Commitment to Equity

We are committed to creating an educational landscape where every student has an equal access and opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or circumstances. By championing equity, we are not only improving the lives of individual students but also strengthening our communities and building a brighter future for the region .

Equity Statement

As K-16 educational leaders from across the six counties of our Central Coast, our collective integrity is upheld through transparency, accountability, and bidirectional communication. We recognize and affirm the deep value and positive impact that diversity of perspectives, experiences, and identities have within our schools and campuses. Across all levels of education, our Collaborative is committed to creating more diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational experiences for our economically disadvantaged students. 

To promote equity in the midst of increasing sociopolitical and cultural resistance, we commit to authentically examine how we serve and support our students. We will address systemic racism and inequities through purposeful expansion of partnerships and educational and workforce pathways. Uplifting student and community voices will drive our systems change work to improve economic mobility and prepare successive generations of leaders to promote and uphold a just society.

Values

The collaboratives key decisions are shaped by the following values: 

  1. Identify, disrupt and eliminate systemic inequities

  2. Commit to data-informed practices

  3. Build upon community strengths, assets and aspirations

  4. Collaborate with our communities to ensure fair representation of voice and self determination

Problem Statement

With our disproportionately impacted student population increasing in California, it is crucial to realign our K16 educational systems to best support these students’ post secondary aspirations. In the Central Coast’s current education landscape there is a significant and disturbing downward trend that 58% of residents over 25 lack a postsecondary degree. The barriers to pursuing a college degree begin early; for example, many students in the region do not complete high school courses to become college and career ready, such as only 40.5% complete courses required for admission to CSU and UC campuses (A-G requirements). These trends impact the overall health of the region’s economy; this creates a domino effect for the region’s labor market demand gaps and access to livable wage and upward mobility. We commit to urgent action, now grounded in research and deep listening, to activate effective leadership practices that reverse this trend by disrupting inequitable systems and structures in our institutions. We have an obligation to build upon our economically disadvantaged students’ strengths, assets and rich cultural and linguistic contributions to prepare them for economic mobility in our region and the broader world.