Belinda Gaspar, Author at CCEE

CCEE Connection (February 2024)

Posted on February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR builds capacity in implementing and accelerating literacy development in districts across the state. Educators can participate in one of two levels of professional learning offered through Project CLEAR – Teacher Leaders and Teachers. Participation is fully funded through Project CLEAR! For more information, see Project CLEAR’s webpage on our Learning Acceleration System Grant Website.

Project CLEAR’s Two-Unit Graduate Assessment Course

Project CLEAR now offers a two-unit graduate assessment course for interested teachers and administrators! The grant-funded coursework provides an overview of early literacy assessments in phonics, reading, and writing. The course is also designed to assist district and school leaders to develop, or redesign, a literacy acceleration plan to incorporate into their Local Control and Accountability Plan. For more information about this opportunity, please see Project CLEAR’s webpage.

Interested in Joining CEI?Applications to join the Cohort V of the Community Engagement Initiative opened in mid-January. This peer-led initiative brings together LEAs from every corner of the state to learn together about community engagement strategies and practices that strengthen relationships that affect student outcomes. Interested LEAs can find more information and apply at www.californiaengage.org/joining-cei

Looking AHEAD

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – 2024 Summit

Registration is open for the 2024 California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) Summit! The CCLA Summit is an inclusive hybrid space for educators to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration to reinvigorate classroom instruction to improve student outcomes. Both in-person and virtual participation options are offered.

Please join us on Saturday, March 16, 2024 from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm by registering here.

February Resources

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join Our CCEE Listserv for more Resources

Executive Director’s Corner

Inspiring Change through Direct Technical Assistance

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

CCEE’s Just Cause to “inspire change” is central to our established purpose as an organization. Our collaborative approach emphasizes the power of partnerships and the collective strength that comes from working together. We leverage improvement science and equity-centered practices such as the Seven Circle Model to build initial and ongoing relationships that will sustain the work moving forward. Through our collaborative efforts in Direct Technical Assistance (DTA), the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) leverages these practices to inspire change as they work alongside Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in their collaborative improvement journeys. One of the objectives of DTA is to:

Advise and assist County Offices of Education (COEs) & Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in need of targeted assistance in achieving their LCAP goals by effectively meeting the needs of students historically underserved.

TLLC, led by Dr. Stephanie Gregson, Deputy Executive Director, is dedicated to addressing the specific needs of LEAs under the umbrella of DTA. Below you will read more about DTA and the various levels of support TLLC provides in efforts to inspire change within the educational system.

What is Direct Technical Assistance?

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Direct Technical Assistance sounds very formal and what you would expect from Education Code. Yet, Direct Technical Assistance, as our team at CCEE views it, is anything but technical – it is very much about learning and understanding together what type of support will lift the efforts in each district eligible for Direct Technical Assistance. The CCEE team approaches Direct Technical Assistance honoring the human work that is part of systems change. Our Direct Technical Assistance handout provides a brief overview of the different types of supports that can be accessed through Direct Technical Assistance but let me provide an example.

One of the districts we support asked us to review their strategic plan and collaborate on how we can amplify their actions within the strategic plan. One of the first steps after reviewing the district’s strategic plan was to conduct a crosswalk analysis with all the other plans the district was required to develop, including their LCAP. Our team worked with the County Office of Education team and district team to conduct this crosswalk analysis and help identify areas of alignment and detractors. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure focus and intentionality of all district and support actions align with the LCAP and Strategic Plan goals. Once this work is completed, all have a shared understanding of the goals, strengths, and areas of support. This approach provided the opportunity for all to learn and grow together and move forward with coherent intentions.

This is just one example of support provided through Direct Technical Assistance and there will be a few more examples throughout this newsletter. As our Executive Director mentioned, we are here to lift up and inspire change within our educational system. We are here for you.

Bolstering Supports in Partnership

By Rocio Gonzalez-Frausto, Assistant Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

The CCEE DTA team may engage in a DTA partnership with districts, the County Office of Education, and GEO leads through various modes, as seen in Figure 1. As the modes progress, CCEE’s DTA support is intensified. Regardless of the mode, quality improvement practices are leveraged. In a Cooperative Facilitation partnership, the CCEE works with the district and COE leadership team from design to implementation of a targeted project or to serve as a launch to a District goal with the support of the COE as part of Differentiated Assistance (DA) it provides to the district.

For example, a district office could be working to implement its goals and initiatives with little consistent success. The CCEE, in this partnership, will leverage the COE Differentiated Assistance to identify the root cause. CCEE will co-facilitate Continuous improvement-driven sessions with the COE and District to support the district leadership in identifying the LCAP and instructional plan(s) alignment and immediate next steps. As part of the identified support, CCEE can provide leadership quality improvement coaching to targeted individuals on the team and serve as a connector to other supports found in the CA Statewide System of Support. The duration of the Cooperative Facilitation partnership will vary but will generally be a year at most. This example is one way a Cooperative Facilitation partnership may manifest between agencies.

Figure 1: DTA’s Spectrum of Support

Establishing Systemic Coherence through the SIR

By Erik Swanson, Senior Advisor of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

The Systemic Instructional Review (SIR) is the most intensive level of support provided by CCEE’s Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) to local educational agencies. It involves an in-depth analysis of the district’s instructional systems, aiming to support district leadership in enhancing academic progress and social-emotional growth for every student.

Grounded in Fullan & Quinn’s Coherence Framework and quality improvement principles, the SIR process focuses on providing clear direction, fostering collaborative cultures, deepening learning, and securing accountability. During “Phase 1,” the CCEE collaborates with the LEA and COE teams to understand their specific needs and goals for achieving student success.

For “Phase 2,” various data gathering methods, such as school visits, focus groups, empathy interviews, and instructional crosswalks are employed during the process. This inclusive approach involves educational partners at multiple levels, including students, families, teachers, school site staff, administration, governance members, and district office leadership.

Following thorough data collection and analysis, in “Phase 3,” the CCEE continues to work closely with the LEA and COE to develop and support the implementation and sustainability of improvement strategies. The ultimate goal is to create a comprehensive Pre-K through 12 analysis of the LEA’s instructional systems, encompassing academic and social-emotional aspects, and ensuring the effective implementation of teaching, learning, and leading practices. This collaborative effort is designed to prepare every student to thrive as their best selves.

For more information on the SIR and the Coherence framework, visit the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center’s SIR webpage.

Intensive Assistance Model

Rising from the Margins

Rising From The Margins is a compelling podcast series that explores the transformative journey of California’s economically challenged schools through the lens of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence’s Intensive Assistance Model (IAM) pilot project. You can listen to the podcast now.

Reimagining Education: Insights from the Frontlines of School Transformation

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, will be hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with their questions or concerns related to the topic.

Join three exceptional school principals and teacher leaders for an inside look at how they are reimagining education at their schools. Through the IAM pilot, these educators have implemented powerful new strategies – centered on teacher collaboration and meeting individual student needs – that are delivering remarkable results.

