Presentation Descriptions Below

"From Self Care to Soul Care: BIPOC Leadership Sustaining Practices"

(TK-12th grade)

Presenters: Miguel Rodriguez and Noah Schechtman, ACSA Region 5 

Newport Room

Description:  

As educational leaders, we co-lead the sacred work of transforming people, organizations and systems to maximize human potential in students, first and foremost, in and out of classroom staff, families and community members. We humbly and powerfully serve as instructional leader, accountability partner, therapist, organizer and much more. As liberatory educational leaders, other people’s needs are too often prioritized ahead of our own wellness: familial, emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, financial, etc. What can we do for ourselves and the communities we serve? We can create spaces where all community members, especially students, can more fully engage authentically and help transform our educational spaces. The workshop will begin with participants engaging in a truly unique, uplifting and interactive indigenous based leadership ceremony centered on individuals bringing their full leader self: identities, challenges and assets. The engagement protocol learned can help support a stronger culturally sustaining practice in classroom, school, or district context. During the second part of the workshop will feature a panel of elder, meditation instructor and educational leader. Workshop members will engage with the panel to reflect how the indigenous ceremony coupled with a powerful and consistent transcendental meditation practice can build transformational experiences, toward healthier role models transforming spaces for the communities they serve. For the final portion, workshop members will collaborate and use digital tools to develop leadership action plans toward more humanistic and culturally sustaining ways of leading. 

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"How are the Black Children" 

(TK-12th grade)

Presenter: Renee Lama, ACSA Region 6 

Santa Barbara Room

Description:

As educators, it is important that we have an open and honest conversation about defeating anti-blackness. In this session, we will focus on exploring the historical development of the racial caste system in the US and how these structures of whiteness impact our school systems. By making intentional educational decisions, we can enhance inclusion and improve student outcomes for Black students.

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     "Leveraging Street Data"

(6-12th grade)  

Presenters: Priti Johari, Maurissa Koide, Shannon Soza, ACSA Region 8 

Portland Room

Description:

Our goal is to authentically integrate students and family voice alongside traditional data measures (i.e. CAASPP) to make decisions about programming. This year we have committed to integrating student and family voice into all our board presentations and decision making.  We leveraged our positions to create space for student and family voice as well as connect their narratives to high impact district initiatives. We will share concrete methods and questions authentically integrate student/family voice so that we are embracing the whole child when making decisions. 

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"Freedom Mapping: Reimagining our Communities"

(9-12th grade)  

 Presenters: Amparo Chavez-Gonzalez, Jason Muniz, Naehee Kwan, Kendall Brown, Diane Wilson, CHSSP, CMP, CPEHP 

Seattle Room

Description:

Explore a groundbreaking,  thematic, interdisciplinary and project based approach to teaching Ethnic Studies and History Social Studies. Teachers will learn how students developed counter narrative StoryMaps of themselves and their communities by analyzing maps, data, and charts from ArcGis and CODAP. Oral histories, counter narratives,  writing about time and place, self reflections, and art served as grounding lessons and units. Students’ final pieces employed ArcGis’ StoryMap feature to reimagine the future of their communities.  Come discover how CSMP members developed the curricular materials and community partnerships,  along with the team of teachers from LA and the Bay Area who implemented the pilot this past fall. Teachers will share their process, insights, and students samples.  Model units and lessons will be modeled and shared with participants. Important conversations about future implementation and use of StoryMaps as a tool for intentionally teaching literacy skills, critical thinking, and  engaging students in praxis will take place amongst all participants. 

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"Uncovering Student Strengths through Assets-Based Student Work Analysis"

(TK-12th grade)

Presenters: Carisa Barnes, Kristin Watts, CRLP 

Monterey Room

Description:

When we set learning goals for our Multilingual Learners, we must consider both content and language since they are inseparable. A student work analysis protocol centers Professional Learning Communities’ conversations on the strengths and assets our Multilingual students bring. What makes this protocol unique is the explicit focus on language at the word, sentence, and paragraph level to determine instructional implications and next steps in supporting our students. Throughout the student work analysis protocol, teachers focus first on content and how student writing represents proximity to proficiency within the content, and then shift the focus to language where they consider the language demands of a grade level task. After interpreting the student work, teachers consider language scaffolds and collaboratively agree on instructional next steps. The protocol raises awareness of expository and argumentative writing for teachers of all grade levels and content areas. Following the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, we will present a protocol  we  have used with PLCs to center the strengths and assets of the student, to determine what grade level readiness looks like, and to consider the instructional implications, especially in connection to the nuances of language needs. In this presentation, participants will experience the protocol, hear testimonies of its effectiveness, reflect on the how, when, and where in their own context, and be provided with resources to enact the protocol within their own context. 

