CPACE key terms

A collaboratively developed statement of the future a school community wants to create, describing what students should know and be able to do and guiding decisions, priorities, and resource allocation over time.

A concise explanation of a school's core purpose and the daily work it does to move toward its vision; it identifies who the school serves and what it commits to provide.

The degree to which school goals, budgets, schedules, professional learning, and classroom practice all point in the same direction and reinforce the shared vision rather than competing with it.

A repeating process of planning, implementing, checking results, and adjusting actions so a school learns from evidence and steadily refines instruction and systems instead of relying on one-time fixes.

A structured review of policies, practices, and outcomes disaggregated by student group to find where systems produce unequal access or results and to target changes.

Goals written to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, giving a school clear targets and a way to judge whether improvement efforts are working.

The principal's work of setting high expectations, supporting quality teaching, monitoring learning, and creating conditions in which every student receives rigorous, responsive instruction.

A cycle of collecting, analyzing, and acting on student and school data to identify strengths, diagnose problems, choose strategies, and evaluate whether changes improved outcomes.

A brief, focused classroom observation using a common protocol to gather evidence about instructional practice and student engagement, usually followed by non-evaluative feedback and patterns shared across classrooms.

Ongoing checks of student understanding during learning that teachers use to adjust instruction and students use to guide their next steps, rather than to assign a final grade.

A team of educators who meet regularly to examine student evidence, share practice, and plan instruction together, with a shared focus on improving learning for the students they serve.

Individualized, ongoing support in which a coach and teacher set goals, observe practice, and reflect on evidence to build the teacher's capacity rather than to evaluate or rank performance.

A formal process using standards, observations, and evidence of student learning to judge educator effectiveness, provide feedback, and inform professional growth and employment decisions.

Planning lessons so content, process, and product respond to students' readiness, interests, and learning profiles, giving varied pathways to the same rigorous learning goals.

Instruction that uses students' cultural knowledge, experiences, and communication styles as assets, while holding high expectations and making learning relevant and accessible to every learner.

A coordinated framework of increasingly intensive academic and behavioral supports matched to student need, with universal instruction for all and progress monitoring to decide when to adjust.

A schoolwide approach that teaches and reinforces expected behavior, uses data to identify problem settings, and provides tiered supports so discipline is preventive rather than only punitive.

Approaches that repair harm and rebuild relationships after conflict through dialogue, accountability, and community circles, used alongside clear expectations rather than as a replacement for them.

The shared perceptions of safety, relationships, teaching quality, and belonging that students and staff experience at school, which shape attendance, engagement, and academic performance.

The process of distributing staff, time, money, and materials to match school priorities, including trade-offs that must be explained and monitored for impact on student learning.

A written site plan describing roles, communication, evacuation, and reunification procedures for emergencies, practiced through drills and updated with community partners.

Partnerships with families built on two-way communication, shared decision-making, and support for learning at home, rather than one-way announcements about school events.

Deliberate processes for involving students, staff, families, and community partners in identifying needs, shaping plans, and monitoring progress so decisions reflect the full school community.

A California school committee that includes parents, staff, and the principal and develops and reviews the school plan and categorical spending to improve student achievement.

A California parent committee that advises the principal and staff on programs and services for English learners and reviews the school's language acquisition plan and budget.

Formal relationships with businesses, nonprofits, agencies, and higher education that bring resources, expertise, and services to students and families and strengthen the school's capacity.

Information exchange in which schools both share news and actively seek and respond to family input, using multiple languages and formats so all families can participate.

A leadership stance that treats students and staff with dignity, considers how decisions affect the most vulnerable, and accepts responsibility for relationships as part of professional duty.

A situation where a leader's personal, financial, or family interest could improperly influence a school decision, requiring disclosure and recusal to protect public trust.

The legal and ethical duty to protect student and personnel records and private information, sharing it only with those who have a legitimate educational need to know.

Fair treatment that provides the support each student needs to reach common high standards, recognizing that identical resources do not produce equal opportunity when needs differ.

Open decision-making in which leaders explain criteria, share information, and invite scrutiny so the school community can understand and trust how choices were made.

The procedural protections owed to students and employees before a significant consequence, including notice, a chance to respond, and an impartial decision-maker.

Laws, regulations, and governing board rules that direct school operations, such as accountability, funding, special education, and credentialing requirements that principals must implement.

A California district plan, developed with stakeholder input, that sets goals, actions, and expenditures for improving outcomes for all students and for high-need student groups.

California's funding system that provides base funding plus supplemental and concentration grants based on the numbers of low-income students, English learners, and foster youth.

A California site plan, written with the school site council, that describes goals, actions, and categorical expenditures intended to raise achievement and is reviewed annually.

A negotiated contract between a district and employee union that sets working conditions, such as hours, evaluations, and transfer rules, which administrators must apply consistently.

Federal law guaranteeing students with disabilities a free appropriate public education, individualized services, and procedural safeguards, with the principal responsible for compliance at the site.

A federal program that provides funds to schools with high concentrations of low-income students for supplemental instruction and family engagement, with required planning and accountability.