News & Announcements
Community Engagement Initiative Releases In-Depth Online Training Series
The Community Engagement Initiative has developed a comprehensive online curriculum designed to enhance community engagement in educational settings. These modules cover crucial topics, including:
- Site Leadership: Strategies for leading with vision and inclusivity.
- Partnering with Members of the Community: Building effective collaborations for mutual benefit.
- Parents as Equal Partners: Engaging parents in the educational process, acknowledging their invaluable role.
- Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP): Understanding and implementing LCAP for better school outcomes.
These asynchronous web modules are available through the CEI’s website at www.californiaengage.org/modules
FROM THE 21ST CENTURY CALIFORNIA SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (21CSLA) CENTER:
The 21CSLA Center has produced 3 new research briefs. Click on the links below to learn more.
- Professional Learning Brief: Equity Centered Leadership Coaching
- Webinar Highlights Brief: Educating for a Diverse Democracy
- Policy Brief: Preparing CA Principals for the Implementation of UTK: Lessons from other states
Recruitment for 21CSLA Spring UTK Leadership Certificate courses has started.
Click here to learn more.
Are you currently serving as a principal during the 23’-24’ school year?
Help 21CSLA and the UC Berkeley Leadership Programs learn about your resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
CCEE Statewide system of support directory
We are pleased to announce the launch of the CCEE Statewide System of Support searchable directory. This directory provides contact information for educational partners at the state, regional, county, and local LEA levels for statewide initiatives as well as provides hyperlinks to individual initiative websites for further information and resources. This is the first time all the information will be available in one location ensuring equity and access to the Statewide System of Support in improving outcomes for students throughout California.
For initiatives that have identified geographic support regions (Geographic Leads, Regional English Learners, EWIG:ELPA) once you click on a certain region/zone/lead, you will find the counties served by that lead at the bottom of the directory. If any information needs to be updated, please utilize the feedback link at the bottom of the directory and we will get the information updated as soon as possible.
Please share the directory throughout your educational networks as together we can leverage the incredible work happening throughout the Statewide System of Support. We are hopeful that this tool will impact student achievement by providing greater access to the incredible supports and services offered in the SSOS.
In Case You Missed It
“Rising from the Margins” Podcast:
Embark on an auditory journey with our inaugural podcast episode, “Rising from the Margins.” This series kicks off by showcasing the remarkable strides taken by Washington Elementary. Episode 1 takes a behind-the-scenes look at Washington Elementary in Madera and the incredible work the school is doing in partnership with CCEE through the Intensive Assistance Model. In Madera, this work is being led by principal Alberto Hernandez and Madera superintendent Todd Lyle. This series is brought to you by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, with additional support from Parsec Education, and produced by Windsong Productions.
Looking AHEAD
California statewide system of support convening
The California Statewide System of Support lead initiatives and grant funded projects will be meeting in person in February in Monterey. This meeting is an opportunity to coordinate, collaborate, and integrate our respective work throughout CA focusing on increasing student outcomes for all our students.For more information about the Statewide System of Support, please visit the CCEE website at https://ccee-ca.org/about-the-system/
Community engagement initiative – APPLICATIONS FOR COHORT V
Applications for CEI’s next cohort of CEI partners opens soon. We invite you to apply to come together, learn, and contribute to the betterment of education through active community engagement. Come join your peers who are transforming relationships in education. Sign up today to be notified when applications open on January 18.
21CSLA RESEARCH-PRACTICE WEBINAR ON SIDELINING BIAS IN SCHOOLS FEBRUARY 1, 2023.
Learn more and register here.
December Resources
Reasons to Celebrate in the month of December:
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.
Executive Director’s Corner
Celebrating and Highlighting Best Practices from the Field
By Matt J. Navo, Executive Director, CCEE
We all aspire to enhance education by seeking innovation, simplicity, and value. However, the tendency to admire problems and dilemmas sometimes obscures the opportunities that lie before us. This newsletter serves as an avenue for seizing those opportunities, celebrating innovation, complexity, and value. The Center for Transforming Systems for Equitable Education (TSEE) is dedicated to showcasing exemplary practices from the realm of education, to empower educators to envision transformative possibilities. Our mission is to deliver on California’s promise of a quality, equitable education for every student.
Celebrating and Learning Together
By Chris Hartley, Deputy Executive Director, CCEE
As we head toward the end of the 2023 year, it is important to take time to reflect and honor our collective work to improve outcomes for children and youth in our state. Celebrating and learning of the successful endeavors from our partners is critical in supporting our integration of supports and services across districts in the state. The process of honoring and learning from one another is validating, relevant, and truly supports our goal of being learning organizations and networks.
On behalf of the Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Education (TSEE), please accept our tremendous gratitude and appreciation for the people that design, deliver and transform practices that positively impact students. The efforts and successes in the field demonstrate the Statewide System of Support in action and shed light on strategies that lead to more coherent support from the state level to school sites.