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"Creating "images of that which is not yet:" Strategies to Achieve Arts Education Equity" 

(TK-12th grade)

Presenters: The California Arts Project

Ponderosa Room

Description:

The California Arts Education Framework and the passage of Proposition 28 provides not just a glimpse of the possibility for equitable arts education and schooling but strategies, tools, and resources to "engage in a simultaneous struggle to change both our circumstances and ourselves." (R. Simon, Empowerment as a Pedagogy of Possibility). “The arts are integral to our sense of identity ---- as individuals, as communities and as a nation. Through the arts and creative cultural expression, we learn about ourselves: who we are, where we have come from and what we feel, value and believe” (National Education and the Arts Statement, 2007). As California schools begin the work to change the circumstances of schooling so that all students are able to develop as artistically literate individuals, issues of access, equity, and inclusion will need to be addressed. Educators and communities will need to engage in addressing misconceptions of arts learning to fully understand what standards-based learning that leads to artistic literacy in the disciplines of dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts requires. Engage with The California Arts Project as we explore the possibilities and to begin to create the images of educational landscapes that support and allow students to create, express themselves, thrive as learners, and respond and contribute to the world around them. Leave the session with increased understanding of arts education and the possibilities,  ideas, approaches, and resources to begin the journey. 

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"Empowering Leaders to Build Capacity for Elementary NGSS Implementation" 

 (TK-5th grade)

Presenters: Dawn O'Connor, Nancy Wright,CSP

Room: Ponderosa

Description:

When students are engaged in NGSS aligned learning they are empowered to ask questions, be co-creators of classroom knowledge, and draw from their funds of knowledge. Supporting this type of teaching and learning requires leaders to develop classroom observational skills that promote this type of teaching and learning as well as a vision for capacity building. As leaders having tools that are educative and non-evaluative are critical if principals and other leaders are to be invited into authentic learning spaces. During this session school leaders will explore several components of an NGSS developed District Implementation Toolkit developed through a 5 Year NSF funded research and practitioner grant. This toolkit allows educational leaders across the system to gain a deeper understanding of student agency and student centered teaching during scientific sensemaking and discourse in an NGSS aligned elementary classroom. Participants will examine classroom observations to support strategic alignment of resources for elementary science education. Participants will hear from educational leaders that utilize this tool to advocate for structures and supports needed to implement science within their school site or across the district. During this session leaders will explore components of our NGSS Implementation Toolkit that leverages classroom observations and will hear from educational leaders that have utilized this tool to advocate for elementary science.

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"Unlocking Parent Empowerment through the Community Schools Initiative to Achieve Social Justice" 

(TK-12th grade)

Dr. Christian Rubalcaba, Diego Perez, ACSA Region 5 

Room: Newport

Description:

Join us for an engaging session that delves into the transformative power of communication within the context of the Community Schools Initiative, amplifying historically disenfranchised voices. In this session, we will explore how innovative communication strategies can empower parents and elevate student voices, ultimately fostering greater equity in education. In an effort to inspire educational leaders, this session will provide practical approaches and real-world examples of how effective communication can facilitate meaningful parent involvement and empower student voices within the community school framework. Attend this session to acquire powerful techniques and strategies designed to transform your current community school initiative or other equity-driven projects that engage parents and students. Are you content with maintaining the status quo in your community schools initiative, or are you ready to break free and harness innovative communication tactics to redefine your district’s narrative and stance to empower families for the betterment of student success? We invite you for insights, strategies, and inspiration for driving positive change through innovative communication within the Community Schools Initiative. Together, we can create a more equitable and empowered educational environment.

