Fresno Unified School District has made profound improvements since 2004 when most its schools had academic performance ratings in the bottom 10% of California and was in jeopardy of fiscal takeover by the state. Even with drastic growth in graduation rates, there remain three enormous challenges to overcome if future graduates from the district are to succeed in work and life: 1) graduation does not equal college or career readiness, 2) the future will require new skills and more education, and 3) the core school model is woefully outdated.

Over the past five years, the growth of the Fresno community’s graduation rate is virtually double the state average. Though those numbers are certainly worth celebrating, the fact remains that 65% of Fresno students are graduating without the basic readiness for college or career.

This publication from GO Public Schools–Fresno, supported by a grant from College Futures Foundation, draws on a year of community-driven planning to craft a vision for Fresno Unified to approach ongoing challenges and prepare students for the future.

This report has three recommendations:

• Redefine what success looks like in the 21st century and commit to every child graduating prepared to succeed.
• Empower students and educators with individualized data to ensure every child is making adequate annual progress toward graduating prepared to succeed.
• Create an Innovation Zone to design and support transformational school models.

Read the full report for greater detail on GO Public Schools–Fresno’s bold plan for its district-wide transformation.