Thank you for visiting Virtual Action Research Conference at Saint Mary's College of California Kalmanovitz School of Education. The conference features digital presentations by learners in the School Counseling and Master of Arts in Teaching Leadership programs.
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School Counseling
Action Research Presentations
Action Research Presentations
Suzy Thomas, Ph.D., Instructor
A brief introduction to the Counseling projects below.

Mental Health Issues Behind Vaping
Presenters:
Jonathan Lindh, Imbamba Mansaray, Quaneesha Shields, and Syndie Souza
Our presentation looks at the mental health issues that are behind vaping. As counselors, we understand that we need to be educated on this issue. Our group created a survey that addressed several dynamics of adolescent vaping such as: who is impacted, what the frequency of usage is, how vaping impacts students, and what motivates adolescents to participate in vaping. Through research, our group was able to find interventions at the individual, group, and school-wide level.

Fostering Solidarity
Presenters:
Billy Hale, Camila Rowland, Cristal Ramos, & Natalie Arias
Our project aims to build solidarity among diverse populations in middle and high school settings in the greater Bay Area. This research is driven by a belief that solidarity among diverse school populations positively impacts school climate, academic success of students, and builds social justice leaders. We discussed using collaborative action research to implement this framework in our schools using the multi-tiered system support model.

Stress about Life After High School
Presenters:
Rachel Dechristofaro, Cristina Pelayo, Katie O'Leary, and Cailin Simi
Our presentation aims to explore the research question: What resources do high school juniors need to feel less stressed about the future? We will examine how stress affects students in 11th grade and what information they have access to about their futures after graduation. We propose a needs assessment survey to gather information about different kinds of support they may need.

The Role of the School Counselor
Presenters:
Austin Bowen, Kayla Brown, Kayla Hinojosa, and Michelle Reese
Are K-12 admin who know of the ASCA model more likely to engage/encourage collaboration of staff with school counselors?
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Master of Arts
in Teaching Leadership
Action Research Presentations
in Teaching Leadership
Action Research Presentations
Monique Lane, Ph.D., Instructor, website: moniquelane.com
A brief introduction to the Master of Arts in Teaching Leadership projects below.

Let's Talk About Race:
Unpacking Social Justice in the Classroom
Presenter: Ashlee Evonc
Bias. Identity. Privilege. It is critical for students to understand how these words pertain to them, but conversations surrounding these topics can be difficult to navigate. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore and experience the power of social justice instruction across all grade levels. I will share my experience teaching concentrated social justice lessons with my students and the “Aha!” moments that occurred during and after the study. Educators will leave with tangible resources and an increased confidence to bring social justice into their classrooms.
Classroom Resources: Social Justice Pre/Post Assessment. Courageous Conversations Compass

Making Meaning with Word Problems
Presenter: Kaitlyn Solnok
Do your kids grumble when they see word problems? Let’s get real, of course they do, mine did too! Come check out a student lead, teamwork approach that gets kids debating strategies and curious about how others solve word problems. You will leave with an opportunity to try something powerful in your own classroom that’s FREE, low prep, and adaptable to any math curriculum!

This Was Fun! Creating Engaging Vocabulary Lessons for English Learners
Presenter: Lindsay Hunt Jury
Do your English learners struggle to learn vocabulary? Do you struggle keeping students engaged in learning new material? In this session we will discuss how to improve reading comprehension of English learners through engaging vocabulary lessons. You will leave with lesson ideas to teach vocabulary that is fun for students and will improve reading comprehension.

Supporting Students With Disabilities in the Secondary General Education Inclusion Classroom
Presenter: Susan McGill
Longing for a how-to manual about implementing student accommodations? General education teachers can implement strategies to ensure that all learners are equitably served. Join us for a discussion about Universal Design for Learning, a flexible approach for inclusion classroom teachers who need practical strategies for lesson planning, instruction, and assessment. Leave with useful strategies and resources you can begin implementing this week.

Modeling Growth Mindset: How Parental Involvement Benefits Student Cognitive Development
Presenter: Stacey O'Connor Navarro
How can we help our students approach learning with a growth mindset? A mindset that views challenges and difficulties as opportunities to improve. We will explore how to engage parents in their child’s learning through the use of growth mindset language. Enter to learn new tools and ideas, and leave ready to take action today.

Fostering Empathy: A Path to Peace
Presenter: Jessica Preciado
“Be nice!” Will these words stop youth from treating others poorly, teasing, or being intolerant of people different from themselves? Even beyond the scope of the current bullying phenomenon plaguing our schools; for countless generations a lack of empathy has been at the root of humanity’s greatest tragedies. Leave this talk with real strategies to foster empathy and create peace, inspired by Sara K. Ahmed’s work Being the Change: Lessons and Strategies to Teach Social Comprehension .

The Impact of Social Skills in the Classroom
Presenter: Josh Garibay
Have social and emotional skills been shelved within your classroom for too long? Do you believe that SEL can reduce conflict among students? In this presentation, we will discuss how teaching social and emotional skills have affected the behaviors of students within the classroom and after school program. Come learn about the results of my research as well as strategies to help implement SEL into your own classroom.

Empowering Teen Mothers as Problem Solvers
Presenter: Teresa Bolla
I will present information about teen moms and school engagement with regard to their participation in the TAKING CHARGE PROGRAM. Research took place over eight weeks, and participants learned problem-solving strategies which empowered them to gain self-efficacy and confidence as they “took charge” of their lives. Students wrote down their goals and what they needed to do to achieve them. Participants learned skills helping them to gain control over their lives .