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"Healing the Harm: AUSD's Quest to Expand a Restorative Mindset" 

(6-12th grade)

Presenters: Lindsay Wisely, Kristy Martinez, ACSA Region 6 

Room: Santa Barbara

Description:

Closing the education opportunity gap in K-12 public schools is a national issue that has the attention of school leaders. To narrow the disparities and create equitable outcomes for students, school leaders are examining ways in which students of color are being marginalized by the educational system. Exclusionary school discipline (suspensions/expulsions) has been identified as one of the contributors to a widening opportunity gap in America (Gregory et al., 2010). It is so serious that González (2019) identifies exclusionary school discipline as a public health crisis correlated to social/economic instability, chronic disease, low life expectancy, and poor social-emotional well-being. AUSD has been expanding the restorative program for the last eight years and has been able to a create blended model of site-based facilitators and a centralized TOSA to drive the work. Stakeholder feedback has been central to the data tracking process as restorative practices has been a mindset shift for staff, students, parents, and administrators. AUSD is happy to share the successes and challenges scaling up the model from a pilot program at one school to a now district wide initiative. This interactive presentation will model restorative community building and engage administrators with rich discussion around the data. Site and district leaders will leave with best practices and next steps for implementation. 

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"Indigenous School Leadership Practices: A Practical Guide for School Leaders" 

(TK-12th grade)

Presenter: Vern Caruz, ACSA Region 8 

Room: Portland

Description:

The implications of education's colonial origins are missing in educational leadership literature, conversations, and practices. In this discussion, we examine the literature on the colonial origins of schooling and the implications these origins have on the marginalization of students. This presentation provides information on Indigenous education leadership values and practices across national and international spaces. Identified are five common strands that school leaders of Indigenous and minoritized youth possess that can contribute to the development and source of reflection for school leaders. By offering insights on Indigenous leadership values, the hope is to use Indigenous practices as a pedagogical tool to question, inform, and push against the persistence of colonial schooling and make space for other forms of leading schools. 

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"The Legacy Continues: Examining Student Demands for More Just Schools, from the '68 Walkouts to Today"

(9-12th grade)

Presenters: Cindy Mata, Roxana Dueñas, CHSSP 

Room: Monterey

Description:

Successful Ethnic Studies teachers help, “prepare young people for leadership in addressing issues in their schools and communities [and provide] opportunities for students to apply what they learn in Ethnic Studies courses to their broader communities (Tintiangco-Cubales et al. 2010).” Join us as we present one way an educator has chosen to continue the work started by young folks in the 1968 Walkouts by affirming and elevating the voices of the students in her current classrooms. In having her students engage in the practice of creating their own demands, students express what they believe should be implemented to create schools that are anti-racist, empowering, and affirming to communities that have historically been oppressed. In learning about the history of schooling and the purpose of Ethnic Studies, and putting that conversation with their own schooling experiences, students are encouraged to see themselves as knowledge holders who are highly capable and most positioned to advocate for the needs of their school and community. 

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"Youth Participatory Action Research and Environmental Justice" 

(9-12th grade)

Presenters: Mariana Ramírez, Jose Yobani Lopez, CHSSP/CMP

Room: Seattle

Description:

Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a research practice that is an integral practice in Ethnic Studies, where students interrogate their realities and imagine new possibilities for themselves and their communities.  In this workshop, participants will learn from a Physics and Chemistry Teacher on how they engage in interdisciplinary Ethnic Studies strategies to support students through the research process. In addition, workshop participants will learn about how to engage in environmental justice and indigenous ways of knowing to support students to investigate their communities around environmental themes. Finally, this workshop will highlight the interdisciplinary aspects of Ethnic Studies, as it integrates literacy, action civics, mathematics, geographic information systems, and history/social science elements.  

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"Empowering Changemakers: Amplifying Student Agency Through Racial Affinity Groups,"

(6-12th grade)

Presenter: Marissa McGee, ACSA Region 5

Room: Newport

Description:

Explore the transformative power of racial affinity groups in nurturing student agency and amplifying voices that have been historically marginalized. In this interactive session, we will explore how racial affinity groups serve as platforms for fostering both individual and collective action. Grounded in the Social Justice Standards from Learning for Justice, this session will delve into practical strategies for creating inclusive spaces that celebrate students' cultural wealth and foster a sense of belonging. It will highlight the ways in which racial affinity groups create spaces where students can feel both safe and brave while engaging in conversations that center identity, justice, and action. We will discuss ways to empower students to show up as their authentic selves and enact meaningful change within their communities. Through immersive activities and reflective discussions, participants will gain insights and actionable tools to implement racial affinity groups that elevate student agency and voice in educational spaces.

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"Rethinking DEI: Why Honoring Dignity is Primary and Paramount"

(TK-12th grade)

Presenters: Zetha Nobles, Mistee Guzman, ACSA Region 6 

Room: Santa Barbara

Description:

This interactive presentation will affirm and elevate student agency by sharing pathways to honor student dignity.  There are significant studies that show that dignity violations such as the ones students face in schools cause poor school performance. When we focus on ways to honor dignity, our schools change the relationship with students and school performance and overall well being will improve.  Most DEI strategies guarantee that boxes will be checked, but in most cases dignity violations continue.  In this workshop, we will offer multiple strategies and resources to address racial equity while working with students and adults to honor dignity and create a sense of belonging for all. Student voice as a part of this work will be shared. 

