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Inglewood Unified highlights strongest test results since before pandemic; leaders credit partnerships and targeted supports
Summary
Inglewood Unified officials said student achievement rose across every tested subject, with ELA at about 30% meeting or exceeding standards and math proficiency approaching 20%; panelists credited targeted classroom practices, districtwide plans and city partnerships for the gains.
Bernardet Lucas, assistant superintendent of educational services for the Inglewood Unified School District, opened IUSD Unplugged by saying that "student achievement rose across every tested subject," and announced that English language arts proficiency stood at roughly 30% while math proficiency rose by 3.3 points to nearly 20%, improvements officials said outpaced recent years.
Why it matters: district leaders and city officials framed the results as evidence that coordinated leadership, classroom practice and city partnership can reverse declines. "We have a plan," Dr. Jim Morris said, describing an approach he summarized as serving "every student by name and by need," built around rigorous instruction, strong leaders and an assessment system intended to prevent students from falling behind.
Panelists pointed to several concrete measures behind the gains. At the school level, City Honors used daily practice items and targeted interventions to drive math growth, while districtwide strategies included data-driven monitoring, professional learning communities and focused support for students identified as below grade level. Dr. Carlos McGee, vice president of the IUSD board, said the board's decisions are guided by equity: "If it's not good for our students, it's not going to be good for anybody."
City partnership and investment were highlighted as complementary to school efforts. Mayor James T. Buts described painful fiscal choices from earlier in the decade that he said helped stabilize operations: he told viewers the city had cut positions and implemented a 10% furlough to restore fiscal health, and cited ongoing partnerships such as police support for school safety and a planned library renovation that will include an innovation center linked to the high school.
Officials singled out subgroup gains as markers of equity progress: speakers noted that district science proficiency improved across grades and that proficiency among African-American students doubled in one year, a development Dr. Morris and others described as evidence the district's strategies are reaching historically underserved groups.
What's next: panelists called for sustaining investments and cross-sector work. The mayor and district leaders urged continued collaboration on public safety, facilities and family engagement as the district seeks to convert gains into longer-term outcomes.
The district did not present a formal vote or policy change during the program; the remarks were framed as progress reporting and planning discussion rather than new board actions.
