June Jordan School for Equity

June Jordan School for Equity was explicitly designed as a school rooted in equity and social justice. It was founded through a community organizing effort by a group of teachers, parents, and youth.  The goal of June Jordan was to provide a better educational experience for students who were not being appropriately served in traditional schools. As a school for social justice, we are committed to serving working-class, communities of color (Latinx, Pilipinx, Black and Pacific Islander). The mission of June Jordan is not just to prepare students for college, but also to prepare our graduates to be agents of positive change in the world. Over the course of 4 years, we work to prepare young people in three key areas: Community, Social Justice & Independent Thinkers!

Social Justice: We stand against oppression, both internal and external. We see ourselves as part of the past, present and future movements for justice in our communities and our world. 

Community: We live in Respect, Integrity, Courage and Humility.

Independent Thinkers: We develop ourselves as intellectuals with the skills we need to succeed. 

Our Values

June Jordan has 4 values which form the foundation of our work as a school for social justice. We believe these ethical principles are equally as important as academic preparation. Those core values spell R.I.C.H. - Respect, Integrity, Courage & Humility. 

At June Jordan, we have a performance assessment system called YPAR (Youth Participatory Action Research) which describes what we want students to know and be able to do by the time they graduate. Our performance assessment system is a graduation requirement. YPAR is rooted in classroom work and drives our intention around instruction. During their senior year, students present their project to a committee of which includes a final committee presentation and defense to community stakeholders. 

To build community, we focus on establishing meaningful relationships with students and families. This relationship-based accountability requires a different kind of approach, it also requires re-thinking traditional school systems and structures. Rather than relying on high-level state and district officials to determine whether our school is doing well, we believe the pyramid should be flipped on its head, with parents and students as the ultimate voice of our school's success.

• http://www.jjse.org/