Please join us on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 from 3-4 PM for an Open Door Session with Madera Unified School District.

Click here to register for this session.

CCEE Connection (November 2023)

Posted on November 7, 2023November 7, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR’s Two-Unit Graduate Assessment Course

The two-unit graduate assessment course provides an overview of early literacy assessments in phonics, reading, and writing. For those who are considering the Teacher Leader or Teacher pathways, this course would offer an introduction to the opportunities sponsored by Project CLEAR, along with allowing time for district and school leaders to develop, or redesign, a literacy acceleration plan to incorporate into their Local Control and Accountability Plan.

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – Math and Literacy Communities of Practice (CoPs)

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) in partnership with the CCEE and six County Offices of Education (COE) will be creating an inclusive space for collaboration and learning for educators across the state through a Community of Practice (CoP).

You can find more information using the flyers below:

Literacy

Mathematics

In Case You Missed It

Direct Technical Assistance Request for Proposal

CCEE is looking for respondents who can support partner LEAs in implementing State priorities. Further information is included in the Request for Proposal.

Universal PreK Resources

Looking AHEAD

Winter/Spring 2024 Courses Toward the 21CSLA UTK Leadership Certificate

The next no-cost, university credit-bearing course toward the UTK Leadership Certificate will be Equity Centered Leadership Practices to Support, Integrate, and Align Transitional Kindergarten (TK).

This course will investigate and understand the instructional leadership practices related to preschool through third grade (P–3) education, including how to develop and enact a PK–3 vision, align and integrate Universal Transitional Kindergarten into the CA educational system, and implement strategies to build professional capacity through a culture of continuous improvement. With a focus on issues of educational inequality, course content and assignments will focus on ameliorating and improving public education with a P–3 focus.

For more information or to enroll, visit: https://21cslacenter.berkeley.edu/utk-leadership-certificate Questions? Email us at [email protected]

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration Summit

Save the Date for the CCLA 2023-2024 Summit! This year’s theme is Students First: Every Moment Matters and will feature virtual and in-person options.

Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series

Following the adoption of the 2024–25 LCAP template and instructions the CDE will be providing a series of training webinars. For information, please visit the Tuesdays @ 2 Webinar Series web page.

November Resources

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join Our CCEE Listserv for more Resources

Executive Director’s Corner

How Do We Fix Schools?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

This is a question that has plagued educational practitioners and policymakers alike for years. The answer in short…we don’t! We don’t fix schools, we don’t fix people, and we don’t fix students. There’s not a compliance document, accountability document, or strategic plan that I have met that can fix schools. Rather, I would argue we help schools learn to improve, we help people to learn to improve, and we help students learn to improve. The only thing that can address the issues public schools are facing is the people in the buildings coming together for deep collaboration and problem-solving.

In this newsletter, you will read about how our Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) is working with County Offices and state lead partners to support LEAs in learning to improve.

It’s Fall! A Time for Reflection and Planning

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

The fall is a time for us to cozy up in our sweaters and have our hands wrapped around warm beverages. I would also say the fall is a time to reflect, especially for district and school site teams. The school year is well underway and spring is just around the corner. How can your school team come together in an authentic way to reflect on all they have accomplished and where they want to continue to improve? As Executive Director, Matt Navo, shared we don’t fix schools, we don’t fix people, we don’t fix students. We do, however, help school teams learn to improve, we help people learn to improve, and we help students learn to improve. How do you want to improve?

This fall is a time to reflect and start planning for the next Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) cycle. The new three-year LCAP cycle planning begins this year, and it is the time to bring your school community together to reflect and identify where you want to improve together. This is the time to have open conversations about what’s working and what isn’t. Reflection and planning are the cornerstones of a successful Local Control Accountability Plan. They enable schools to learn from the past and strategically navigate the future. Through these practices, schools and districts can create a comprehensive LCAP that meets the unique needs of all students fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Our team is here to support and you’ll find this newsletter includes various resources and support on reflection and the upcoming changes expected for the LCAP.

The Power of Reflection, Together

By Jennie Wright, Ed.D., Assistant Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful” (Wheatley, 2002). Much has been written about the power and importance of reflection, particularly self-reflection. There is also great power in reflecting together. To improve our systems to better serve our students and communities we must constantly strive to get better at getting better. This takes robust collaboration and internal accountability culture grounded in reflection, together.

Jenni Donohoo’s (2013) collaborative inquiry, which, like improvement science, is about learning and reflecting through four phases of a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. There is no one path forward for everyone, if there was, we’d all be doing it already. Reflection, which lies in all four phases of the inquiry cycle, but particularly in the study and act phases is essential. Without engaging in all four phases we are not engaging in collaborative inquiry. It takes discipline through the four phases of inquiry to learn and reflect together so that the path forward reveals itself. Through disciplined rapid cycles of inquiry coupled with strong internal accountability at every level of the system, we create feedback loops and reflection so that the system and every level within it continuously improves.

It is much easier to look out the window than in the mirror but when we can be bold and brave enough to sit in a reflective space together, we can learn so much about ourselves, our practice, our students, and the needs of students, schools, and school systems.

References

Donohoo, J. (2013). Collaborative Inquiry for Educators: A Facilitator’s Guide to School Improvement. Corwin.

Wheatley, M. J. (2002). It’s an Interconnected World, Shambhala Sun, April, 2002.

A reflection on applying system improvement levers to the LCAP

By Matthew Roberts, Ed.D., Senior Advisor, CCEE & Joshua Strong, Administrator of the System of Support Office, CDE, Instruction & Measurement Branch

“Every system is perfectly designed to achieve exactly the results that it gets” is a phrase commonly used in system(s) improvement language. The words imply that design has more to do with system outcomes than simple intentions for system outcomes. Designing transformation in a district requires leaders to consistently think, reflect, and act in ways that drive continuous improvement across the entire organization. Getting to that point though takes reflection on current district priorities. How many priorities does your district have? Are priorities designed to solve problems rooted in the local data or do we stay flat in the data and act like it somehow moved? Do they fit an overall design for success in student outcomes? Do priorities capture the voice of those closest to students?

As districts measure the impact of current LCAP goals and begin engagement for the new LCAP cycle, consider applying the Carnegie Foundation’s Four Levers of Transformation (2020) to help inform the development of goals for the new LCAP cycle beginning 2024-25. The Four Levers include: 1) promote radical alignment across goals and plans to create a coherent, holistic design that places student success at the center, 2) build an improvement culture that opens voice and agency while holding everyone to high expectations, 3) develop everyone’s improvement capabilities to build the collective muscle that it takes to urgently do the hard work, and this means investing in people and building collaborative time, and 4) invest in improvement infrastructure that promotes collective learning, increases analytic capacity, and empowers decision-making.

