Innovative Partnership and Practices in Riverside County with Dr. Amanda Wade

Joanna Marrufo hosts a podcast discussing community schools and their impact on education, featuring Dr. Amanda Wade, a community schools coordinator at the Riverside County Office of Education. Wade, with 17 years in education, emphasizes the importance of community schools in addressing diverse student needs across nine districts in Riverside County. The county has received four cohorts of the California Community Schools Partnership Program Grant, supporting 80 schools. Challenges include tailoring support to diverse districts without overwhelming them and educating stakeholders about community schools. Innovative strategies include embedding youth in school systems and fostering leadership skills to advocate effectively.

Transcript

Amanda Wade, Joanna Marrufo

Joanna Marrufo  00:08

Welcome to Beyond Academics, connecting classroom and community. The podcast where we dive deep into the world of community schools and explore how they're transforming education for students, families and communities. We are hearing from educators and community members who are at the forefront of creating change and meeting the needs of the community, be it basic needs, healthcare, social services, support or social emotional learning.

Joanna Marrufo  00:38

I'm Joanna maruffo, your host, integrated supports, outreach specialist with San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. And in today's episode, we're honored to welcome Amanda Wade, Riverside County Office of Education, Community School coordinator, who's going to share how she is navigating Community Schools in Riverside County. Amanda Wade has been a community schools coordinator at the Riverside County Office of Education, and has been in the educational field for 17 years. She is a strategic leader in education leadership and helps empower communities through education and health initiatives. Amanda brings a collaborative approach to Riverside County, bringing her extensive knowledge in education administration and leadership, curriculum development, civic engagement and grant administration. She has a sincere and authentic passion for building equity center supports in schools, and has helped catalyze supports for Riverside County. She's a servant leader and has made it her life's mission to support all communities, especially for at promise youth and alternative education. So happy to see you here and speak with you today. Amanda, .

Amanda Wade  01:54

 Good morning. Thank you for having me.

Joanna Marrufo  01:57

So I'm curious to learn more about what brought you to this role, and if you don't mind sharing how your values align with the community, schools work 

Amanda Wade  02:07

definitely. So like you said, Yeah, I've been in education for about 17 years. I was a teacher for English and ELD and intervention, and I was a teacher on assignment for ELD and intervention, and I was an administrator at a comprehensive high school and a continuation high school, and it really was when I was in continuation high school that I understood that my entire career, I had been advocating For the most vulnerable and the most at promise youth and really, throughout my career as an ELD teacher and an intervention teacher, just really filling this bowl of injustice for my students who are not being served the same way as their maybe more affluent counterparts were I came to a point in my life that I really had to ask myself, like, what am I going to do with this very short life? And I made the decision to pursue an avenue that allowed me to advocate for our most at promise youth. And so I became a commissioner for the Riverside County Juvenile Justice Commission, and I started pursuing an educational leadership doctorate at UCLA, all for really to benefit those who need it most. And so this really aligns with the values of community schools. And when I started hearing more about community schools and there were job openings for Community School coordinators, I really felt like this work is creating a safe and just place for students, and that's what I wanted to do, where students are going to experience rigorous, real world based learning, and are being provided with the necessary supports that are going to eliminate barriers to them achieving the success that they choose. So that, of course, very closely aligns with my mission of serving and advocating for at promise youth, so everyone can benefit from the work of community schools, but crucial and pivotal change can occur for our at promise Youth and Community Schools because of the work that they do 

Joanna Marrufo  04:21

wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing how your work even extends after work, right, like the service that you're doing and and also the the personal growth they're doing in in pursuing your doctorate level work and supporting kind of like that, that shining a light on that type of research. So thank you so much for sharing that. I'm curious to hear more about how Riverside Counties needs. What are they? What? What type of population do you serve? If you don't mind describing a little bit of some of those community schools needs? 

