SUMMER 2023
From the directors
Dear friends and colleagues,
This month provided both inspiration and provocation about the role of school leadership in achieving equity in our schools.
In early May, the African American Male Leaders Network, which is supported by 21CSLA, hosted California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd in conversation with Berkeley School of Education Professor Travis Bristol. “Everybody asks, what’s my definition of equity? I tell them, I’m not going to define the word. I want us to show equity by doing it,” said Thurmond.
At our showcase in Sacramento less than a week later, we celebrated our first three years, with keynote speaker and State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond noting that 21CSLA is “moving the needle” on professional learning that benefits our students and communities.
We do not take for granted that we live in a state led by people like Thurmond, Darling-Hammond, and Boyd, who aren’t afraid to talk about inequity in our schools, invest in solutions, and support courageous school leadership. Thank you, California.
Warmly,
Dr. Rebecca Cheung Director, 21CSLA State Center
Dr. Jabari Mahiri Chair, 21CSLA Leadership Board
Dr. Kim Wallace Associate Director, 21CSLA State Center
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California's education leaders speak at Berkeley
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd spoke at UC Berkeley with Berkeley School of Education Associate Professor Travis Bristol on May 6 about equity and access to education. They shared their leadership journey and experiences as Black men. Learn more about the panel and watch the recorded event.
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Leaders celebrate 21CSLA’s impact
21CSLA brought together more than 90 people in Sacramento on May 11 to highlight the impact of California's investment in school leaders and commitment to expanding equity for underrepresented students and families. Participants in the 21CSLA Showcase included representatives from the California Department of Education, State Board of Education, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, and University of California Office of the President as well as leaders of the 21CSLA State Center and seven Regional Academies statewide. Watch a brief video and read more about the 21CSLA Showcase.
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New podcast launching this summer: Equity Leadership Now!
Hosted by 21CSLA Leadership Board Chair and BSE Professor Jabari Mahiri, Equity Leadership Now! will feature conversations with equity-conscious leaders from Pre-K through university settings who transform structures and strategies for educating, particularly for those who are marginalized. We will explore their innovative ideas and compelling work to realize individual, social, and environmental justice at the intersection of research, policy, and practice – because our democracy depends on it. Stay tuned.
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New UTK leadership certificate and courses
Starting this fall, the UTK Leadership Certificate courses are available to any current Preliminary or Clear Administrative Services Credential candidate. These are free online, synchronous courses offered through UC Berkeley Extension. Receive four units credit along with a certificate upon completion of the two-course series. Learn more about the UTK leadership courses or email us with your questions.
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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.
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Regional Academy Summer Spotlights
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Alameda Regional Academy
Alameda Regional Academy will hold a two-day intensive learning experience on June 13 and 14 in Berkeley that nurtures the capacities of leaders to re-imagine their systems. Through inquiry, leaders will deepen their focus on educational equity. They will reflect on their recent school year, investigate areas of practice that lead to equitable outcomes for students, and envision and plan transformative strategies for their next school year. They will also engage in cutting-edge thinking and collaboration with leaders from the six Bay Area counties served by the 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy and grapple with the question: “What does justice look like in my context?” Learn more.
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ValCo (Kern) Regional Academy
The Valley To Coast Regional Academy Advisory Committee discussed the need to build upon our region’s 21CSLA Coach onboarding training. Each county within the region expressed a collective interest in developing a robust regional training series for Leadership Coaches. The 21CSLA Advisory Committee developed a subgroup called the “Coaching Collaborative” which consisted of representatives from 21CSLA and CASC in each of our partner counties. The Coaching Collaborative met for four days in person with an objective to develop a three-tiered coaching professional learning series. Each person within the Coaching Collaborative committed to developing one essential strand of the professional learning series. Read the full spotlight and learn more.
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Placer-Sacramento Regional Academy
The Placer-Sacramento Regional Academy is excited to celebrate the many accomplishments of Cohort 1. We’ve built a foundation of shared leadership across the fourteen counties we serve, built a reputation as our region’s premier leadership development program, and supported our region’s leaders during complex and challenging times. We have a strong structure in place in which to accelerate growth over the next three years. Our focus this summer is to increase program coherence through alignment of our RA’s Guiding Principles, content, and connections to key initiatives of school districts in each of our five subregions. We will deepen our work with the Capital Central Foothills Area Consortium, our region’s System of Support, County Offices of Education, and districts to better understand the professional learning needed for school leaders to lead across multiple initiatives and to lead for equity, continuous improvement and collaboration. Learn more.
