At James DeAnda Elementary School, students are learning that their challenging academic coursework is all about their lives.  The school’s mission is to empower scholars “to become global leaders, to strive for excellence, and to become responsible citizens, critical thinkers, and effective communicators.”  To achieve the mission, teachers deliver rigorous content through lessons that relate directly to students’ lives.  In their Symposium session, DeAnda leaders will explain how coaching and collaboration are helping elevate both rigor and relevance throughout DeAnda.  They will describe how the International Baccalaureate Program and other programs are helping them weave rigor and relevance into daily lessons.  However, DeAnda teachers are not struggling in isolation to learn how to maximize rigor and relevance.  Instead, regular coaching and focused collaboration are helping teachers build a sense of collective efficacy concerning their ability to make challenging curricula seem real and relevant to their students