Gunn High credits co-teaching and targeted supports as gaps narrow for students with disabilities

Gunn High School staff on Tuesday presented data to the Palo Alto Unified School District board showing measurable improvements for students receiving special-education services.

Dr. Stratton and Gunn special-education leaders said the percentage of special-education students who earned a D or higher rose to 90.2% while the district's overall course-completion rate remained about 97.2%. Presenters told the board that in spring 2023 special-education students were 5.3 times more likely than general-education peers to receive a non-passing grade; by spring 2025 that figure had improved to about 3.5 times.

"It takes a village where everyone plays a role in student success," said Briana Gonzalez, Gunn's special-education instructional lead, who described district partnership work, a multi-year co-teaching workshop and site-level professional learning communities as contributors to gains.

Dr. Stratton said school and district teams have focused on "collaboration, identifying common skills and strategies, and promoting belonging across campus." She added that Gunn has hosted co-teaching observations and a district-level summer workshop aimed at spreading proven practices.

Public commenters praised the work and urged the district to expand successful strategies to other sites. Stephen Davis said Gunn's results "show a path forward for everybody" and asked staff to scale the approaches districtwide.

District leaders emphasized the progress but cautioned that gaps remain and further work is required. The presentation included both school-level initiatives and partnerships with the county office of education; staff said they will continue to monitor outcomes and refine interventions.

The board did not take formal action on the presentation; presenters said next steps include sharing workshop materials and collaborating on districtwide professional development.