School of Education to enter university-assisted partnership with Santa Ana district

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 22, 2024 — The University of California, Irvine School of Education will join with the Santa Ana Unified School District to launch their first university-assisted partnership at James Monroe Elementary School.

While the School of Education regularly engages in research-practice partnerships with SAUSD schools and programs, the university-assisted partnership is distinctive for allowing a more robust, holistic and community-driven approach between the School of Education and an entire school. It will advance Monroe Elementary’s current work to integrate student support efforts, expand learning opportunities, and promote active family and community engagement.

The K-5 school will also benefit from a formal connection with the higher education and K-12 communities through research and best practices as a university-assisted partnership institution.

School leaders and teachers capable of building and transforming Monroe Elementary into a true collaborative learning community and model of excellence will be identified, recruited, developed and supported. The partnership will enhance the effectiveness of classroom teaching practices and student and family programming to improve academic outcomes – via a program that can be replicated at other campuses in the SAUSD and throughout California. Another objective is to create internships for UC Irvine’s student teachers, career pathways for graduates of the School of Education’s degree and certificate programs, and professional development opportunities for current SAUSD instructors.

“We are thrilled to embark on this groundbreaking partnership with UC Irvine that will undoubtedly enhance the educational experience at Monroe Elementary School,” said Jerry Almendarez, SAUSD superintendent. “By combining the innovative research and academic excellence of UC Irvine with the deep community ties and dedication of our district, we are creating a collaborative model that will not only benefit our students and teachers but also inspire similar initiatives across the state.”

“This partnership gives the School of Education community a tremendous opportunity to collaborate in community-engaged research and to strengthen further our strong and long-established partnership with Santa Ana Unified School District,” said Frances Contreras, dean of the School of Education. “This university-assisted partnership school represents our first formal lab school. Given the strength of the School of Education faculty in STEM, language development and teacher education, Monroe presents an exciting setting to help shape a learning environment that draws upon the latest technology and innovations and positions linguistic development as a central asset.”

Steps toward the university-assisted partnership began in spring when the SAUSD superintendent invited several UC Irvine faculty members and administrators to discuss the possibility of the School of Education’s partnering with a specific school in the district.

SAUSD leaders were impressed with successful existing collaborations that several UC Irvine School of Education faculty members were leading in their district, including a “fraction ball” math intervention that Andres Bustamante, associate professor of education, leads at Monroe Elementary to help kids learn fractions in a fun and effective way.

The district wanted to explore a more formal partnership to improve student and school success more holistically. The School of Education considered the invitation an opportunity to share faculty expertise in research in ways that could help inform school practices in the local context. Similarly, observing the school’s day-to-day practices could help inform UC Irvine research. The SAUSD Board of Education approved a formal, three-year memorandum of understanding for this partnership at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Joining Bustamante from UC Irvine will be June Ahn, professor of education; Symone Gyles, assistant professor of education, who will provide administrative and faculty oversight to the partnership with Monroe Elementary; and Adam Lara, associate director of research practice partnerships and community engagement. Through the Orange County Educational Advancement Network, these and many other researchers at UC Irvine have partnered with K-12 schools and nonprofits to engage in scholarship to advance diverse communities in Orange County and beyond.

About James Monroe Elementary School

With an enrollment of 240 K-5 students, James Monroe Elementary School is located at 417 E. Central Ave., in Santa Ana, 4 miles north of John Wayne Airport. Approximately 85 percent of its students are from socioeconomically disadvantaged families – 98 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 59 percent are English learners.

Monroe Elementary draws from the culture and strengths of its students and families. Their native language – Spanish – is viewed as a vital asset to be uplifted, and the school integrates community and project-based learning into its curriculum. Monroe Elementary’s dual-language immersion program promotes bilingualism and biliteracy in Spanish and English, rigorous academic achievement and cross-cultural understanding. Kindergartners start with 80 percent of instruction in Spanish and move to 50 percent by fifth grade.

In addition to its commitment to empowering students to become bilingual and biliterate, Monroe Elementary fosters competencies in science and technology through an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, art and math. It’s one of the first schools in the nation to provide the Project Lead the Way curriculum in Spanish and was recognized as a PLTW Distinguished Launch School this year. PLTW is a hands-on learning program that engages students in real-world problem-solving and critical thinking.

About UC Irvine’s Brilliant Future campaign:Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UC Irvine. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UC Irvine seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. The School of Education plays a vital role in the success of the campaign. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu/school-of-education.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 37,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

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