13th Annual Professional Development Summit

Workshop Series V

What Do We Do When White Females Continue to Dominate the Teaching Ranks?

There are currently 266,265 teachers in the public schools. Even with all of the progress made in hiring for diversity close to 70% of the teachers are still White females and most students and professors in the Schools of Education are mainly white females. What can equity minded administrators and districts do to assess, train and evaluate these teachers so that they become effective and affirming with our diverse student bodies?

Presenters

Bay Jones, Ph.D.
President, Beyond Equity in Education (BEE)

Conscious Data: Building Strong Equity/Access Centered Data Teams

This session will engage leaders in a reflective process to deepen the understanding of data teams and equitable planning for black student success. The presentation is research-based and rooted in the belief that meaningful data conversations can build inclusive and successful instructional environments. “Data-centered decision making in education must be clearly defined and an effective pathway to academic excellence for all students (Bambrick-Santoyo, 2010).”

Presenters

LaRonda OrtegaLaRonda Ortega
Principal, Buena Park School District

Loriann LeotaLoriann Leota
Assistant Principal, Bellflower Unified School District

Are You Your Brother’s Keeper?

This workshop will focus on strategies, processes and activities used in our Urban Scholars program at Antelope Valley High School. We will cover recruitment, curriculum, rites of passages and cultural activities used to engage males of color, especially African-Americans. Participants will learn how to use the information covered in the session and begin to develop a plan of action to address academic disparities for males of color at their sites.

Presenters

Jeffrey PattersonJeffrey Patterson
Teacher/Counselor, Antelope Valley High School

Cultivating Joy with Genius Projects

This workshop will show attendees how to begin cultivating Joy with Genius Projects that center the identities of students. Identity, the first pursuit in the Historically Responsive Literacy Framework by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, is the perfect “soul soil” to cultivate joy. Attendees will learn how to create/ teach three Genius Projects: Me Box/Commercial, Genius Boards, and Genius Poems. Links to editable documents will be shared to begin using immediately.

Presenters

Stacey Joy
Teacher, Baldwin Hills Gifted Magnet/Los Angeles Unified School District

Plenary Session

Shared Educational Inequities, Discrimination, Disparities and Commonalities for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color)

This panel, featuring members of the BIPOC community will address common disparities that each community has faced within the educational system. Topics such as inequity and discrimination within the school systems will be addressed.

Presenters

The Honorable Dr. Shirley Weber
Secretary of State, (invited)

Yvette M. Irving
Superintendent, Gonzales Unified School District

Geneva Wiki
Yurok Tribe, Sr. Program Officer, CA Endowment

Isaac Huang
California Association of Asian Pacific Leaders in Education (CAAPLE)

Moderators

In-Person Moderator

Adam Clark
Superintendent,Mount Diablo Unified School District

Virtual Moderator

Adiana Brown
Superintendent, LAUSD Local District West

Workshop Series VI

Shattering Inequities: Real-World Wisdom for School and District Leaders

As co-author of the book, Shattering Inequities, Robin immerses participants in moving scenarios of educational systems that push students out while we are tending to something else. Theoretical knowledge is personified as these scenarios come to life. Robin shows practical ways to identify and deal with social and institutional inequities, providing administrators with new tools for ensuring success for students who were previously disenfranchised from the educational process – giving them hope for their future.

Presenters

Robin Avelar La Salle
Founder/CEO, Orenda Education

Loving & Leaning On One Another to Actualize Anti-Racist Schools: The African American & Asian American Experience, Building Bridges & Restoring Community

Pacific Leaders in Education) co-facilitate a dialogical workshop on critical issues related to intersectionality between Asian & African American experiences. Issues will be explored with anti-racist and critical-pedagogical lenses. In an effort to create shared understanding and allyship for mutual uplift and community-building, participants and presenters will co-construct a deeper understanding of ourselves and one another.

Presenters

Ben Nakamura
Principal, Amos Alonzo Stagg High School Stockton Unified School District

David Yang
Assistant Principal, Rialto Unified School District

Noaveyar LeeNoaveyar Lee
District Lead Counselor, Rialto Unified School District

The Impact of Equity-Driven Pivots by District Leadership

This session will be a panel discussion where county, district, and state leaders share some of the deliberate actions they have taken and/or plan to take, to impact equity for their students, predominantly around mental health and social-emotional learning. Diving into the outcomes, reasoning, and planning, the attendees will hear from leaders who are receiving recognition for the results of their work, specific to students of color.