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Shasta Regional Academy
The NorCal ELC Summer Leadership Institute will be held on June 12 and 13, 9 am–4 pm in a conference format on Zoom. In August, the project will start events for Cohort 2. The first is a team lead check-in and kick off in the first weeks of August with orientation for all participants in the local school team-based component of the project at the end of the month. Learn more.
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San Diego and Riverside Regional Academy
The San Diego and Riverside Regional Academy is well underway for Cohort 2 planning and recruitment. We are thrilled to announce our 21CSLA Conference on July 27: Learn. Lead. Liberate. | Centering BIPOC Youth in Education. Our goal is to make Learn. Lead. Liberate. a community-building and networking space. We believe that to change inequitable educational systems, we can’t lead alone. This conference is just the start of the building of communities of practice where role-alike leaders can share resources and learning with each other. Participants will learn ways to strength liberatory practices and remove barriers in order to foster communities that honor BIPOC students, parents, and staff. Additionally, we are bringing in BIPOC health and wellness providers from the communities we serve to host a Wellness Lounge/Playground. LAEP’s CORE work is deeply committed to empowering educators to create environments that promote resilience and healing so that we can reduce burnout and secondary trauma for both educators and those they serve. Read the full spotlight and learn more about Learn. Lead. Liberate. | Centering BIPOC Youth in Education.
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Sonoma Regional Academy
The Sonoma Regional Academy, in partnership with the Lake County Office of Education, is actively planning for the upcoming school year. One of our goals is to launch equity initiatives tailored to the needs and experiences of our students. A significant part of our efforts is a collaboration with the Liber Institute. Our focus? Culturally responsive schooling for Native American and Latino students. We're determined to bridge academic and institutional barriers that hinder access to high-quality, culturally affirming education. Our hope is that this understanding of our students' cultures and academic needs will lead to a shift in adult practice that improves students’ experiences and academic outcomes. Read the full spotlight.
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Mid-State (Tulare) Regional Academy
Our Mid-State Summer Leader Retreat: Continuous Improvement: A Process for Successful District Initiatives will be held at the Stanislaus County Office of Education in Modesto on June 22–23. The retreat will be facilitated by Dr. Kim Wallace. Registration is still open for Mid-State leaders! Learn more and register here.
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Three research studies seek participants
21CSLA is conducting a paid study that seeks to understand the professional and psychological well-being and experiences of TK teachers. Learn more and sign up to participate.
Sabrina Amaya, a master’s graduate student at the Berkeley School of Education, is conducting a small research study for a capstone project about the CA Universal Transitional Kindergarten policy. If you are a TK teacher in the Bay Area who would like to participate and be interviewed about your experience (in-person or via Zoom during May and June), please email Sabrina.
Educators and leaders: Are you navigating political divisions in your school or district? We’d love to interview you! Our next 21CSLA research-practice brief will follow up on our latest webinar, Educating for a diverse democracy. If you're interested in participating, please fill out this interest form.
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Wallace's Leading Through an Equity Lens
21CSLA Associate Director Dr. Kim Wallace’s new book Leading Through an Equity Lens: A Process for Advancing Inclusive District Initiatives was released last week by Solution Tree Press.
This practitioner’s guide, a follow up to her 2021 book Leading the Launch, helps educators transform organizational culture and improve student outcomes by executing initiatives through an equity lens. The process in this book helps leaders keep their equity lens wide open and zeroed in on serving groups of students that have been denied access to a quality K–12 education. Wallace’s work encourages leaders to ask the right questions, connect the dots between positive intentions and generating change, and learn how to implement new initiatives with integrity for lasting impact.
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Job announcements
The 21CSLA State Center is hiring a Database, Reporting, and Operational Systems Coordinator to coordinate and manage the center’s services to the field by developing processes, analytical tools, and support for Regional Academy leads with their localized needs assessments, data interpretation and report development, and understanding of impact. Please help us spread the word
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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 the UC Berkeley School of Education, 21CSLA is led in partnership with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, California Subject Matter Project, and 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 News? Join us.
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