In November 2023, the State Board of Education will consider revisions to the 2024-25 LCAP template including the following:

Streamlining of the Plan Summary and Engaging Educational Partners sections of the LCAP
Inclusion of tables in the Engaging Educational Partners and Increased or Improved Services for Foster Youth, English Learners, and Low-Income Students sections of the LCAP
Addition of a requirement for school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that receive Local Control Funding Formula Equity Multiplier funding to include one or more goals within the LCAP
Addition of a requirement for school districts, county offices of education and charter schools that are eligible for technical assistance and/or that have received the lowest performance rating on one or more state indicators on the California School Dashboard for (1) a school within the LEA, (2) a student group within the LEA, and/or (3) a student group within any school within the LEA to include specific actions in the LCAP

References

Berwick, Don. (March 3, 2015). [Keynote Speaker Presentation]. Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education. San Francisco, CA, USA. https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2015_Summit_Program.pdf

Dixon, C.J., & Palmer, S.N. (2020). Transforming Educational Systems Toward Continuous Improvement: A Reflection Guide for K–12 Leaders. Stanford, CA: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Intensive Assistance Model

We invite you to hear the reflections of the Federal Terrace Elementary team in Vallejo City Unified School District and their journey with the Intensive Assistance Model. They are deepening their understanding and practices of authentic collaboration focused on student results.

CCEE Connection (August 2023)

Posted on August 8, 2023August 10, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration – Math and Literacy Communities of Practice (CoPs)

You can find more information using the flyers below:

Literacy

Mathematics

California Mathematics Framework

The California State Board of Education approved the 2023 Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools at their July 12th meeting. You can read more about the new Framework by visiting the California Department of Education’s Mathematics Framework web page.

In Case You Missed It

UPK Key Information Flyer

UPK Resources & Materials

UPK Toolkit

2022-2023 CCEE Annual Report

Looking AHEAD

Open Door Sessions

CCEE, in collaboration with LEAs and partner organizations, is hosting “open door” sessions to share best practices, tools/resources, and strategies to support student learning. These sessions will provide opportunities for county office and/or district staff to listen and learn from other LEAs across the state, and connect further, if interested. Those who express interest in connecting further will be invited to join a smaller, more intimate “Special Interest Group” session, in which the presenting LEA will be available to listen, share, and help participants with more specific questions.

Fresno CSS’s Tools for Navigating the Plan-demic (8/22/23)
Graduate Profiles: Redefining Student Success (9/27/23)

To view archived materials from past Open Door sessions, please visit our Open Door Sessions Google Site. You can also check our Events Calendar or follow CCEE on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on upcoming Open Door sessions.

August Resources

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join Our CCEE Listserv for more Resources

Executive Director’s Corner

Why is Coaching So Important?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

Why is coaching in education so important? Coaching provides opportunities for educational organizations and professionals to focus on the right work. Too often educational professionals are focused on the wrong indicators. For example, when schools and leaders focus only on test scores, we risk failing to comprehend the actual causes of those results. Coaching helps to uncover what we can control and/or influence that may be causing or have caused a potential result. Doug Reeves and Michael Fullan say it this way, “The number of priorities is inversely proportional to gains in student achievement” (Reeves, 2013). They go on to say, “while leaders and policymakers are often seduced by the promises of vendors that programs will solve educational challenges, the evidence is clear that it is practices, not programs that have the greatest impact” (Reeves 2023).

Only through coaching can we focus on the practices that achieve better outcomes.

Effective Coaching Benefits Everyone

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Being an educator today, and even before today, is extremely hard. We are in the midst of the highest rate of educator burnout and fatigue causing many veteran and new educators to leave the profession. For this reason and many others, it is important we engage in practices that create spaces of community, belonging, vulnerability, and learning allowing educators to fill their buckets, rejuvenate, and reinvigorate their passion for education.

Effective coaching is one of those practices we should all be engaging in as individuals, as teams, and as an education community. Effective coaching isn’t just about achieving organizational goals, student achievement, and collaborative learning cultures, it is also about higher levels of emotional and physical well-being. We are in an era of initiative fatigue that can cause burnout and increased turnover in staff. Effective coaching can help peel back layers of initiatives as individuals and teams ask themselves, why?

There are more than 40,000 books on coaching showing the profound amount of research on effective coaching. Yet has it become common practice in our education community? When individuals and teams participate in effective coaching practices, they see an increase in psychological well-being, self-regulation, and self-insight. The teams benefit from gains in goal attainment and solution-focused thinking (Grant & Atad, 2021).

This month’s newsletter highlights some of the coaching embedded in the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence work with districts and county offices of education. We invite you to learn more and to consider how you can engage in effective coaching practices to find rejuvenation in your work.

Internal Coaching Cycles for Quality Improvement

By Rocio Gonzalez-Frausto, Assistant Director, CCEE

Our Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) focuses on utilizing quality improvement practices to improve instructional practices, cultivate coherent systems, and improve student outcomes. As the TLLC team supports its partners in their continuous improvement journey, we must reflect on our practices and implementations to ensure we are working to create sustaining change in collaboration with partners. These small but mighty teams are composed of two members, each with three districts receiving DTA. We meet weekly to biweekly and engage in our own improvement cycles, utilizing the identified LEA goal or aim statement to anchor our work together. The work is heavy and deep, so I create space at the start of each session with a personal check-in, many times including some laughs, before launching into reviewing the aims of our partners and providing progress updates since our last check-in. When the team shares challenges or areas of need, I begin utilizing the five whys protocol to shine the light as the team engages in thought; in other instances, we return to our Coherence framework to identify which of the four domains is the pain point and what steps we can take to get out. It boils down to: What are we trying to accomplish? Where are we now? What is our goal? What do we need to do to make it happen? These weekly meetings end with identified next steps in our support to partners and the students they serve.

The Role of Coaching in Accelerating Learning

By Stacey Wedin, Assistant Director, CCEE

Learning acceleration doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Supporting the rapid progress of students toward mastery of content requires a comprehensive, systemic approach to rethink the way we teach and learn. The CCEE’s Playbook for Accelerating Learning underscores this point by outlining the necessary conditions to accelerate learning, which includes having a system aligned to the tenets of learning acceleration in both mindset and practice. Professional learning and coaching for educators to deepen understanding of learning acceleration and embed evidence-based strategies into practice is paramount to a sustainable system.

With this knowledge, Learning Acceleration System Grant partners have designed their professional learning offerings centered on systems of coaching and mentoring. This affords educators valuable opportunities to collaborate, share, learn, and provide feedback while incorporating new strategies into their practice. Coaching is one of four prongs of support offered by the Rural Math Collaborative (RMC) where participating counties receive targeted assistance around using TOSAs and instructional coaches to improve math instruction. Working with the California Math Project and drawing from the work of Jim Knight, the RMC is working to build sustainable networks of effective coaching teams throughout the region. As another example, Project CLEAR offers job-embedded individualized coaching while participating educators complete the training offered through the program. Once certified, Teacher Leaders coach educators in their respective school/district on early literacy intervention strategies to accelerate reading.

