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Two LAUSD elementary principals credit family partnerships and culture for safety and attendance gains
Summary
Principals from 122nd Street and Sally Ride elementary schools told the School Safety & Climate Committee that relationship-building, consistent expectations, and community partnerships drove improvements in school climate and attendance; 122nd Street cited a fall in chronic absenteeism and multiple recognition awards.
Two principals selected to speak at the School Safety & Climate Committee credited strong family partnerships and intentional culture work for measurable improvements in safety and attendance.
"I am Lisa Smith, the proud principal of 122nd Street Elementary," Smith told the committee, and she described the school’s approach to family engagement and character-building. Smith said 122nd Street serves about 560 students (a large Hispanic population, a number of English learners and students experiencing homelessness) and reported chronic absenteeism fell from roughly 20% in 2020 to about 4.1% “as of August to now,” a figure she presented at the meeting. Smith attributed gains to expectation assemblies, clear behavior pillars (the school added 'empathy' to trust, respect and responsibility), student leadership roles (forest rangers), STEAM and arts partnerships, and regular two-way communication with families.
Sally Ride principal (introduced by the committee as Mr. Centenno) presented a “culture-first” framework that emphasizes building trust, prioritizing a focused improvement area, assembling teams, building capability, collaboration and celebration. He said Sally Ride serves about 342 students, including roughly 137 English learners, and that school experience survey scores for student connectedness, expectations for behavior and overall safety are above district averages.
Both principals described concrete tactics: frequent expectation assemblies, parent volunteer programs and targeted enrichment (financial literacy, robotics, a published 'Author and Me' cohort at 122nd Street). Smith announced a Green Schoolyards grant ribbon cutting for a campus forest on March 24 and noted 122nd Street received a 2025 California PBIS silver award and was named a California Distinguished School in 2025. Centenno emphasized that intentional focus, team building and celebration of wins are central to sustaining culture change.
The committee and district staff asked how the district could reduce barriers to resources; principals asked for streamlined access to funding and continued volunteer training. Both principals were invited to share their practices with other sites to enable replication.