Amanda Wade  04:59

I mean. It's interesting, because much like San Bernardino County, the county of Riverside spans such a large geographical area and encompasses a large variety of physical environments, so all the way from Indio to Corona to ansa to Marino Valley, the socio economic levels, workforce opportunities, post secondary education options, cultural centers, they're all important factors, and they're all such a wide variety within that geographical area, which means that there's a wide variety of needs, right? We, while we have access to an r1 institution at UCR and access to private institutions like California Baptist and last year university for post secondary education. We also struggle with many systemic inequities, like other counties, our integrated systems of support at the county level across all types of service industries focus on housing and in rehousing and workforce development and social services, healthcare access and rehabilitation and our education systems are 23 school districts are focusing on providing the most rigorous curriculum they Can, real world experiences for our students, restorative school cultures that really need to occur, and next generation technology integration. Our students need all of those things. Our residents need all of those things to prepare for college career and citizenship in this, this ever changing world, right? So the world is changing day by day, and I think that's not unique, right? We're all going through that. And so we do have very similar counties in the geographic region, and we have similar, I think, desires for both of our counties. We want both of our county students to excel and exceed everything that we have done before, right?

Joanna Marrufo  07:07

Exactly? Yeah, our missions are aligned, and the people that we care about are a top priority, especially the children in schools and their families. So I'm curious to learn more about how many community schools are in Riverside County, and how long has it been? Have has it have they been involved? 

Amanda Wade  07:30

We now are at the point where we've received four cohorts worth of the California Community Schools Partnership Program Grant within the county. The first two cohorts were held by her Jurupa unified, and then in the third cohort, we got quite a few more. And now with the fourth cohort, just announced by the State Board of Education, we have a total of 80 schools within nine districts with two charter schools. So we're extremely happy that out of the 23 districts that Riverside County has, we have nine districts that are participating and really are looking forward to seeing how our 80 schools are able to, you know, eliminate those barriers to success for our students and really propel them forward. 

Joanna Marrufo  08:18

Wonderful. That's so exciting to see that there these resources are being invested here in Riverside County. So if you don't mind sharing a little bit of from your perspective, what are some of those challenges that in supporting community schools and what? What are the challenges that are faced in implementing some of these strategies? 

Amanda Wade  08:41

I'll talk about two challenges that we face this school year or within the last year and a half or so. So we work with, like I said, nine different districts. But those nine different districts have different contexts, and they have different visions and missions. They have different students, they have different socioeconomic levels, they have different academic offerings. So really a challenge at our level, at the county level, as a technical assistance provider, is learning how best to support our schools and districts without overburdening them with options or professional development while they're doing the hard work at schools with students, so trying to support them the best that we can, in a way that is the most effective for their time and not to overburden them. So that's one challenge, and then we're really trying to work on how we can support schools in helping their stakeholders understand what community schools are and what they're not. There. Across the nation, there are community schools. Community Schools have been around for a very long time. They may be new to California. They be maybe a new concept for California. So it's part of our role to help schools, to help their stakeholders. Understand as part of their implementation what a community school truly is

Joanna Marrufo  10:06

wonderful. And if you don't mind sharing what are some of the creative strategies that you've seen implemented in Riverside County, and seeing how this work is truly removing those barriers, if you don't mind sharing some of those exciting, innovative projects or initiatives that are being implemented at the schools.

Amanda Wade  10:30

Yeah, so we have, you know, so many different types of approaches to community schools, people who may have already been doing some of that work already, versus people that are really just starting and trying to understand what it's all about. So when I think about like, what is a really creative strategy for gaining student voice, which is a big part of community schools, because there's that shared leadership aspect and really creating a just place for students, which which means that we're accessing their voice, right? We're allowing them a place to speak. And so Alfred Unified has student advisory committees that they're working with within their school sites, and particularly at the high school level, where students are really able to articulate themselves really well. They've been provided time to collectively create their school surveys with their community school coordinators. They are analyzing the data. The students are analyzing the data with their coordinator for these surveys and really looking at okay, now that we have our needs and assets assessment completed and the data says this, what are we going to do about it? And so that's a collective decision that's being made, and then brought to school leaders after that point in time. And I don't think that that's something that occurs very often, and I hope that that's something that does occur more often with community schools. Another place where I feel some really great work is occurring is in Perris Elementary School District, they've really restructured their staffing supports on campus to highlight their their mission or vision of belonging, leading and succeeding, and so they're offering daily check ins for student wellness. They have wellness teams that are responding to student behavior and mental health concerns. They're really doing a lot of professional development to create this sense of belonging on campus, because belonging, leading and succeeding drives everything that they do. And so that's something that I think is incredibly important that's happening at the elementary level. And then also we have jurupa unified and their leadership there is doing an incredible job of establishing collaborative relationships with our Department of Public Health and with our post secondary education partners to really understand the funding systems and opportunities that are available, and using braided funding to fund positions and services. And so they're doing an incredible job there. I think in addition to that, we have some amazing career pathways in our county from like advanced soil, it's science to digital, media, engineering design. Our county has a plethora of different opportunities, but what's really great about these pathways and community schools where they occur is that they're regularly interacting with content experts, real world professionals. They're gaining opportunities to see work through field trips and pre apprenticeship courses. So really propelling the work of CTE and career technical education past what it already is, so that we can integrate real world experiences. I'm looking forward to seeing more of that. 

