Compton Is What the Future Looks Like - Leading with Ethics, Vision, and Results with Micah Ali

😎 The Ruckus Report

Quick take: Micah Ali dismantles outdated mindsets about urban education and shares how Compton Unified went from a district people had written off to one that's setting the pace for California. Learn what it takes to build trust, flip expectations, and drive equity by doing what's ethical.

🙌 Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker

Micah Ali is the longest-serving President in the history of the Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees. A lifelong Compton resident and education advocate, he has championed transformational change in public education, equity in opportunity, and investments that uplift Black and Brown communities in California and across the nation.

🔨 Breaking Down the Old Rules 🧠 Key Insight #1: Focus on Students, Not Adult Comfort

• What's broken: Urban education blamed for failing because of zip codes and funding gaps
• The shift: Real issue is adult comfort — not student success
• Impact: Compton Unified refocused priorities, bucked the failure narrative, and rebuilt community trust

🧠 Key Insight #2: From Expectations to Examples

• What's broken: Low expectations for Black and Brown communities
• The shift: Redefining students as examples, not expectations
• Impact: 90%+ student participation in STEAM, national recognition, and record-breaking graduation rates

🧠 Key Insight #3: Replace Equity Buzzwords with Ethics

• What's broken: DEI as a buzzword without substance
• The shift: Replace diversity and equity with ethics
• Impact: Every student gets what they need — not because it's politically correct, but because it's morally required

🗣 Quotable Ruckus

"Compton is what the future looks like. And Compton students are not expectations, they are examples." — Micah Ali

🎒Your Do School Different Challenge

Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:

• Tomorrow: Audit one adult-centered practice and replace it with a student-focused one
• This Month: Reach out to one potential partner outside your zip code — think big (DLR, Apple, Zoom)
• This Semester: Launch one initiative that proves belief in students — housing, pathways, real opportunities

🔗 Connect & Continue

🎯 Get the full episode transcript here

👩🏻‍💻 Follow Micah Ali:

• https://www.compton.k12.ca.us/
• https://www.dlrgroup.com/work/compton-high-school/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-ali-54503823/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/compton-unified-school-district/posts/?feedView=all
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/dlrgroup/posts/?feedView=all

📌 Ruckus Makers Don't Just Listen — They Act

If education ain't a bit disruptive, then what are your students really learning?

This show isn't about doing school better. It's about Doing School Different — and joining a growing movement of bold, creative school leaders who reject legacy models and reimagine what's possible.

🧠 Here are four ways we can help you on your Do School Different journey:

📬 Subscribe to the Free Newsletter — An opportunity to Do School Different 3x a week. Tools, mindset shifts, and strategies that actually work: https://ruckusmakers.news/subscribe

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🧨 Apply to the Mastermind — Weekly coaching, peer mentorship, and our proven leadership system (The Ruckus Maker Flywheel) to help you transform your campus: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/mastermind

🎙 Today's RUCKUS cast in Partnership With:

• ODP Business Solutions®

Looking to create the kind of campus experience students never forget? ODP Business Solutions® transforms ordinary spaces into extraordinary learning environments.

🔍 Visit odpbusiness.com/education and let's Do School Different.

• IXL

Over 1 million teachers rely on IXL because it is empowering, it helps them make better decisions with reliable data, and it adapts instruction based on student performance.

🔍 Get started today at ixl.com/leaders

• PLAY PIPER

Kids love gaming and computers, but are disengaged from Math and Science at school. Play Piper changes that with hands-on STEM kits and a coding curriculum.

🔍 Learn more at playpiper.com

© 2026 Twelve Practices LLC | If Education Ain't a Bit Disruptive, Then What Are Your Students Learning?