Sunset Lane Elementary School has been named an Impact School by the Orange County Department of Education, one of only four schools across the county selected for the recognition. The honor celebrates its schoolwide approach to reading instruction, which is helping students build literacy skills, confidence and a love of reading.

Orange County Superintendent of Schools Stefan Bean, Ed.D., presented the award during an October 29 assembly at the Fullerton School District campus, celebrating the Sunset Lane community’s collective work to strengthen literacy learning.

“This recognition reflects our teachers’ commitment to learning from one another and ensuring every child feels known and supported as a reader,” Principal Tracy Gyurina, Ed.D., said. “Together with our families, we are building the skills and confidence students need to see themselves as successful readers.”

The Impact Schools Award recognizes schools whose practices demonstrate a meaningful, sustainable benefit to students, with an emphasis on student outcomes, equity and access, and effective implementation.

At Sunset Lane, the work began with a shared question: What should great reading instruction look like for every child? Building on a partnership with the Cotsen Foundation, teachers developed nine shared commitments that guide reading instruction across classrooms. Teachers continue to strengthen their practice through coaching, classroom observations and collaborative planning.

For students, this means focused lessons, small-group support and one-on-one conversations with teachers about their reading strengths, interests and goals. Families are partners, too, participating in meetings and classroom demonstrations that offer practical strategies for supporting reading at home.

The school is seeing encouraging results. Sunset Lane’s English language arts indicator on the 2025 California School Dashboard moved from green to blue for the first time, reaching the Dashboard’s highest performance level. Teachers also report greater student confidence, independence and enthusiasm for discussing books.

“Sunset Lane’s work shows what is possible when educators build a shared vision and take collective responsibility for student learning,” Fullerton School District Superintendent Gretchen Janson, Ed.D., said. “By strengthening teacher collaboration and giving families tools to support reading at home, the school is creating consistent, meaningful learning experiences that help students grow as readers.”