Joanna Marrufo  14:02

One of the things that you shared that just made me feel just hopeful, was activating that student voice and really allowing students to be a part of the process, not being just, you know, being a part of, like, the implementation, right? It's, they're actually, they got skin in the game, because they're part of, you know, this data collection and real world like problem solving, right, supporting, like, alongside the school district. And so I'm just curious of what do you think that impact has on the student in your point of view? 

Amanda Wade  14:42

Yeah, so I see two different things, right? So we're creating when we allow students to provide their voice, and we bring them in, and we make them feel comfortable, and we actually get what they are saying, we're allowing some more autonomy and confidence, right? But we're also doing. This other thing where we're building their trust in us to do something about it. So if we don't do something about it, and we've asked for their voice, and we've brought them in, and we've spent time with them analyzing data, but then nothing changes. What happens? Right? They lose trust in in, you know, their school site, their education, and that's something that I think that we need to keep in mind as we go through the Community Schools process and as the grant ends, is that we have to continue to bring in student, voice, parent, voice, community, voice, after the Community Schools partnership grant ends. Because if we don't, we're just saying we only did this because of this process in place, not that we value, and truly value your your input and leadership in this with us. So yeah, two different things I think, are being done at the same time.

Joanna Marrufo  16:00

Of course, the the process of creating those systems, right, where teens or youth are embedded, right? They're part of the DNA, right? It's not just one, one part of the, you know, from the grant, it's like, no, they're in the the system. And I just love that the Riverside County is taking that initiative and creating kind of those opportunities, right? And imagining maybe these analytical skills can give them those real world skills that they can use moving forward. 

Amanda Wade  16:35

Yeah, definitely. And what do we do when we hear like, you know, they will have to wrestle with that. Like, what do we do when we hear, you know, some negative feedback right about our school or about our teachers, or about the way things are being done? Like, what can we do with that? Do we provide the students with the skills to advocate for themselves in a way that is going to help them to be heard, right? How do we strengthen students leadership skills, to not approach things in a way that is going to, like, get their ideas knocked down, but like, creatively and are, you know are creatively articulate their point?

Joanna Marrufo  17:18

Yeah, it's almost give. It's giving them those skill sets, those tools, to be able to be great presenters and, you know, and and showcase the the need with with also being a part of the solution. So I'd love to, yeah, I'd love to meet these teams and hear more about things that they will be implementing alongside the school district. And then another thing you shared, as well was the opportunities that exist within Riverside County, in regards to the CTE pathways that I'm imagining you're connected to the universities, and maybe building that relationship, because you mentioned, like soil science and like all sorts of things. So I'm curious to see any relationships that are being built within the local university context?

Amanda Wade  18:06

Yeah. So Riverside County Office of Education has connections in multiple different ways to post secondary institutions. And you know, as a part of of the County Office of Education, I've been introduced to multiple different universities in multiple different contexts. One context specifically that's very important to us in Community Schools is our partnership with UCR in trying to develop University assisted community schools. And so that is something that we're definitely looking forward to in terms of post secondary education and career pathways. You know, many of our universities will provide opportunities for our students that are in career pathways to come into a place where they're able to get real world experiences. So if we've got nursing, you know, students who are in Certified Nursing program as a career technical education pathway, those students are able to go into local hospitals and or university, you know, practitioner spaces where they can gain real world experience.

