A subcommittee of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Community Schools Steering Committee (CSSC) is advancing implementation of the Meaningful Teaching and Learning (MTL) Resolution for five designated community schools: 24th Street Elementary School, 93rd Street Elementary School, Lucille Roybal Elementary School, Walnut Park Elementary School and Marlton SPAN School. To ensure these schools are fully equipped for the 2025–26 academic year, UNITE-LA has prepared key practices and guidance, drawn from expert interviews with educators experienced in project-based learning (PBL) and alternative assessments, to support their planning and effective implementation.

Through 11 expert interviews coordinated by the MTL Subcommittee, UNITE-LA synthesized key themes and recommendations to guide both the immediate next steps of the three-year MTL community schools pilot and the longer-term transformation of teaching and learning. The synthesis highlights nine major themes that reflect a shared understanding of the structural, cultural, instructional and systemic supports needed to build equitable, engaging and sustainable learning environments for students:

• Alignment of Performance-Based Assessments & Real-World Learning
• Teacher Collaboration & Professional Development
• Leadership & School Culture
• Family & Community Engagement
• Systems-Level Support & District Role
• Equity, Student-Centered & Culturally Sustaining Practices
• Sustainability & Scaling
• Structural Conditions (Time, Schedule, Staffing)
• Use of Graduate Profile/Competency Frameworks

The MTL Subcommittee has also created and launched a summer and fall professional development (PD) and learning calendar for participating schools. On July 31, the five MTL sites came together for the Summer Institute, their first chance to connect as full school teams, including newly hired MTL site coaches. Principals, community school coordinators and MTL coaches deepened their understanding of the resolution, identified action items to support teaching and learning, and explored how to extend PBL into community-based learning (CBL). Additionally, MTL coaches have completed an intensive eight-day Cognitive Coaching experience to align their practice with the supportive and collaborative approaches envisioned by the pilot. Future trainings include participation in UCLA’s community schools fellows deep dive program and the Anaheim Union High School District CBL site visits.

As co-convener of the CSSC, UNITE-LA will continue supporting the MTL Subcommittee in translating research and best practices into actionable strategies that center students and create meaningful learning opportunities for the five MTL community schools.

For more information, please reach out to Jenny Vu, Director of Education Systems Strategy, at [email protected].