Coaching is integral to a robust system of professional learning and plays a critical role in accelerating learning. As the Learning Acceleration System grant grows in future years, the use of effective coaching to support teachers will continue to grow with it.

21st Century California School Leadership Academy

Are you a current or aspiring California school or district leader looking for

free professional development and coaching?

Find your 21CSLA Academy HERE.

All Academies include:

Communities of Practice

A space for leaders in similar roles to come together and work on equity-centered problems of practice using continuous improvement while championing transformational leadership.

Localized Professional Learning

Leaders participate in a process of practitioner inquiry that advances educational equity for a specific context around leadership, equity, and continuous improvement. Problems of practice are situated in and arise from the regional communities and are determined through an extensive needs-assessment process.

Leadership Coaching

Coaches provide job-embedded coaching built on relational trust and focused on equity-centered problems of practice using continuous improvement. They also support leaders with system transformation to ensure all children fulfill their potential to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

21CSLA UTK

The 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy, in partnership with 21CSLA UTK and the Solano County Office of Education, is launching Envisioning Equitable TK Classrooms on August 24–25.

New UTK Leadership Certificate and Courses

Starting this fall, 21CSLA is offering UTK Leadership Certificate courses to any current Preliminary or Clear Administrative Services Credential candidate. These are free, online, synchronous courses offered through UC Berkeley Extension. Receive 4 units credit along with a certificate upon completion of the two-course series. To learn more, download the UTK Certificate flyer or visit 21CSLA’s website.

CCEE Connection (May 2023)

Posted on May 8, 2023June 9, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

In Case You Missed It

System of Support Updates (May 2023)

New 21CSLA Practice Brief: Insights from California’s TK Educators and Leaders

Drawing from interviews with California UTK leaders, this practice brief underscores key themes from UTK educational leaders as areas ripe for further research. These findings serve to illuminate the challenges, opportunities, and ingenuity of educators and districts in supporting UTK implementation or expansion. Read the brief

May Resources

Mental Health Awareness Month – NAMI raises awareness and provides support to educate the public on mental health
Healthy Minds Innovations – an easy to use app as a guide to well-being
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Find ready use lesson plans, student activities, guides, and research aids in this selection of resources for teachers

About the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join Our CCEE Listserv for more Resources

Executive Director’s Corner

Wellness in Education

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

What do we mean by wellness in education? For us it means a myriad of support needed to address Social Emotional Learning (SEL), mental health, and well-being of students. If we can see how SEL strategies and practices impact the mental health and well-being of students, then it would allow educational practitioners to be more focused on how to utilize funding to support the wellness of students and educators. Measuring the impact of those supports and services as it relates to the education of the whole child requires an intentional awareness and design so that LEAs can efficiently and effectively address the needs of their students and the educators that support them. This newsletter highlights some resources, services, and supports that address wellness education for adults and students in education and the importance of wellness for teaching and learning.

What Do We Mean by Wellness in Education?

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D. Deputy Executive Director, CCEE

Executive Director Matt Navo started off his article with the question, “What do we mean by wellness in education?” I’d like to dive into this question a little more with adding what does wellness mean and what do we mean by wellness in education for students and educators?

In 1976, Dr. Bill Hetler released the Six Dimensions of Wellness Model. The six dimensions of wellness are: Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, Occupational, Spiritual, and Social. He defines wellness as functioning optimally within your current environment. So what does this mean for students? What does this mean for educators?

Diving into wellness just a little deeper, you find that wellness involves seeing our lives from multiple sides, a holistic view, and brings about an awareness that each dimension is interconnected and contributes to a healthy or unhealthy life. How does this translate into how we are providing an education grounded in wellness? From my experience, the first step is having self-awareness of how we are showing up for ourselves, our students, and our colleagues on a daily basis. How are you as an individual and as part of a collective enhancing your wellness and creating opportunities for students to enhance their wellness?

The National Wellness Institute developed three questions to help professionals and organizations to determine how successfully they are incorporating wellness into their strategies and initiatives:

1. Does this help individuals achieve their full potential?

2. Does this recognize and address multiple dimensions of wellness?

3. Does this affirm and mobilize an individual’s unique qualities and strengths?

I encourage us all to consider these three questions when we are developing programs, strategies, and initiatives for students and for each other.

SEL: Creating Impact To Accelerate Learning

By Barb Flores, Project Director, California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA)

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) recognizes the importance of intentional use of evidence-based practices and integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into every child’s school experience. SEL is a core component of CCLA, empowering educators with strategies that will impact instructional decisions moving forward.

Aligned with the California Social Emotional Learning Guiding Principles and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, CCLA values building positive relationships and leveraging student’s strengths as conditions for learning. CCLA focuses on developing the whole child through a systems lens, promoting equitable and inclusive learning environments with evidence-based social, emotional, and academic practices, and engaging in a process of continuous improvement. CCLA provides asynchronous courses and in-person professional learning that embeds SEL in math, literacy, and language development.

“Engaging educators in implicit and explicit SEL practices is essential to the academic success of students,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. “This essential instructional support provided by the California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration aims to have a great impact on student learning.”

On March 11, 2023, CCLA held its first summit – Students First: Learning Forward Together. Doug Fisher presented All Learning is Social and Emotional. “Academic learning may be the explicit focus of schooling, but what teachers say, the values we express, the materials and activities we choose, and the skills we prioritize all influence how our students think, see themselves, interact with content and with others, and assert themselves in the world.” Dr. Doug Fisher’s session is available at https://sites.google.com/sccoe.org/cclearningacceleration/2023-summit.

A Two Pronged-Approach to Tackling Educator Burnout

By Hallie Fox, Head of Research at Educators Thriving & Tyler Hester, CEO and Founder of Educators Thriving

Tyler Hester spent his first year of teaching like many first year teachers – overwhelmed. Thanks to support from his colleagues, he made it through. During his subsequent years in the classroom and leading a teacher preparation program, he saw numerous early-career educators burnout and leave. He knew what so many of us know: it doesn’t need to be this way. There are predictable and preventable causes of educator burnout. We can and should be better equipping educators to thrive in the face of those predictable challenges.

As a doctoral student at Harvard, Tyler worked alongside the Boston Teachers Union to pilot a well-being program open to all members – not just new teachers. Much to his surprise, the room the union had booked was too small to accommodate the number of people interested. Since then, Educators Thriving has served educators in over 26 districts and county offices across the country with demonstrated results: statistically significant reductions in burnout and increases in well-being.

However, Tyler and our team knew that equipping individual educators wasn’t enough; we must also improve the conditions in which teachers work. Educators Thriving now offers measurement and strategic consultation to help school and district leaders improve well-being for all staff using a unique, educator-generated scale. We offer ongoing support to leaders and simultaneously address aspects of organizational structures or culture that detract from staff well-being. By equipping individual educators and enabling leaders to drive systematic change, we can help every educator achieve well-being and reach their full potential.