Joanna Marrufo  19:20

 Wow, that is amazing. As someone who I was like a product of some of those, I would say it was, it was called Upward Bound, and it was math science Upward Bound through Pasadena City College. And so I am a product of that as well, because that really influences your world view, like potential careers, right? So, yeah, I think it's one of the most powerful things you could do, is just 

Amanda Wade  19:47

because, if we don't, yeah, if we don't give kids the opportunity to see what's possible, how will they know? You know, I just heard from somebody yesterday that went all the way through college, and I. It's like, well, I don't know what to do. I don't know what's out there for me. And that's something I think that community schools can 100% help and prevent, right? It has the opportunity with that extended and enriched learning opportunity pillar, to really help students explore, not just like who they are as people, but what they can do for society, what they can do for their, you know, career in the future.

Joanna Marrufo  20:29

It's almost like giving them that purpose, right? Like, hey, what giving them that that that space to say, like, what a, what a, how am I gonna I mean, how can I be of service? How can I give back and and contribute to this, to this community? Yeah, where do you fall in society? And then, yeah, how can you contribute to a more positive world? I love that. And it sounds like there's really strong partnerships with the hospitals and, you know, science. You know, science backgrounds and and exposing them to potential, life saving careers, yeah, getting them involved early on into that. So that's amazing. As far as any other advice that you would give to potential, like counties, listening like, what are some nuggets of advice that you would give to schools that are just starting out and implementing these initiatives? 

Amanda Wade  21:32

I would say that it's incredibly important to devote time and energy to building relationships, to build trust with school districts and site leaders, so that you understand that their context, you understand where their barriers are, and you understand how at the county level you can coordinate support in a county wide way. You know, our county is large geographically, some counties aren't right. I think it's really important for you to understand all viewpoints in a county so that you can address those on multiple different levels and really advocate for those school districts or school sites that need the most amount of support to do this work, I think it's important that you're scaffolding what you do for your school districts and school sites based on the capacity they have. Right? Some school districts have a large amount of staff that's devoted to community schools or or any other department. Right, utilize that right, utilize the capacity that exists already. And, you know, differentiate between counties based on what it is that they actually need and want in order to be successful in this work, that's my advice.

Joanna Marrufo  23:04

 That's fantastic advice, especially from someone who has that experience of working with a large county, yeah, being able to really foster, cultivate those authentic partnerships, relationships, individually, as organizations. Yeah? So that's wonderful, 

Amanda Wade  23:24

yeah, I think when you do work alongside people, it's a lot easier to do the work, right, and it's a lot easier to build a relationship at the same time, while you're doing the work, everybody needs support in some way, but if you're doing it alongside someone, it just seems to go a lot better.

Joanna Marrufo  23:44

Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for sharing, and I've had the privilege of also hearing from one of your school districts  in Riverside County. I we interviewed Victor Gutierrez from Valverde, and so exactly what you just shared, you know, aligns with what he shared about relationships and and building that trust. So I can see the through line, yeah, between the search, you know, the the county, and then into the school district and even at the school site. So 

Amanda Wade  24:22

shout out to my Valverde crew. 

Joanna Marrufo  24:25

Yes, they're amazing, and are doing amazing community schools work so well. With that, I'm honored and pleased to have had you, and I'm just really excited for all the wonderful opportunities that are just engaged. You know you're engaging with and you're creating as we speak. So here to support you in any way, and excited to hear more about what Riverside County is going to be up to in the next couple years.

Amanda Wade  24:54

 Thank you so much. Joanna, thank you for having me. I appreciate it My pleasure. Thank you. Bye. Thank you for joining us at Beyond Academics, connecting classroom and community, where we dive deep into the stories from people who are making a difference in school. They are the change makers who bring community schools to life by making an impact for families and children by meeting their needs. Don't forget to connect with us on social media accounts. You can find us on X, at SIR_TAC Instagram at @sbcss_iebranch at our website, CCSPPSIRTAC.ORG, Tune in for more episodes.