Networks > African American Student Success
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Network Driver
Network Driver
Dr. Leilah Kirkendoll
Director, Equity-LCAP-MTSS-Categorical Funds
lkirkendoll@sdcoe.net
By The Numbers
By The Numbers
Enrollment: 388,497
English Learners: 17.1%
SWD: 16.8%
SED: 54.1%
African American: 3.8%
Problem of Practice
Problem of Practice
San Diego County Office of Education’s (SDCOE) work in the AASSN has focused on improving chronic absenteeism and the significant disproportionality in the Court and Community Schools they run through their county programs.
Our Strategies
Our Strategies
Strengthening PBIS practices: We are focusing on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in classrooms to promote positive interactions and clear behavioral expectations.
Expanding restorative practices: We are using restorative practices and student-centered learning to build self-efficacy and support relationship-based approaches to conflict resolution.
Enhancing socio-emotional supports: We are strengthening socio-emotional supports to help students build identity, responsibility, and accountability in their learning.
Desired Student Outcomes
Desired Student Outcomes
Decrease in chronic absenteeism for African American students
Increase in daily attendance for African American students
Decrease in suspension rates for African American students
Why we joined the Network
Why we joined the Network
As a county office team, we joined the African American Student Success Network (AASSN) in 2023 to better understand the experiences of students served in our Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS), which provide educational programming for youth referred by social services, probation, or one of the 42 school districts in San Diego County. Students in these settings have historically reported lower levels of engagement, reflected in lower attendance, higher discipline referrals, and weaker academic outcomes.
Between 2023 and 2025, our work focused on developing and administering a comprehensive student survey process to better understand students’ experiences in these programs. The results revealed lower self-reported rates of belonging among students in our court and community schools, making the strengthening of student belonging a central focus of our current work.
Selected Data
Selected Data
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