FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Kings Canyon Unified School District’s strong academic performance among English learners is gaining attention beyond the Central Valley, prompting researchers to study what may be driving those results.<\/p>\n
At Navelencia Middle School, English language arts and history teacher Lorenzo Gonzalez spends part of his day working with English language development students, helping them build language and academic skills.<\/p>\n
“Go ahead and start looking at one inference, one explicit piece of information and then write it down,” Gonzalez tells students during a lesson.<\/p>\n
According to district officials, 55% of Kings Canyon Unified students are current or former English learners. Despite that, the district has posted notable academic gains.<\/p>\n
Last year, district assessment scores increased by 4.25 percentage points in mathematics and 4.69 percentage points in English language arts. The improvements helped Kings Canyon Unified exceed its pre-pandemic performance levels in both subjects for the first time.<\/p>\n
Those results caught the attention of the Learning Policy Institute, a national education research organization. Researcher Amaya Garcia recently visited three district campuses, including Navelencia Middle School, to identify strategies that may be contributing to student success.<\/p>\n
“So we were really curious to learn about the different strategies and approaches that were being implemented to see these positive outcomes for these students,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Kings Canyon Unified was selected after researchers examined data from school districts across California to identify systems showing strong outcomes for English learners. Thirteen districts were initially identified, and Kings Canyon Unified was ultimately chosen as one of three locations for an in-depth case study.<\/p>\n
Garcia said one factor that stood out during her visit was the mindset educators bring to their work.<\/p>\n
“The leaders and teachers that I met in Kings Canyon all have this asset-oriented mindset and all believe that kids are capable regardless of their circumstances and background,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Researchers also observed how district leaders and school staff use student performance data to guide instruction and intervention efforts.<\/p>\n
“They use student data very, very intentionally and methodically,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Gonzalez said that can include classroom strategies such as pairing students who may be struggling with classmates who are excelling academically, creating additional opportunities for peer learning and support.<\/p>\n
He said watching students grow and become more confident is one of the most rewarding parts of his job.<\/p>\n
“They want to perform, and they just want to try their best,” Gonzalez said. “It feels good coming into work every day, knowing that they’re advancing.”<\/p>\n
Garcia believes the district’s success stems from more than instructional practices alone. She said the study is examining how leadership, school culture, programs and educational philosophy all work together to support student achievement.<\/p>\n
“We’re hoping that districts in California and actually nationally are able to learn some of the lessons of what’s been effective in this district and consider the alignment with their own approaches,” Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Researchers also noted that much of Kings Canyon Unified’s leadership team has remained with the district for many years, providing continuity that may contribute to long-term improvement efforts.<\/p>\n
The Learning Policy Institute expects to complete and publish its findings in early 2027.<\/p>\n
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