Guidance for Principals

SSC Meeting - SPSA Approval Templates

SPSA Resources for site leaders

SPSA - Partnership between school and community

A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and community organizations. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities. Using public schools as hubs, community schools bring together many partners to offer a range of supports and opportunities to children, youth, families and communities. 

Given that the needs of students and families differ from school to school and neighborhood to neighborhood, the set of services and partnerships at each school must also differ. The School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is a site plan created by a school team including the principal, teachers, parents, community partners, and, where applicable, secondary school students. The SPSA is a tool for sites to prioritize particular programs and strategies that will best serve their students, families, and the community. It lays out each school’s plan for achieving its goals, and articulates the nexus between the school's goals and actions and the District's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), which lays out goals for the entire district.

The School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is an opportunity for Oakland Unified schools to:

• Participate in an inclusive and collaborative planning and support process within the school community,

• Develop priorities for the school with input from families and the community,

• Build ongoing collaborative relationship in service of students and families, and

• Showcase publicly the exciting work each school is doing.

Here are a few short examples of strategies and actions that might be included in a school’s SPSA:

• Build student awareness about career opportunities and college readiness through an annual career fair.

• Create meaningful family engagement through weekly teacher home visits to targeted students.

• Improve the safety and health of the school learning environment by creating a peer mediation program and training staff and students in restorative justice practices.

In addition, each school's SPSA documents:

• Supports for targeted student groups identified in the District Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP); 

• Programs and practices funded through Federal ESSA Title I and Title IV allocations;

• College and career-oriented pathways and programs funded through Oakland's Measure N; and

• Supports for middle schools funded through Oakland's Measure G1.

Support with Completion Support with Engagement