How We Show Up Matters

By Erik Swanson, Senior Advisor, CCEE

When we attend meetings, whether in-person or virtual, we tend to follow a pattern or standard of behavior that determines how we interact with our teammates. This could be greeting others enthusiastically, being reserved and waiting to be called on, identifying more strongly with someone with similar experiences, or leaning in to support a teammate in need. While all of these styles can be effective in supporting our teammates, it’s important to consider whether they are effective in supporting the system as a whole.

To understand this better, we can refer to the “Ladder of Connectedness¹” graphic, which represents how our connections can either support or mute our ability to foster a generative social field. A space that can support all of our teammates and move the organization forward. The three empathic stances we can take – in-group empathy, cognitive empathy, and altruistic empathy – can definitely support our teammates. However, taking somebody’s side or their feelings and/or perspective doesn’t always allow us to remain neutral and see multiple perspectives, to see the entire system.

This is where neutral awareness comes in – the ability to remain non-judgmental and non-attached, in a state of equanimity and ultimate balance. By showing up with neutral awareness, we can influence the space to be more generative, and drive the system to better outcomes for students. This doesn’t require any extra professional development – just a different way of showing up that can make a big difference. So, try it out and see what you notice – how we show up really does matter.

Peter Senge & Mette Boell, Compassionate Systems Framework

CCEE Connection (February 2023)

Posted on February 7, 2023June 9, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Request for Applications – Community Engagement Initiative 2.0 Lead Agency

The California Department of Education and the CCEE invite interested county offices of education, on behalf of a consortium of entities (e.g., LEAs, institutions of higher education, nonprofit educational services providers), to apply to be named as the Lead Agency to co-administer the expanded 2.0 work of the Community Engagement Initiative (CEI). Application details

21CSLA Research-Practice Webinar: Hate speech on social media—What can leaders do?

Featuring Dean Tina Christie and Dr. Arif Amlani (UCLA School of Education and Information Studies) in conversation with leaders from the field and facilitated by Professor Jabari Mahiri (Berkeley School of Education) on Wednesday, February 15, 3:30–4:30 pm. All webinars are free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Learn more and register here. Until then, watch recordings of past webinars.

In Case You Missed It

System of Support Updates (February 2023)

Looking Ahead

California Dyslexia Initiative Professional Learning Network

Do you want to better understand how to support struggling readers and students with dyslexia in your school?

Join Sacramento COE, the CDE, CCEE, and SBE on March 1 to learn more about identifying risk factors, setting up effective MTSS/RTI school systems to prevent reading difficulties, and delivering research-based instruction to support and remediate struggling learners and students with dyslexia.

21CSLA UTK Leadership Initiative

The 21CSLA Universal Transitional Kindergarten Leadership Initiative prepares leaders to “lead for equity” in rolling out California’s Transitional Kindergarten for all four-year-olds.

Join the 21CSLA Valley to Coast Regional Academy for two series they are hosting:

Series 1: Leaders Envisioning Equitable TK Classrooms in Action

Series 2: Leadership Practices to Support, Integrate, and Align UTK

Join the 21CSLA Mid-State Regional Academy for a two-day event on envisioning and leading equitable TK Classrooms they are hosting:

Day 1: Leadership Practices to Support, Integrate, and Align P-3

Day 2: Inquiry through Play

February Resources

African American Heritage Month

Black History Month

Youth Leadership Month

Feb 1 – Global School Play Day

Feb 20 – National Leadership Day

About the Teaching Learning and Leading Center (TLLC)

Our team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join our CCEE Listserv for more resources

Executive Director’s Corner

The 2022 Dashboard results are out…Now what?

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

The 2022 Dashboard results confirmed that the impact of COVID-19 created lasting educational challenges. Challenges that require a continued focus on providing safe and healthy school environments, an intense focus on addressing educational inequities exacerbated by learning challenges, and finding collaborative solutions for improved educational outcomes.

Now what? The good news is that there have been many investments by both local, county, and state officials to help prepare for this predictable need. The state investments in Community Schools, Expanded Learning Opportunities Grants/Programs, Universal Pre-K, Transitional Kindergarten, Social Emotional and Behavioral Health, and Learning Acceleration System Grant have all been put in place in anticipation of the challenges educators would face, and most importantly what students would need.

In this newsletter, our Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) team highlights some of the resources available to help educators, administrators, and other partners address the challenges ahead.

Learning From and With Each Other

By Stephanie Gregson, Ed.D., Deputy Executive Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

As was stated in the Executive Director’s Corner, there have been substantial investments by local, county, and the state to help educators address challenges. With these substantial investments and highlighted state initiatives, there is the opportunity to learn from each other and to learn together. There were many lessons from the pandemic, one of them being we all do better, and our students do better when we are in a learning space together. The next several articles will share the different opportunities CCEE is convening and facilitating for educators across the state to share space and to learn together. These professional learning networks are just a few examples and range in topics that are timely and relevant to different areas and contexts across our diverse state. You will see threads from Fullan and Quinn’s Coherence Framework woven throughout as we advise and assist districts in cultivating collaborative cultures, deepen learning, focus their direction, and build accountability within their system. We hope to see you in one of our future professional learning networks.

Lifelong Learners: Professional Expert Learning Network

By Erik Swanson, Senior Advisor of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

“When you know better, you do better.” Maya Angelou

The Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) works to support districts experiencing chronic systemic challenges through Direct Technical Assistance (DTA). The team that supports these districts is comprised of CCEE employees and a diverse set of experienced educators throughout our state.

As an organization focused on getting better at getting better, a year ago, after thoughtful discernment and reflection about the model guiding our support, the Center made the decision to adopt the Coherence Framework by Fullan and Quinn as the foundation of our support. This framework coupled with our intentionality on fostering compassionate systems that utilize quality improvement tools and the cycle of continuous improvement is now how we are best partnering with districts and their leadership teams.

This year, our monthly learning network meetings have been focused on grounding our professional experts in the new model. For this reason, our convenings are focused on three main topics…

The “Coherence” book study,
A review of the revised phases of direct technical assistance, and
Sharing and soliciting feedback on the protocols and tools being developed to best serve our partner districts.

The conversations this year have been rich with the sharing of each members vast experiences in different contexts and how that expertise, aligned with the framework can continue to support the districts receiving Direct Technical Assistance. We are excited about the opportunity to continue to learn together in a singular effort to be more prepared to serve our districts who serve the students of California most in need.

Better Together: The Learning Acceleration System Grant Professional Learning Network

By Stacey Wedin, Assistant Director of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

The Learning Acceleration System (LAS) Grant is a statewide initiative to build systems and capacity to provide California educators with professional learning around evidence-based strategies to accelerate student learning. The CCEE has partnered with three LAS grantees and their respective partner agencies to achieve our collective goals. The goals are ambitious and, indeed, strong partnerships, shared accountability, and authentic collaboration are critical ingredients to our recipe for success. The CCEE established the LAS Grant Professional Learning Network as a space where grantees, along with their teams, can cultivate collegiality, alignment, and deep learning across projects as we move through phases of implementation together.

