The inaugural 21CSLA Coaching Clinic, held June 4–5, 2025 at the DoubleTree Marina in Berkeley, California, brought together nearly 100 equity-focused leadership coaches and leaders from all seven 21CSLA Regional Academies in California. Themed “Coaching for Equity: Supporting Leaders to Bridge Across Differences,” this first-of-its-kind statewide gathering aimed to deepen professional practice, foster community, and collectively strengthen coaching for equity in California’s public education system.
Day one began with a powerful land acknowledgment and welcome by 21CSLA Coaching Coordinator Christi Roscigno, 21CSLA Assistant Director Viet Nguyen, and Dr. Jabari Mahiri. Speaking on behalf of 21CSLA State Center Director Rebecca Cheung, Mahiri offered a sobering yet inspiring reflection on California’s demographic context: “California is the scale of a nation-state... our students reflect the global majority.” With nearly half of California’s students identified as English learners or fluent English proficient, he emphasized that diversity is not an exception; it is the norm and strength of our schools.
Christi Roscigno’s land acknowledgment blended Indigenous heritage with coaching philosophy. She shared how in the Abenaki culture, stories are used to teach, and expressed how learning about her heritage has been like a jewel. "As leadership coaches, we know that relationships are at the heart of our work. A key ingredient to relationship is expression of identity,” she said. Viet Nguyen captured the power of in-person connection: “There is something about being in a room, hearing other people's stories as well as your own, that we believe will reinforce, affirm, and amplify the work.”
The first day centered on interactive sessions tailored to real coaching dilemmas and practical strategies for equity-focused leadership coaching. Clinic sessions explored how to remain resilient and effective in the face of leadership adversity, the evolving role of AI in education, and how Generation Alpha students are navigating technology. Each session offered concrete tools for strengthening relational trust, building identity-affirming spaces, and sustaining equity-centered practice. The day concluded with Regional Academy Huddles, where teams reflected on their coaching work and began planning how to implement the learnings and support their regional communities.
The second day shifted focus from foundational practices to long-term impact and systems change. Kicking off the morning, Viet Nguyen led a powerful opening session, where coaches responded to the prompt: "I am a 21CSLA Equity Leadership Coach because..." Through personal storytelling, coaches shared how equity coaching has helped bridge differences, build trust with school leaders, and catalyze action within districts. One coach shared, “We are notcoaching for comfort, we are coaching for transformation.”
Day two also included a final round of clinic sessions and a creative challenge: each Regional Academy was asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation reflecting on what they were taking back to their regions. These "Celebrations of Learning" offered everything from visual skits to coaching frameworks and implementation roadmaps. This culminating experience highlighted the deep creativity, care, and insight each 21CSLA Regional Academy brings to their coaching work.
By building collective vision and shared purpose across California’s diverse regions, the 21CSLA Coaching Clinic helped affirm that equity coaching is not a technical fix but a sustained practice of transformation. The Coaching Clinic is one of many ways 21CSLA continues to invest in equity leadership at scale and will serve as a model for future convenings in the years to come.