In 2005 the district undertook to study the causes of socio-economic stratification occurring in our schools and develop strategies for reversing the trend. A task force was convened, which gathered information through multiple focus groups and provided its recommendations in June 2005.

The goal of destratification is to shift enrollment patterns so that each school reflects the demographics of the larger community. In particular, these efforts aim to facilitate increased enrollments of lower income students in schools where they are under-represented, while simultaneously attracting students from middle-class backgrounds to schools where they are under-represented.

In phase I of the plan which was developed during 2005-06 and implemented in the 2006-07 school year:

• Programs were enhanced at Lafayette, Ryan and Sanchez to persuade local students to stay in Lafayette schools;
• ESL programs were begun at more schools throughout the district; and
• Enrollments were capped at three high schools and class sizes were reduced at a few elementary schools.

Phase II of the destratification plan was implemented in 2007-08 and focused on BCSIS, High Peaks, Foothill, Creekside and Columbine. Its key tactics included:

• Enrollment preferences for low-income families to enroll in their school of choice;
• Enrollment controls;
• Enriched language development for second-language learners; and
• Program development, training and outreach.

Two main indicators are monitored in order to assess the success of these tactics:

• Do school populations better reflect the community demographics?
• Is there a measurable reduction in the achievement gap between various students in the district?

For more information, please reference the documents below.