ACTion Hero: Elisa Gonzalez

Elisa Gonzalez is a counselor at Luther Burbank High School whose leadership and passion are changing more than just the outlook of her student block; she is at the epicenter of a cultural shift that is transforming the entire school community.

She is in charge of Burbank’s Parent/Teacher Home Visit efforts, and this summer alone she has coordinated over 400 successful visits between school staff and student families.  In partnership with the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project, a school reform model developed by ACT leaders that has spread like wildfire throughout California and beyond, Elisa has effectively adapted ACT’s model of one-to-one relationship-building to bridge the divide between a student’s home life and academic life.  When parents and teachers have a chance to get to know one another in a setting that’s comfortable to the family, the student benefits by receiving increased resources and support.

This past summer, Elisa juggled the successful execution of three distinct Home Visit strategies.  Her teams visited the homes of 150 students who are transitioning from 8^th grade into 9^th grade at Burbank.  That number more than doubled last year’s pilot program.  Her teams also completed over 200 Home Visits aimed at helping students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CHSEE).  Last year’s effort at Burbank resulted in an 85% pass rate for this essential exam.  Finally, Elisa led a Home Visit effort to visit 9^th and 10^th grade homes to encourage students to join afterschool leadership programs.

Abundant evidence suggests that Mrs. Gonzalez’s efforts are experiencing success.  For example, before CHSEE Home Visits, attendance in two 7^th period support classes was anemic and struggling.  Now, Burbank boasts seven full daily 7^th period CHSEE classes.  When parents started flocking onto campus, saying, “Okay, you asked us to be more involved, here we are,” Elisa and her colleagues had to figure out what to do with the sudden influx of enthusiasm.  She started a Parent University to train parents in many useful skills and plug them into important school roles.  Last year, enrollment in the Parent University went from zero to 100 parents.  This year, Elisa expects over 200 parents to enroll.

Years ago, in San Diego, Elisa Gonzalez worked in a government office.  When her son entered the school system there, she struggled to find ways to stay involved with his academic life; the school system was an impediment to her desire to be an active parent.  That’s when she started to advocate for a change in the system.  Her talents and her passion did not go unnoticed:  her son’s school asked her to apply for a parent coordinator/community liaison job.  She quit her government office job, moved into the school, and has not looked back.

Elisa wants to recognize the role that ACT has played in making her efforts at Luther Burbank so successful.  “We couldn’t have come so far or even done the Parent University without ACT.”  She fondly remembers her introduction to ACT and community organizing.  Almost four years ago her principal asked her to attend an ACT meeting with him at St. Anne’s Church. The event was focused on tackling youth violence in the Meadowview Community.  She went to the meeting and was enthralled with the level of concern and activism that community members—neighbors—displayed.  She remembers, “I wrote down my information on the sign-in sheet and I waited to get a call back.  When I got the call, I was so excited.”

Elisa Gonzalez is a true ACTion hero.  Her enthusiasm is contagious and the steps that she has taken to transform her community are concrete and lasting.