Kern Regional Academy (Valley to Coast Collaborative)
The Valley toCoast Regional Academy is continuously exploring methods of collecting data related to leader professional learning needs and interests in the areas of leadership, equity, and continuous improvement. This summer the ValCo Regional Academy hosted four large scale, in-person conferences that resulted in hundreds of responses to a newly created formalized needs assessment, which will inform the design of the 23–24 program. See the responses to the needs assessment.
Placer/Sacramento Regional Academy (Sacramento County Office of Education)
Sacramento County Office of Education’s 21st Century California School Leadership Academy, in collaboration with Creative Leadership Solutions, offered an enhanced regional schedule for Placer-Sacramento leaders at the Equity and Excellence Summit this summer.
The focus of the enhanced schedule was to strengthen region leaders’ capacity and focus to lead for equity and continuous improvement. Regional leaders’ enhanced learning schedule included a SCOE 21CSLA pre-Summit kick-off, followed by daily small group debriefs facilitated by a SCOE Team Leader, and a post-summit culminating planning session.
During the kick-off, leaders learned about the 21CSLA initiative and SCOE guiding principles as well as identified learning targets for the Summit and set preliminary equity goals related to their work. Following sessions leaders identified an equity problem of practice, debriefed individual learning, and discussed how it applies to their leadership and their unique context. Post-Summit, leaders developed an equity continuous improvement plan to be implemented during 2023-24 and will engage in an Equity and Excellence Community of Practice throughout the year. Two Communities of Practices were formed to address the unique equity issues in relation to 1) Charter Schools, and 2) Urban Districts in the Placer-Sacramento region.
Shasta Regional Academy (NorCal ELC)
Spanning two days in mid-June, NorCal ELC hosted its third annual Summer Leadership Institute spotlighting its ongoing commitment to equity where “Everyone is a Leader.” Kicking off the two day virtual institute with over 200 educators across the North State region was keynote speaker Dr. Gregory Peters with the San Francisco Coalition of Essential Small Schools. Dr. Peters keynote was titled, “How do we foster a culture of inquiry to systematize and maintain a commitment to equity?” Dr. Peters discussed how to create conditions to interrupt inequities in schools. He uses three essential “gears for transformation:” Radical Discourse, Inquiry and Accountability.
The Summer Leadership Institute is all about learning. It featured 11 content sessions offered by local educators on a variety of topics, such as: The Science of Reading, Addressing Chronic Absenteeism & Neurodiversity and Inclusive Practices, among others. Recentbooks that influenced Year 3 professional learning events, Street Data and Belonging through a Culture of Dignity, were offered to attendees to extend and expand equity-focused knowledge, shared language and practices.
The summer institute was a culminating event for local school teams that engaged in a year's worth of work (or more!) to address a local equity-centered problem of practice (PoP). Each team presented a 5-10 minute overview of their work and progress to other teams with similar problems of practice. Presentations addressed PoPs on Math, Social & Emotional Learning, Instruction, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Student Engagement, and Program Implementation.
One NorCal ELC participant reflected on the past year’s work and shared, “We have gathered a lot of data and done a lot of planning to prepare us well for launching on some more in-depth focused work next year, collaborating with people outside my usual group, and expanding my focus on students to serve.” Another summed up the NorCal ELC’s unofficial motto, “Everyone is a Leader”.
The keynote and content sessions were recorded and are available for viewing here.
Sonoma Regional Academy (Sonoma County Office of Education)
The CA Early Elementary Teaching Pyramid is a comprehensive, evidence-based approach designed to support educators in promoting healthy social-emotional development, establishing preventative practices that assist in preventing challenging behaviors in children, and creating safe and nurturing classroom environments. This year-long opportunity will provide learning experiences for TK-2 educators, including classroom teachers, instructional assistants, Special Education staff, and site administrators. Participants will experience in person learning sessions, facilitated reflective practice and coaching as they engage in classroom implementation. The Teaching Pyramid framework includes strategies from special education and mental health and incorporates a strong focus on equity and addressing disproportionality. When implemented with fidelity, we have seen children demonstrate greater social competence, increased emotional literacy, fewer behavior challenges, and better access to academic content.
Tulare Regional Academy (Mid-State)
The 21CSLA Mid-State Regional Academy kicked off the summer with an amazing professional learning experience in June. Our 2023 Summer Leadership Retreat: “Continuous Improvement: A Process for Successful District Initiative” was hosted by the Stanislaus County Office of Education. 21CSLA Associate Director Kim Wallace, author of Leading the Launch, took leaders through a ten-stage initiative implementation process to help them lead the charge for change.
“This was one of the best retreats I have attended. The presenter was engaging. I would attend all other training/retreats that Dr. Wallace hosts.”
“It was hands-down one of the best administrative trainings I’ve been to in my 28 yr. career.”
We are bringing Dr. Kim Wallace back for our November 30–December 1, 2023, Winter Retreat.
Leading Through an Equity Lens is Dr. Wallace’s newly published book and will be the focus of our work at this event. In February, a Virtual Community of Practice with Dr. Wallace will be launched and centered around strategies to successfully execute new school and district initiatives with integrity. (Registration is available on our website.)