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MARCH 2023

From the directors

Dear friends and colleagues, 

At our 21CSLA spring retreat at UCLA this month, we reflected on these words by the great jazz musician Wynton Marsalis:
Jazz music is the perfect metaphor for democracy.
We improvise, which is our individual rights and freedoms;
We swing, which means we are responsible to nurture the common good with everyone in fine balance; 
And we play the blues, which means no matter how hard things get, we remain optimistic while still mindful of problems.
We talked deeply about how jazz is also a metaphor for our work in 21CSLA: we play a score together to serve our most marginalized communities and improvise to meet the local needs of leaders across California. The song is different—and equally powerful—every time. 

Please enjoy, as we did, Wynton Marsalis playing Amazing Grace at Federal Hall in New York. 

Warmly,

Dr. Rebecca Cheung Director, 21CSLA State Center
Dr. Jabari Mahiri Chair, 21CSLA Leadership Board
Dr. Kim Wallace Associate Director, 21CSLA State Center
News and Events

UTK trainings for California educators 

Join us for these upcoming 21CSLA UTK Leadership Initiative professional learning opportunities, with virtual and in-person options.

Inquiry: Why Now?

An equity-centered, research-based professional learning series


TK–12 instructional leaders are invited to sign up for Inquiry: Why Now?, an in-person professional learning opportunity in Stockton, California, June 13–14, 8:30 am–4:00 pm, exploring how instructional leaders can support inquiry-based teaching and learning to improve access, opportunity, and inclusion for student populations who have been historically marginalized and underserved. Team registrations are encouraged. Learn more and register for the two-day professional learning opportunity.
 

Meet us at AERA 2023 in Chicago

21CSLA leaders will participate in panels and other events at the AERA 2023 Annual Meeting, April 13–16, in Chicago. See the full listing of our presentations at AERA. If you're in Chicago, join us for a special reception on Saturday, April 15.
 

Spring Collective Retreat: Learning Together and Envisioning Our Future

Some 50 leaders of 21CSLA’s Regional Academies and State Center gathered at UCLA’s Luskin Center on March 14 and 15 to collaborate, deepen skills, and strengthen our collective work for equity leadership across California. Tina Christie, Wasserman Dean at UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, welcomed the gathering: “We all recognize that these are extraordinary times that we are living, requiring expert, nimble, and responsive leadership—leadership where the issues of equity ought to be at the forefront of all that we do….A new generation of teachers and students awaits the ingenuity and innovations, the creativity and care, that lives in this room today.” Participants read and discussed Racial Microaggressions: Using Critical Race Theory to Respond to Everyday Racism with the authors, UCLA Professor Daniel Solórzano and CSU Long Beach Professor Lindsay Pérez Huber. Watch the recorded discussion.
 

California Educators Together: a space to communicate and collaborate

California Educators Together is a community of practice designed to provide educators, administrators, specialists, and state program leads a common space to communicate, share strategies, and access resources. California educators join to access thousands of select learning resources, while also engaging in statewide subject and grade level cohorts of peers. California leadership teams join to help coordinate staff and programs, while gaining access to direct California Department of Education outreach on initiatives, resources, and supports. Create an account and join the 21CSLA Group.
 

21CSLA presents on digital learning at ed tech conference

21CSLA presented at Spring CUE, partnering with California ASCD/ISTE on “Leaders Advancing Equity with Digitally Mediated Learning.” Spring CUE 2023 featured hundreds of informative learning sessions, keynotes from thought leaders and renowned educators, hands-on experiences in eSports and AI, and the latest ideas in teaching and educational technology.
 
Research

Leading in California’s purple districts: A 21CSLA Research-Practice Webinar

Join us for “Educating for a diverse democracy: Leading schools and districts in a time of political conflict,” featuring UCLA Professor John Rogers and UC Riverside Professor Joseph Kahne in conversation with leaders Mauro Bautista, principal at Mendez High School in East Los Angeles, and Kelly Bowers, former superintendent of Livermore Valley Unified School District on Wednesday, April 26, 3:30–4:30 pm. Register to attend this live webinar, and in the meantime, watch previous webinars and read the highlights.
 
Regional Academy Spotlight

Spotlight: Sonoma Regional Academy

Launched in the Spring of 2022 with a kickoff event involving over 100 local educators, Sonoma County’s initiative — “MTSS: EQUITY. Together.” — has evolved and expanded this school year to include 14 local school district teams. The purpose of the initiative is to support Sonoma County school systems to develop and nurture equity-based Multi-Tiered Systems of Support so that all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive. Read the full spotlight.

(Photo credit: “Quarryhill Botanical Garden, Sonoma County, California” by Bob Dass is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)
People 

Meet 21CSLA team members: Ricardo and Tawny

Ricardo González joins 21CSLA as an Applications Programmer. He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1994 and then attended graduate school at Columbia University for Educational Technology and Computer Science. Tawny Laskar is a trainer in the UTK Leadership Initiative who has worked with the team since fall 2022 and is a proud alum of UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute.
 
Connect 

More on 21CSLA and leading for equity 

The 21st Century California School Leadership Academy provides professional learning opportunities and support to help California’s educational leaders create equitable learning environments to improve instruction and achievement outcomes for underserved students. Headquartered at Berkeley School of Education, the 21CSLA State Center is led by Berkeley with UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, and the California Subject Matter Project in collaboration with seven Regional Academies throughout the state. 

Find us at 21cslacenter.berkeley.edu. Connect with us on Twitter @21CSLA, on Instagram @21CSLA, and on LinkedIn at 21st Century California School Leadership Academy. Not a subscriber to 21CSLA NewsJoin us.

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