Three‑year evaluation finds gains in student belonging and engagement after structural changes, but racial disparities remain

District leaders presented a three‑year evaluation of structural changes to the school day, including a block schedule and longer passing periods, and said the data show improvements in measures of student belonging, teacher caring and classroom engagement while highlighting persistent racial disparities in instructional dialogue and analysis.

"71 percent of students reported feeling a sense of belonging," the presenter said, noting that rate rose from 63 percent in an earlier year. The report drew on staff and student surveys, classroom observations using the CLAS tool (University of Virginia), and attendance and discipline records collected over multiple years.

Presenters said some observation measures increased significantly from 2024 to 2025, with instructional dialogue rising from about 3.7 to 4.2 and analysis & inquiry from about 3.0 to 3.8 on a 1–7 scale; they also noted differences in observations in classes with 45% or more Black and Latino students compared with classes below that threshold.

Board members pressed for details about who answers surveys less positively and how interventions will be targeted. The administration said staff surveys are anonymous and that the CARE (collaborative action research for equity) model will guide teacher planning and professional learning to address disparities.

Observers and training: Doctor Levy and Senior Research Associate Dr. Liz Harder described an intensive training and integrated reliability checks for observers, and said classroom observations are randomly sampled across departments, days and block periods to produce an aggregate picture rather than teacher evaluations.

The board praised the depth of the evaluation and asked administration to continue expanding observations and to report on targeted interventions for groups responding less positively.