Four Kern Districts Earn Statewide Recognition with CSBA Golden Bells

Four Kern County school districts were honored Wednesday during the California School Boards Association’s Golden Bell Awards, recognizing innovative and effective programs that are improving student outcomes and strengthening school communities across the region. The Golden Bell is one of California’s most longstanding and respected awards in public education, established to honor exemplary programs that demonstrate innovation, sustainability, and positive impact on student achievement and well-being.

Sierra Sands Unified School District earned a Golden Bell for its Student-Centered Coaching Model, an initiative that has transformed teaching and learning districtwide by strengthening educator capacity and accelerating student achievement. First launched at a single elementary school through a partnership with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), the approach was later expanded across the district to address systemic instructional needs.

The model emphasizes rigorous, standards-aligned instruction, high levels of student engagement, and strong coaching partnerships between teachers and instructional leaders. In the 2024–25 school year alone, Sierra Sands conducted 89 coaching cycles — each averaging four weeks — and saw student proficiency in standards-based learning targets rise from 22 percent to 60 percent.

“Innovation and professional learning are effectively transforming both teaching and learning in Sierra Sands USD by fostering a collaborative, standards-aligned approach to student achievement through Student-Centered Coaching,” said Dr. Michelle Savko, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services. “This approach truly makes a difference for students by delivering on the promise that all students have access to a high-quality education grounded in essential skills and knowledge.”

Meanwhile, Bakersfield City School District was recognized for Data in Motion: A Guide to Literacy Gains, a program that uses real-time data cycles and coordinated instructional planning to accelerate literacy progress at Ramon Garza Elementary School. Teachers work collaboratively to monitor student performance, adjust instruction, and implement targeted supports — an approach that has produced strong and consistent improvements for early readers.

In the Student Attendance and Re-Engagement category, Delano Union Elementary School District earned a Golden Bell for Promise 180: Every School Day Counts, a comprehensive initiative focused on rebuilding relationships with families, conducting outreach, and fostering school cultures that motivate daily attendance. The program has produced dramatic results, reducing chronic absenteeism from nearly 29 percent to under 6 percent in three years and strengthening connections between schools and families.

Rounding out the Kern County honorees, McFarland Unified School District was recognized for its districtwide Early College program at McFarland High School, which allows every student to take college courses beginning in ninth grade through a partnership with Bakersfield College and the Kern Community College District.

“Instead of sending kids to the community college campus, we brought the community college campus here. All students will have an opportunity to take collegiate courses,” said McFarland Superintendent Aaron Resendez.

The program provides students with a powerful head start, enabling many to graduate with substantial college credit — and in some cases, an associate degree — at no cost to families. It has also more than doubled the number of students meeting or exceeding grade-level academic standards and significantly increased college-going rates.

Together, these four Kern County districts demonstrate how strategic investment in professional learning, data-driven instruction, attendance support, and early-college access can produce measurable gains for students — and why Kern County continues to stand out among California districts for innovative, student-centered work.