A Seat at the Table

The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE), in partnership with its local school districts, hosted the inaugural San Joaquin County State of Education event in May 2025. The event highlighted initiatives in local schools focused on early literacy, mental health, career preparation, and student connection. 

The following article from the special edition of the SJCOE Outlook Magazine features one of the many ways Ripon Unified School District schools are helping students feel more connected.

José, a senior at Ripon High School (Ripon Unified School District), spent weeks preparing, but he still felt a wave of anxiety as he stepped in front of a roomful of teachers gathered for a school staff meeting.

As a multilingual learner, he has worked hard to overcome the challenges of mastering a new language, and his experiences reflect the determination of many students like him. He was just one voice on a panel of students at the meeting sharing their experiences at the school.

I was really nervous at first,” he said. “But after realizing that everybody was actually paying attention to me, I became more confident and started to feel free with everybody."

Learning English often comes with a feeling of uncertainty, including fear of not being fully understood, he said. It can sometimes take more time to process lessons in the classroom.

José left the staff meeting feeling empowered and understood. He soon noticed teachers putting more effort into ensuring clear and accessible communication. He felt more connected, too. “I feel like all the school’s in my family now. They are really respectful, friendly, and they actually try to talk to us.”

The student panel was just one example of how Ripon High elevates student voice and feedback as part of its broader commitment to prioritizing the success of every student by creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment. The school has been implementing the principles of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) and collaborating with the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) and the California Coalition for Inclusive Learning to establish best practices for universal design for learning (UDL).

“We really want to increase the voice and the choices for students. We want feedback. We want to hear from them, so we're making sure that we offer the appropriate support to better meet everybody's needs. 

- Keith Rangel, Ripin High Principal

The school aims to meet the behavioral, social-emotional, and academic needs of its students while striving to identify and remove barriers to success, he said.

“Having our multilingual learners come to our staff meeting and speak to our teachers was a great opportunity for us to reflect and look in the mirror.”

See what this student connection effort and others in the county look like in the following short video: