Coachella Valley Unified School District to kick off the school year with new programs, high ambitions

Tomorrow will be the first day of school for over 16,000 students at CVUSD schools!

The school year kicks off under a new Superintendent, Dr. Frances Esparza. She has a strong background in education, and served as the district's Assistant Superintendent prior to this year.

She has been preparing for the school year all Summer, working on a number of new programs.

One of her goals is to ensure that each student has proper academic development. Dr. Esparza has worked to restructure the district's Educational Services Department, with an emphasis on data research. "Our directors and our coordinators and our data coaches are truly looking at data diving deep into the clusters of standards for the state and making sure that our students are receiving the instruction that they need," said Esparza.

The district is also using new educational techniques in their math classrooms. A virtual reality program, called "Prisms" will guide 7th-12th grade students through equations. “Students are truly engaged and wearing a binoculars. They’re able to travel throughout the world and create several problems with results. Even if they got the answer incorrect, it shows them how and where to backtrack to ensure that they find the correct answer,” said Esparza.

The district is also ensuring the well-being of their students through their continued meal programs. Carlos Marta, the Director of Nutrition Services is also providing students with a second chance breakfast. Student who got to school right on time, or late, will have the opportunity to eat breakfast during recess.

And once the school year begins, Dr. Esparza will visit with parents, students and teachers from all CVUSD schools. It's a part of her 100 day plan that could help her team figure out the needs of the district.

Stay with News Channel 3 to see students from CVUSD head into their first day of classes on Thursday!