The Challenge
WUHSD’s partnership with Principal’s Exchange (now named Orenda) began in 1999. Sandy Thorstenson, who was assistant superintendent at the time, was committed to developing partnerships with organizations that could provide innovative solutions to improve the district’s instructional quality and raise student achievement outcomes.
The majority of students across the district were below proficiency in core subjects like math and English Language Arts (ELA), but previous solutions were not leading to the level of success the district knew its students were capable of achieving. In 2002, for example, only 20% of students across the district were proficient in math, and only 24% of students were proficient in ELA based on standardized test scores. As a graduate of that district herself, Sandy knew her students were capable of much more.
The Approach
Initially, Principal’s Exchange conducted an equity and achievement analysis of two of the district’s seven high schools that had the largest numbers of economically disadvantaged students and were lagging the farthest behind. While this process was challenging for each school’s administrators and staff, the insights and strategies that came from the analysis provided the blueprint for the systems-level changes they needed in order to accelerate learning and achievement for every student. As Sandy and her team began seeing the fruits of these systemic changes over time, they quickly expanded the partnership with Principal’s Exchange to all seven of the district’s high schools.
The Impact
Over the course of WUHSD’s partnership with Principal’s Exchange from 1999 to 2005, standardized math scores rose from 20% to 47% and ELA scores rose from 24% to 47%. Even more significant, WUHSD’s outcomes continued to increase after the partnership concluded. By 2011, 62% of WUHSD students met or exceeded math proficiency benchmarks and 63% reached the same benchmark in ELA.
Leaders who were part of the original work continued to carry these systems forward, including Dr. Monica Oviedo, who served as a principal during the partnership and now leads the district as superintendent. Dr. Oviedo’s leadership reflects the same urgency and commitment to ensuring that all students have access to high-quality instruction and opportunity. The systems established during the partnership—collaboration, shared accountability, and a focus on instructional quality—remain central to the district’s approach today.
Principal’s Exchange helped Whittier Union create a foundation of instructional excellence and a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement that have been essential to the district’s credo that demographics do not determine destiny.