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"Equity, the New Math Framework, & YOU!" 

(TK-12th grade)

Presenter: Denise Williams, ACSA Region 8 

Room: Portland

Description:

Join us for a dynamic and engaging 60-minute workshop tailored for administrators, where we delve into the critical intersection of equity and the new math framework. In today’s diverse educational landscape, equity is more important than ever, and this workshop is designed to empower administrators with the knowledge and tools to foster equitable math education within their institutions. 1. Understanding the New Math Framework: Gain insight into the framework's key changes and objectives, setting the stage for equitable math education. 2. The Role of Administrators: Discover how your leadership can influence curriculum decisions and classroom practices in promoting equity. 3. Equity in Math Education: Learn about the importance of equity in math education and strategies to ensure all students have equal opportunities for success. 4. Interactive Discussions: Engage in thought-provoking conversations and share best practices with peers to create an inclusive math learning environment that meets the needs of all students. By the end of this workshop, administrators will be better equipped to champion equity within the context of the new math framework, fostering an inclusive and empowering math education experience for all students in their schools. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a positive impact on the future of math education.

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 "Moving Toward Equity Focused Student Agency and Voice through Teacher Agency, Leadership and Wellness"

(TK-12th grade)

Presenter: Angienette Estonina, Dr. Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, CWLP 

Room: Seattle

Description:

How is student agency developed? Are students we serve today the same as those who you served 5-20 years ago?  What are the essential skills and capacities students, teachers and administrators need in order to live, lead and learn in the 21st Century?  Ever grappled with these questions? Then, participate in this collaborative conversation. Facilitators will share the story of how College Park Elementary School in SMFCSD is strategically and intentionally partnering with the Stanford World Language Project (California World Language Project) and the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) to systematically develop student agency through teacher agency, leadership and wellness.  

Session Focus: *teacher agency, leadership and wellness as a conduits to empower student agency, *the ongoing school-university-county office partnership as a case study from where implications (organizational, leadership, practitioner, and student focus) can be extrapolated to other contexts where similar initiatives could be undertaken; *an analysis of the situational and contextual factors between the partners and teacher-focused leadership model of the CSMP in developing a student-centered multilingual vision; and  *perspectives of diverse stakeholders-practitioners-leaders at multiple levels showcasing how student agency is conceived as a synergistic process predicated on teacher capacity and agency when leadership creates appropriate conditions to thrive.  Facilitators will hold space for reflection and discussion on the student-teacher agency dynamic, the role of the instructional leader and leadership team to envision how school-university-county partnerships might support and propel community aspirations toward equity-focused student agency forward.  

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 "Affirming and Amplifying Student and Teacher Agency and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy"

(TK-12th grade)

Presenter: Louann Baker, CWP 

Room: Ponderosa

Description:

“Culturally sustaining pedagogies are inherently dynamic approaches. They meaningfully center the communities and identities of students by affirming and uplifting their perceptions and experiences and incorporating their expertise into classroom practices” (Alim, H. S., Paris, D., & Wong, C. P., 2020). In this workshop we will be engaged in reading, writing, listening and speaking about encouraging and providing opportunities for students and teachers to think about meaningful narratives from their own experiences, observations and reading (as evidence); to express and share their ideas based on themes/claims; to interact with print and nonprint text; and to integrate text types and purposes in writing and speaking. Our workshop will include the following topics: creating a safe space and community in our classrooms; amplifying and affirming student and teacher agency and identity; providing meaningful informal and formal writing and reading instruction; and enacting culturally sustaining pedagogy.

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 "UC Berkeley Supports for High School Ethnic Studies Educators," 

 (9-12th grade)  

Presenter: Jazon Muñiz, Victoria Robinson, CHSSP

Room: Monterey

Description:

The UC Berkeley High School Ethnic Studies Initiative (HSESI) is a collaboration between The American Cultures Center, Department of Ethnic Studies, and History-Social Science Project developing curriculum materials to support Bay Area teachers and school districts meeting the 2025-26 school-year rollout of the California Ethnic Studies high school graduation requirement.  In this presentation we intend to share what we've done, and what we hope to accomplish! 

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