Presenters

L. K. Monroe
Superintendent, Alameda County Office of Education; President, CCSESA

William GideonDr. William Gideon
Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Los Nietos Unified School District

Moderator

Jerome Vincent Carter
CEO, Founder and President, Inspiration 52, Inc.

Potentially

Dr. Patricia Brent Sanco
Director of Equity, Access, & Instructional Services, Lynwood Unified School District

Equity & Access in the Google Age

We have a responsibility to use technology appropriately to transform learning for ALL students. This session will examine some of the ways technology can improve access and personalization on the road toward equity. This interactive session examines research, best practices and the specific role of technology in this transformation. Participants will discover some of the ideas and the applications gaining traction to help teachers, administrators, and families make the connections between technology, equity, and access.

Presenters

Dr. Dennis Large
Director, Educational Technology, Riverside County Office of Education

Providing Opportunities for Ethnic Identity Exploration Through Subject Matter Curricula

Ethnic identity development sustains student engagement, increases academic achievement, acts as a buffer against attacks on one’s ethnicity and race, and meets students’ demands in California and nationally for learning about their ethnic groups in public schools. In this session, elementary, middle, and high school teachers will discuss how they have used the Branch Model of Ethnic Identity Exploration in Education effectively to provide opportunities for students to explore their ethnic identity through subject matter curricula.

Presenters

Dr. André Branch
Associate Professor of Education, San Diego State University

Don Dumas
Teacher, Bonita Vista High School

Noemi Solorio
Teacher, Paradise Hills Elementary

Adam Avalos
Teacher, Mueller Charter School

Social Emotional Supports to Highlight the Individual Student

Social Emotional Supports specific to children with disabilities, students who are homeless, and students who are being educated in our juvenile court/community schools will be discussed. Suspension/Expulsion data specific to students of color will lead the discussion about the need for a whole child approach. The purposeful social emotional supports to ensure students’ wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic and distance learning will be provided. Strategies will be presented to prioritize high quality, equitable learning environments that support full inclusion.

Presenter

Tiffany Owens-Stark
Program Manager-Special Services, Tulare County Office of Education

Tammy McKean
Assistant Superintendent Special Services, Tulare County Office of Education

Nicole Rocha
Administrator Educational Options, Tulare County Office of Education

Joe Martinez
Director Psychological Services, Tulare County Office of Education

Shoestrings: Mental Health Program Disrupting the Preschool-to- Prison Pipeline

The phenomenon of overly identifying African American students as discipline problems within the K-12 system, now extends to preschool, expulsions grew to three times higher than the rate reported in K-12 public schools between 2001 and-2012. The impacts for students inappropriately disciplined include higher risk for special education placement, continued disciplinary actions, and academic failure which can lead to incarceration. Participants will learn about a research based early education multi-tiered mental health solution.

Presenters

Crystal Hawkins
Clinical Program Administrator, San Francisco Unified School District

Research, Policy and Practice: Decolonizing Early Care and Education

The care and education of young children in this nation is rooted in anti-black racism. This workshop will explore the history of child care, the harmful policies born of this racist history, and how we can all contribute to un-building this racist system. Special attention will be given to the early care and education workforce, especially Black women, as well as the co-option of “quality” by white-supremacist values.

Presenters

LaWanda Wesley
Director of Quality Enhancement & Professional Development, Oakland Unified
School District

Ashley Williams
Senior Policy Analyst, Child Care Employment University of California, Berkeley

Keisha Nzewi
Director of Public Policy, California Child Care Resource & Referral Network

Closing Plenary

Ensuring, Increasing and Providing Digital Equity in Schools, Homes and Communities

The Digital Divide is growing and has been brought to the spotlight due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This panel will discuss ways to enhance capabilities to close the divide and ensure that African American and other students of color are able to stay connected and up-to-date.

Presenters

Tony Thurmond
CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Paul Gothold
Superintendent, San Diego County Office of Education

Dr. Martinrex Kedziora
Superintendent, Moreno Valley Unified School District

E. Toby Boyd
President, California Teachers Association

Moderators

In-Person Moderator

Superintendent, L. K. Monroe
Alameda County Office of Education

Virtual Moderator

Dr. Mark Marshall
Superintendent, Los Banos Unified School District