Two primary objectives were established for the LAS Grant PLN:

To form a learning community focused on developing, sharing, aligning, and scaling evidence-based best practices related to learning acceleration across California.
To develop strategies for systematically evaluating learning acceleration for the purposes of improvement, sustainability, and communication.

During the quarterly PLN meetings, LAS grant partners discuss a myriad of topics, including implementation successes and challenges (along with solutions), outreach strategies, and opportunities to support, connect, or align efforts. Maintaining a trusting, vulnerable, respectful learning environment is paramount. The LAS grant work is dynamic, complex, varied, and just getting started. The PLN will serve to coalesce grantees around a shared purpose despite varied approaches, calibrate expectations around impact and success, and fuel the steadfast commitment of LAS grant partners to support educators and accelerate learning. To learn more, please visit the recently launched LAS Grant website.

Independent Study Professional Learning Network

By Gonzalo Avila, Ed.D., Senior Manager of the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center, CCEE

Is your district, school, or county office struggling with creating effective structures and processes to create a rigorous independent study program? Then this professional learning network is for you. CCEE facilitates monthly sessions where Independent Study Professional Learning Network (ISPLN) participants learn strategies, structures, practices, policies, and procedures that districts have adopted to effectively engage their local communities in support of improving student outcomes.

This year, our focus is on professionals sharing their best practices for Independent Study implementation. Districts and counties from across the State are involved in this high level collaboration. Please join our next meeting on March 6th. To join our meeting, please complete registration.

Feel free to contact Gonzalo Avila at [email protected] or visit our website for more ISPLN information.

Upcoming Learning Acceleration System Grant Opportunities!

Evidence-based strategies for rapid student progress

For more information visit our new Learning Acceleration System Grant website!

Project CLEAR is offering a series of free after school virtual workshops on Literacy Learning starting February 13, 2023. Participants will explore different elements of powerful literacy teaching and learning. Learn about strategies to accelerate students’ literacy that you can apply today! For more information, see Project CLEAR’s flyer.

Just released … FREE, online, asynchronous professional learning courses for learning acceleration in targeted math, literacy, and language development areas that infuse critical elements of Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, and Social-Emotional Learning. If you wish to learn more, visit the CCLA Website .

Act now! CCLA is hosting its FREE inaugural summit on March 11, 2023! Register to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning
acceleration to reinvigorate classroom instruction to improve student outcomes.

Coming Fall 2023… FREE, online, asynchronous professional learning modules on Multi-tiered System of Support and Universal Design for Learning in the mathematics classroom, coaching, Lesson Study, and instructional strategies and concepts from the California Mathematics Framework.

CCEE Connection (November 2022)

Posted on November 8, 2022June 9, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Project CLEAR (California Literacy Elevation by Accelerating Reading)

Project CLEAR is a Learning Acceleration System grantee funded through the CCEE to build capacity within districts across California to implement and support literacy development. These evidence-based approaches to accelerated learning enable students to make strong and rapid progress in reading and writing.

Project CLEAR is looking for schools, districts, and educators interested in benefiting from this grant-funded professional learning opportunity to launch a new cohort of Teacher Leaders in January! Through this two-year program, participants will become Teacher Leaders who can train and coach teachers to implement comprehensive literacy strategies in schools and K-12 interventions for students who have reading, writing, and language-based needs. These Teacher Leaders can expand availability and access to literacy acceleration, prevention, and intervention for diverse students in their district or school, including students who are English learners, students in dual language programs, and students with disabilities, including those with dyslexia and/or phonological processing issues. Learn more on Project CLEAR’s website.

Project CLEAR Flyer (English)

Resumen de Proyecto CLEAR (Spanish/Español )

The 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA)

21CSLA provides high quality, equity-centered professional learning for educational leaders of schools and districts in California that receive Title II funds. Programs are no-cost to participants and include leadership coaching, as well as an emphasis on improving instruction and achievement outcomes (including through distance learning) for English Learners, students with disabilities, low income students, and other historically marginalized students.

Looking Ahead

California Dyslexia Initiative Expert Webinar Series

Do you want to better understand how to support struggling readers and students with dyslexia in your school?

Join Sacramento COE and Glean Education to earn more about identifying risk factors, setting up effective MTSS/RTI school systems to prevent reading difficulties, and delivering research-based instruction to support and remediate struggling learners and students with dyslexia.

Independent Study Professional Learning Network (ISPLN)

CCEE facilitates monthly sessions where Independent Study Professional Learning Network (ISPLN) participants learn strategies, structures, practices, policies, and procedures that districts have adopted to effectively engage their local communities in support of improving student outcomes. Our next meeting on February 6th will cover assigning quality and rigorous coursework in Independent Study. Please contact Gonzalo Avila at [email protected] for more information.

Register for our next meeting on February 6, 2023.

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration

Through the California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA), one of three CCEE Learning Acceleration System grantees, the SCCOE and its partners are building an evidence-based professional learning model for educators that can support learning acceleration, particularly in mathematics, literacy, and language development. Accelerated learning strategies are those designated to meet pupils where they are in their learning which will enable them to make strong rapid progress in their mastery of knowledge and skills. These strategies may include individual or small group tutoring or whole class instruction using well-grounded methods with scaffolds and differentiation that meet pupils’ specific needs. This year, CCLA aims to put asynchronous content and resources in the hands of educators across the state, as well as offer opportunities to work in-person in schools and/or districts. Coming soon in January 2023, FREE asynchronous courses for learning acceleration in targeted math, literacy and language development areas that infuse critical elements of Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, and Social-Emotional Learning will be available to all educators.

In Case You Missed It

System of Support Updates (November 2022)

November Resources

November – Native American Heritage Month

November 8 – National STEM/STEAM Day

November 12-20 – National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week

November 13 – World Kindness Day

November 16 – International Day for Tolerance

Executive Director’s Corner

Why Continuous Improvement is so Vital for School Transformation

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

Educators use many acronyms to describe their work. The field of acronyms is long and at times educators can seemingly sound like they are speaking another language to those not so familiar. However, when it comes to Continuous Improvement (CI), this is one “buzzword” that everyone needs to understand.

CI is the basic act of “getting better at getting better” with whatever endeavor you are trying to improve. It is about looking at results compared to what you hoped to achieve, reflecting on those results, and making adjustments. The act of CI leads to school transformation because it puts those closest to the work impacting the direction. When you have those closest to the work doing the work of CI, the chances of improved outcomes and school transformation greatly improve.

This newsletter put together by our Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) will share the importance of CI when it comes to improving outcomes for students and transforming schools.

