School Spotlight: High Tech LA
HTLA is building a safer, more supportive school community through strong leadership and a clear student voice
As a veteran member of Making Caring Common’s Caring Schools Initiative (CSI), High Tech LA (HTLA), an independent public charter high school located in Van Nuys, California, has developed key strategies and interventions that have helped build a safer and more supportive school community. Essential to their success has been a strong leadership team and the role of student voice.
School counselor Nikki Bender and principal Marsha Rybin have worked closely alongside other staff members to prioritize their commitment to cultivating a caring and supportive community for staff and students. Through action planning, they identified opportunities for students and staff to work together to build empathy, strengthen relationships, and provide support within the school. Students have also had a tremendous impact on their efforts. The faculty nominated students from each grade level to be on the school climate committee, a group that meets monthly to create goals and brainstorm effective solutions. These conversations have been highly valuable to HTLA and enable them to have open discussions about how student and staff interpretations may differ at times. Check out MCC’s School Climate Committee Strategy Guide for ideas on starting your own student-led committee.
Here are HTLA’s tips for successful action planning:
Encourage teacher buy-in, especially during the implementation phase of the action plan.
Avoid censoring topics in front of the students, which can make the atmosphere more relaxed for students and faculty.
Create small goals that can be accomplished throughout your action plan.
Develop a 5 or 10 year action plan rather than only an immediate plan in order to have long term goals in place that are attainable.
Provide information and introduce topics thoughtfully to committees and others by encouraging discussions rather than providing presentations.
Student voice is key! Leverage their knowledge and perspectives in your work.
Great job HTLA! Thanks for sharing.
Learn more about MCC’s Caring Schools Initiative here →