the curriculum was explicitly designed to support the characteristics of the Graduate Profile. In this video, see the STEM curriculum in action in a first-grade classroom.
A teacher describes the focus area and its impact on students(1 min, 49 sec watch)
Another focus area was the addition of more visual and performing arts opportunities in elementary school. These enhancements to the curriculum were designed both to increase student engagement after students had been away from in-person schooling for almost two years and to support the characteristics of the Graduate Profile.
A principal and members of the district team describe the focus area and its impact on students. (2 min, 39 sec watch)
The third focus area is creating time in the busy school schedule for teachers to have an opportunity to work together. With that time, teachers are refining how they deliver instruction so students achieve more. While the teachers are improving their craft, the students are taking advantage of the additional arts and STEM lessons. Adding those new courses provided the time in the schedule for each teacher within the school day for collaboration. A win-win.
“We are seeing our teachers really dive into the standards deeper, understand them better, have more meaningful collaboration and plan for better instruction.”
-Erin Falke, principal
Superintendent Lile discusses how critical it is for teachers to have time to collaborate, learn together, and innovate. (2 min, 18 sec watch)
As Madera Unified continues to evolve, its story serves as an inspiration and a model for other districts seeking to embark on their paths of educational transformation. In partnership with the National Center on Education and the Economy, Madera Unified has not only reimagined its educational landscape but has also laid the groundwork for a brighter future for all its students.
How can we prepare our students for a world that’s constantly changing if our educational systems remain static?
How do you envision a graduate profile for your district?
Let’s inspire and support each other in preparing our students for a vibrant and challenging future.
Take in the whole story with the video below.
System Design in Action (6 min, 31 sec watch)