The Art of Practicing Gratitude within Continuous Improvement

By Dr. Stephanie Gregson, Deputy Executive Director of the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center

As our Executive Director pointed out in his article, the foundation of continuous improvement is the act of “getting better at getting better,” and for schools, this is directly related to school transformation and compassionate systems change. One element I would like to remind us all of is how we are practicing gratitude within the continuous improvement work. We know from our learned and lived experiences that school transformation happens when those closest to the work are engaging in the act of continuous improvement, but how often are we practicing gratitude for all our colleagues engaged in this work? How does practicing gratitude positively impact our work?

The research on gratitude spans over centuries, and even the definition of gratitude has morphed over time based on the research. Gratitude is a multilayered concept but is a fundamental attribute of human beings and a potential key to human flourishing. As we participate in authentic continuous improvement, practicing gratitude with each other contributes to the shaping of our collective being and helps us all get better (Emmons & McCullough, 2004).

Reflecting on your actions, behaviors, decisions, and presence within the work is not easy, in fact, it is exhausting. However, it is the work we all need to engage in if we are to truly approach school transformation in a compassionate way.

I would like to share our gratitude and appreciation for colleagues across the state serving students who are looking within themselves, reflecting on their actions, behaviors, and presence to be able to show up as their most authentic selves for students. When we, as adults, model gratitude and compassion, our students benefit from an environment that helps them thrive, to be their best selves.

As you engage in the act of continuous improvement, take the opportunity to also practice gratitude by acknowledging the hard work you and your team are participating in on behalf of yourself and our students.

References:

Emmons, Robert A., and Michael E. McCullough, eds. The psychology of gratitude. Oxford University Press, 2004.

The What and Whys of CI

By Dr. Jennie Wright, Senior Manager of the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center

Continuous improvement (CI) has been around for a while and is an ingrained practice in fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and technology (Best & Dunlap, 2014). It is a relatively new approach in the field of education. The term continuous improvement has been building steam in education circles over the last decade, however the robust implementation of improvement practices across the field has lagged (Park, et.al., 2013). Continuous improvement is a process that uses quantitative and qualitative evidence through disciplined inquiry to improve systems’ efficacy and outcomes for the end user, in the case of the field of education, that is students.

While continuous improvement continues to be a buzz word across the field of education, it’s important to highlight why that is and why engaging in continuous improvement is an integral practice. Improvement has long been a goal for educators and the focus of those conversations is largely focused on improving the end product, student outcomes. However, how we achieve those outcomes and the collective work done to improve the system for long-term success is equally as important. Continuous improvement provides a process that breaks down improvement into smaller, more manageable pieces as we deconstruct the system and consider change ideas in shorter, smaller increments. On the heels of a global pandemic, and mounting evidence of an even greater need for improvement, now is the time to adopt continuous improvement practices that provide educators with a framework and roadmap for providing better learning experiences and outcomes for the students across the system.

References:

Park, S., Hironaka, S., Carver, P., & Nordstrum, L. (2013). Continuous improvement in education. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/carnegie-foundation_continuous-improvement_2013.05.pdf.

Best, J. and Dunlap, A. (2014). Continuous improvement in schools and districts: Policy considerations. McRel International. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED557599.pdf.

Using Continuous Improvement Cycles to Support Coherence

By Dr. Susan Tandberg, CCEE Professional Expert

Coherence is defined by Fullan and Quinn (2016) as the “shared depth of understanding about the purpose and nature of the work” (p 1). The purpose and nature of the work is outlined in the four components or “right drivers”: focusing direction, cultivating collaborative cultures, deepening learning, and securing accountability. In service of these drivers is the work of continuous improvement cycles of inquiry.

“Continuous improvement is a disciplined and ongoing approach to improving processes and systems that produce positive outcomes for students. It provides a structure for educators to identify problems; design interventions specific to those problems; test interventions in context; and evaluate effectiveness before scaling up the intervention.” (Myung, et al. 2020).

Given this definition, we can see how the process of continuous improvement is one tool to support the acquisition of coherence in a system. Both are ongoing processes with a results orientation. Additionally, they are both grounded in the identification of a small number of clear targeted goals and strategies for attainment of those goals. The process for establishing learning goals and gaining agreement on pedagogical practices are grounded in intentional collaborative work resulting in increased collective efficacy. Finally, accountability is secured through the establishment of benchmark progress and relentless reflection on process and results. Achieving coherence in a system requires ongoing implementation and monitoring of the “right drivers.” Using the cycle of continuous improvement is a process for helping schools keep focused on the “right drivers” resulting in increased student outcomes.

References:

Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2016). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, Ca.

Myung, J., Krausen, K., Kimner, H. Donahue, C. (2020). Continuous Improvement in Schools in the Covid-19 Context. Policy Analysis for California Education. https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/continuous-improvement-schools-covid-19-context.

Continuous Improvement Resources:

Aim Statements Worksheet

Developing Aim Statements Worksheet: As teams begin to engage in continuous improvement they must answer what are they trying to accomplish. This work can help the teams write a statement that answers this question and creates clear and specific plans for the improvement work ahead.

PDSA in Everyday

PDSA in Everyday: This video explains the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle (PDSA) and how we implement PDSA cycles in our day to day.

PDSA Cycle form

PDSA Cycle Form: This form can be utilized for PDSA in everyday life by teams to plan their Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles.

About the Teaching, Learning & Leading Center (TLLC)

Our TLLC team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

Meet our TLLC Team Members!

Jennie is a valued member on our TLLC team! Read more on her below.

Jennie Wright, Ed.D.

Senior Manager

Teaching, Learning & Leading Center

Jennie partners with and supports district and county office teams using quality improvement practices to positively impact instructional practices and educational outcomes and experiences for students. Internally, she collaborates with members of the TLLC team to engage in continuous improvement around the Direct Technical Assistance process. She also collaborates across CCEE on projects such as chronic absenteeism.

Fun Fact: Fun Fact: Jennie is an avid hockey fan and has aspirations to visit every NHL stadium across North America (10 down, 22 to go)!

Click here to meet the rest of the TLLC team

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join our CCEE Listserv for more resources

CCEE Connection (August 2022)

Posted on August 9, 2022June 9, 2023 by Belinda Gaspar

News & Announcements

Call to Participate in Professional Learning Opportunity through Project CLEAR

Project CLEAR, one of three CCEE Learning Acceleration System Grantees, is recruiting educators from across the state interested in becoming a teacher leader with expertise in reading intervention. This grant-funded professional learning opportunity will cover the cost of participation in graduate coursework, including tuition and materials. Please see the fliers linked below for more information about how Project CLEAR can support students in your district.

Project CLEAR Overview (English)

Resumen de Proyecto CLEAR (Spanish/Español)

Looking Ahead

2022-2023 Independent Study Professional Learning Network (ISPLN)

Join CCEE and participating districts for solution-oriented discussions focused on a problem of practice around independent study. The ISPLN meetings will occur at 10:00 am on the first Monday of every month. Please email Gonzalo Avila at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like further information.

