Replace traditional Eurocentric or Ethnocentrism history courses with "Critical Living Histories", a required class that examines U.S. and global history through intersectional lenses (race, gender, class, colonialism).

Students co-design units with teachers to empower students to see themselves as agents of change.

2. School Culture Shift: "Identity-Affirming Spaces"

Weekly "Community Circles" where students share experiences in identity-based groups (e.g., Black students, LGBTQ+ students, first-gen/low-income students).

Faculty accountability: Teachers undergo mandatory training on mitigating bias in grading/disciplinary actions, with student-led audits of equity outcomes.

3. Policy Change: "No Grading, No Police"

Abolish letter grades in favor of competency-based portfolios (assessing growth, not privilege-linked "performance").

Reinvest funds in mental health counselors.

Quote Representing the Vision:

"We don’t need more ‘high achievers’—we need more healers, questioners, and co-conspirators in justice."

school culture: students will focus more on each other's stories instead of merit, more on process and less on the result since the latter don't say much about the individual but determines by social structure or their heritage.

policy change: two things. first delay the calss starting time to 9 or 10 a.m. b/c the biological clock for high school students are later than middle schoolers or adults. second, offer boarding (students can live on campus if their homes are far from here), this can help break the geological barriers that hinders education

2. Eliminate administrative classes (fixed class groupings), so students can better integrate into their own small social circles.

3. Implement a mentor system where one mentor guides five students, maintaining ongoing communication and providing guidance during the first year of high school. If one homeroom teacher has to oversee 40 students, many will inevitably be neglected.

4. Divide classes into lecture-style courses, small-group discussions, and lab sessions—students can choose freely.

5. Provide every student with an iPhone Pro Max. They can also request AirPods, noise-canceling headphones, other electronic devices, etc., to eliminate disparities in learning resources caused by wealth inequality.

6. Offer more private spaces, such as individual study rooms, to give introverted students a place to breathe.

7. Quote that represents your vision: “Competition doesn’t suit my constitution—that garish, noisy ten-color spectacle gives me nervous exhaustion and a stomach ulcer.”

Curriculum change: The school should offer PE classes to students in grade 12. Although many students in grade 12 are not willing to take PE class and the attendance rate is low, the school should make sure that students get enough exercise. They should use better policies and class designs to attract students, instead of canceling the class.

Cultural Change: To recognize different types of achievements beyond grades and leadership by setting different kinds of awards; for instance, social activism, translating for parents...etc. To conclude, be fully aware of the unique background and identity of each students.

Quote：“When we show up for one another—not just in the ways that are easy, but in the ways that ask us to listen, grow, and change—we create the kind of community where everyone belongs.”

🏫 Culture Shift: Dismantle elite-driven narratives—redefine success beyond prestigious colleges and uplift respect for all career paths, including trades and care work.

🎓 Policy Change: Create an “Equity Access Fund” to cover hidden costs like exam fees, transportation for internships, and extracurriculars for low-income students.

💬 Vision Quote: “When wealth dictates access, education must become the equalizer.”

🏫 Culture Shift: "Student Voice First" Initiative – Shift school culture by giving students formal power in decision-making (e.g., curriculum review boards, hiring committees, and school policy feedback). In this way, we can amplify marginalized voices and establish a peer-led restorative justice council to address harm and build accountability.

🎓 Policy Change: Establish gender-affirming and culturally responsive practices: Build all-gender restrooms and enact chosen-name policies; train staff in anti-racist, trauma-informed pedagogy; build in-class support teams (social workers, peer mentors) for students navigating housing instability, caretaking roles, or discrimination.

💬 Vision Quote: “An inclusive school doesn’t ask students to fit in—it redesigns itself to belong to them.”

Instead of separating students by "ability" (often a proxy for race, language background, and class), abolish academic tracking altogether. Replace it with heterogeneous, project-based learning pods.

🏫 School Culture Shift:

Shift from a meritocracy mindset to a "counter-storytelling" ethos: lived experience, especially from marginalized students, is treated as intellectual authority.

Student assemblies are co-led by BIPOC, LGBTQ+, low-income students to shape real decision-making—from hiring to disciplinary norms.

🎓 Policy Change:

Instead of punitive detention, implement Restorative Justice Labs, where conflicts (often racialized or gendered) are mediated with trained peer facilitators.

💬 Quote to Represent the Vision:

“What is now called education is mostly nothing but domestication.”

— Sociologist Ivan Illich

🏫 Culture Shift: Foster a school culture that celebrates diverse identities and lived experiences by establishing monthly “Identity Dialogues”—student-led forums where race, gender, and class are openly discussed to build empathy, solidarity, and active listening skills.

🎓 Policy Change: Create a “Learning Opportunities Program” that provides free academic workshops, peer mentoring, and access to educational resources (like books, software, and online platforms) for students who need extra support—especially those from rural or under-resourced backgrounds.

💬 Vision Quote: “Equity in education means more than access—it means transformation.”