Join Our Team

Nystrom Elementary is looking for dynamic teachers for the 2025/26 school year!

We are currently looking for dynamic teachers!  If you are interested, please email Jamie Allardice: jallardice@wccusd.net

Learn what makes Nystrom unique

Nystrom is a Title 1 preschool-6th grade elementary school located in Richmond, California, part of West Contra Costa Unified School District.  With approximately 500 students, Nystrom has a rich history, dating back to its opening in 1908.  More recently, Nystrom's academic growth has been rooted in a belief in collective efficacy: the collective belief that we can positively impact students.   Learn more here.

ELA

We believe that literacy -- the ability to read, write, and understand -- is a civil right.  Because of this, we are committed to an approach to literacy instruction rooted in the Science of Reading.  Learn more about our approach to literacy instruction here.

Nystrom in the News

The schools are only in their first year in the program, which provides just three years of funding. Sullivan, who leads the oversight, said the Sacramento County Office of Education developed a three-year plan for the schools to improve their literacy instruction. Each developed a unique “literacy action plan” that includes assessments and consistent data collection. 

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The school employs a “walk to read model” for specialized reading instruction. When it’s time for reading intervention, students walk from their main class to a reading group composed of students of different grades grouped together based on what level of intervention they need.

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“When you think about equity, reading and literacy instruction has to be tied to that,” said Jamie Allardice, principal of the school, which comprises mostly Black and Latino students in one of the Bay Area’s poorest ZIP codes. “If we are having kids leave Nystrom unable to read or read at grade level, we need to do our job better.”

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Collaborative Focus

We believe all our kids can achieve at high levels.  We also know that there is no silver bullet, no magic program that will produce the equitable outcomes we know are possible.

Instead, we believe in us.  We believe that the magic is the people in the building working hard, coming together, sharing practices, collaborating, and looking at data continuously.  

We know that collective teacher efficacy is a powerful driver of student achievement.  We continually refine our practices by focusing on:

What We Are Looking For

If this is you, consider applying today!  You can apply on Edjoin, and email jallardice@wccusd.net

Photos from Nystrom's 2021 Summer Acceleration Program