Learn more about the ISPLN meetings
Register for our first meeting of the year on Monday, October 3, 2022

In Case You Missed It

CCEE’s Playbook for Accelerating Learning (updated!)

August Resources

Balloons to Heaven Day – August 6 is Balloons to Heaven Day when we remember the countless lives lost to gun violence.

International Youth Day – August 12 is International Youth Day, a United Nations holiday to raise awareness to the issues that many children and teenagers around the world, especially those affected by poverty, who can’t get access to an appropriate education.

Women’s Equality Day – August 26 is Women’s Equality Day in the United States, a day to commemorate the 19th amendment of the Constitution which, in 1920, gave women the right to vote.

About the CCEE

The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is a statewide leader delivering on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.

VIEW PAST EDITIONS OF THE CCEE CONNECTION

Join our CCEE Listserv for more resources

Executive Director’s Corner

Continuous Improvement is Essential to Building Capacity

By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE

All educators have something in common: we all want to improve educational outcomes for students. The tools and approaches we use to do that vary amongst educators. However, the one thing we can all agree on is that if we don’t re-evaluate our practices, self-reflect on what is and is not working, and redirect our work, we will never truly improve.

The Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) has been doing just that. The Systemic Instructional Review (SIR) is an essential tool used by the CCEE for providing assistance to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for school improvement actions.

The TLLC team has been on a quest to assess the impact of the SIR tool, reflect on its effectiveness, and redesign the approach, resources, and design to enhance the tool’s ability to improve educational outcomes for students.

The TLLC team in this newsletter will be sharing their continuous improvement journey.

Seizing the Moment

Redesigning the Direct Technical Assistance Approach

By Dr. Stephanie Gregson, Deputy Executive Director of the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center

The past few years have been difficult in many ways and has provided the opportunity to reflect on what is important in our personal and professional lives. We have experienced those moments that have allowed us to pause, reflect and see something from a different perspective. Sometimes what we see is not always easy to look at but is necessary to help us move forward and grow. Over the past 10 months, the CCEE Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center (TLLC) team has experienced many reflective and learning moments in our Direct Technical Assistance work. The TLLC team has engaged in learning and understanding different school improvement frameworks, hearing from our partners about their experiences, and became certified quality improvement coaches through International Health Institute (IHI) Quality Improvement Coaching Certification Program.

Over the summer, the TLLC Team engaged in a redesign process of the Systemic Instructional Review (SIR) and the Direct Technical Assistance approach grounded in Michael Fullan & Joann Quinn’s Coherence Framework and the IHI quality improvement tools and practices. We will be presenting our redesign to the CCEE Board on September 29th and invite you to tune in and learn more about our journey.

Our team is here to support and is ready to show up in a way that honors, respects, and values all that a district team has done. We look forward to learning from the district team’s application of their work and amplifying their successes.

Mt. Diablo Unified School District

Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent, Mt. Diablo Unified School District

Jennifer Sachs, Chief of Educational Services, Mt. Diablo Unified School District

In 2020, at the very beginning of the pandemic, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) began its close relationship with CCEE. With a focus on capacity building for sustainability as a base, the Systemic Instructional Review (SIR) process helped us create a laser-like focus on instruction and continuous improvement. In collaboration with our Contra Costa County Office of Education, and other partner agencies, an action plan was developed focusing on increasing the quality of instruction and improving student outcomes, most specifically for historically underserved student groups.

This intense need for coherence and alignment in Mt. Diablo Unified led to the creation of an instructional framework focusing on “simplexity”- to make the District’s instructional initiatives digestible for staff and the community to understand.

Mt Diablo’s and CCEE’s work has focused on the capacity building of district and site leaders, instructional equity, increased student improvement, restorative practices, and building relationships with families and community partners. Mt. Diablo Unified is currently partnering with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to enhance our focus on standards-based instruction with an emphasis on learning acceleration and instructional rigor. This partnership includes monthly professional development for site leaders and classroom teachers with educational equity at its core and classroom walk-throughs, strengthening our professional learning networks across our district. The work with CCEE has helped strengthen outreach and collaboration, address inequities across our system – specifically for African American students, students experiencing homelessness, and foster youth – and has built the capacity of district educators at all levels to improve student outcomes.

Contact MDUSD at:

Twitter

FAcebook

Instagram

Inglewood Unified School District

Bernadette C. Lucas, Chief Academic Officer, Inglewood Unified School District

The SIR and CCEE’s support have been vital as Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) implements our Instructional Plan and monitors the goals for student outcomes, experiences, and growth. The SIR and CCEE have supported the IUSD team in narrowing our focus on the teaching and leadership levers that will directly impact our vision for our students. This sounds like a simple concept. When working with a team of dedicated adults who are working to move an organization, this is a complex endeavor.

The intensely collaborative work between IUSD and CCEE has led to significant shifts in nurturing a culture of continuous improvement based on specific goals and outcomes. This culture is grounded in internal and external accountability as evidenced in the SIR process. The SIR has translated to our everyday practice. And, that has made all the difference.

IUSD has evolved because of the SIR and CCEE. The cycle of continuous improvement and the systematic support are not only embedded in the SIR, but also in the manner in which Educational Services thinks about and conducts its work. These are cultural shifts that have directly translated to our school sites and classrooms. Critical to this cultural shift is the constant, relentless centering of student data and student work as the clear pathway to advancing student growth and achievement. The centering of data is causing the observable transition from external accountability to internal accountability.

Two critical changes (of many) that have resulted directly from our work with CCEE are:

a documented IUSD Instructional Plan with year-long aligned professional development and,

a collaborative three-five MTSS Plan that is being developed and implemented in alignment with our Strategic Plan and Instructional Plan.

Words cannot express the impact of the relationship between IUSD and CCEE on our brilliant students. CCEE has been a vital partner in our pursuit of equity and liberation for our students as we deliver on our promise to them.

Contact Bernadette Lucas at:

Testimonials from ccee partners

About the Teaching, Learning, & Leading Center (TLLC)

Our TLLC team works in alliance with educators to improve teaching, learning, and leadership so every student is inspired and prepared to thrive as their best self.

Meet our TLLC Team Members!

Franchesca and Sandra are valued members on our TLLC team! Read more on them below.

Franchesca Sonoyama

Program Specialist

Teaching, Learning & Leading Center

Franchesca provides programmatic and team support including process improvement, material development, and project management within TLLC. Franchesca supports the implementation of the Systemic Instructional Review (SIR).

Fun Fact: Franchesca is a legit soprano, and cheese and chocolate connoisseur! Favorites: Black truffle cheddar and a 72% dark chocolate from Ecuador.

Sandra Brandt

Administrative Assistant II

Teaching, Learning & Leading Center

Sandra recently joined the CCEE team as Administrative Assistant II in the Teaching, Learning, and Leading Center. She supports Deputy Executive Director Stephanie Gregson and works closely with the LAS Grant team assisting with administrative support.

Fun Fact: Sandra loves to travel and is saving up for another trip to Spain.