Esparto Unified School District’s Journey to Create a Culture of Excellence: (Building a Graduate Profile with Community and Staff Collaboration as part of a Strategic Design Process)
By Christina Goennier, Superintendent, Esparto Unified School District
Esparto Unified School District (EUSD) believes that creating a well-defined graduate profile will be the cornerstone of our district’s strategic design process. A graduate profile will serve as a roadmap, outlining the knowledge, skills, and dispositions a community aspires to instill in its students. It’s not merely a document but a dynamic vision that shapes a community’s culture and pedagogy. To craft a meaningful and impactful graduate profile, it is essential to involve the broader school community and staff members. In this article, we will explore why and how we worked collaboratively with the community and staff to create a graduate profile as the starting point of our strategic design.
Why EUSD Collaborated?
- Diverse Perspectives: Creating a graduate profile is not solely an administrative task but an opportunity to harness the collective wisdom and experiences of our entire school community. Involving students, parents, teachers, administrators, and other community members ensured the profile reflects diverse perspectives and values.
- Ownership and Buy-In: When everyone has a hand in shaping the graduate profile, EUSD believes all have a sense of ownership and responsibility for its realization. This buy-in creates a more committed and motivated school culture, with everyone working together toward a common goal.
- Alignment with Community Needs: Collaborating with the community helps ensure that the graduate profile aligns with our community needs and aspirations. It will prepare students to become productive and responsible citizens within the Esparto Unified School District attendance areas and beyond.
How did we Collaborate as a small rural district?
- Use of Current Committees: EUSD utilized many of the functioning groups both inside and outside of the district to meet regularly to discuss their perspectives and contributions to the graduate profile.
- Surveys and Community Groups: EUSD conducted surveys and focus groups that exist within the community to gather input from students, parents, and staff members. These tools allowed us to collect data, ideas, and feedback systematically.
- Clear Communication: Effective communication was key to ensuring that all members of the school community were aware of the process, its purpose, and their role in shaping the graduate profile. Regular updates and feedback mechanisms were established.
- Data Analysis: We analyzed the data collected from surveys and focus groups to identify common themes and priorities. This provides a solid foundation for drafting the graduate profile.
- Finalization and Adoption: After incorporating the feedback and making necessary revisions, the graduate profile is going to be finalized. It will be formally adopted by the school board on December 13, 2023.
For EUSD, creating a graduate profile is a crucial starting point for our district’s strategic planning process, as it defines the desired outcomes of education. By involving the community and staff in this endeavor, a culture of shared responsibility, ownership, and collaboration will be cultivated. A well-crafted graduate profile, born out of a collective vision, will guide the district toward educational excellence and prepare our students for success in an ever-evolving world. It’s not just a document; it’s a living testament to the commitment of the entire school community to provide the best possible education for their students.
Resources to improve student outcomes developed by the capital central foothill area consortium (CCFAC)
By Gabrielle Marchini, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Accountability, El Dorado County Office of Education and Graciela García-Torres, Region 3 English Learner Specialist, Sacramento County Office of Education
The Sacramento-Placer Geo Lead Area, also known as the Capital Central Foothill Area Consortium (CCFAC), serves fourteen county offices of education that include Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba. The CCFAC has established a huddle structure that provides an opportunity for leaders from across the region to collaborate, share promising practices, and develop resources based on areas of focus. Two of these huddles include the Data Huddle, led by Gabrielle Marchini, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Accountability at the El Dorado County Office of Education, and the English Learner (EL) Huddle, led by Graciela García-Torres, Region 3 English Learner Specialist at the Sacramento County Office of Education. The resources developed by these huddles have been shared extensively at the regional and state level to support county offices of education and local educational agencies.
Data Huddle
The Data Huddle team developed the Data Use Self-Assessment tool and has conducted regional and statewide sessions on the use of this tool. Designed by educators for educators, the Data Use Self-Assessment is a valuable tool to help assess and improve data quality and strengthen data culture in a school or school district. Completion of the Data Use Self-Assessment will help teams identify areas of strength and areas that need attention. Through the use of companion documents, teams will be urged to prioritize next steps and create an action plan for improvement.
The Data Use Self-Assessment (DUSA) focuses on four components:
- Systems
- Knowledge
- Practices
- Leadership
Key features of the DUSA include:
- It’s a user-friendly tool.
- The use of a 4-point scale that simplifies completion and avoids the complexity that sometimes occurs with more complicated rubrics.
- The assessment is flexible and can be used in ways that are more likely to support the purpose of the team. For example, the team might decide to focus on only one of the four components.
- The DUSA is offered in both paper-pencil and online formats.
- The DUSA produces actionable results that are developed as a team identifies areas of strength and areas in need of attention. A user-friendly plan is provided in the DUSA Toolkit to assist a team with planning out next steps.
- The DUSA is free!
A sample of a portion of the component on Practices: The Data Use Self-Assessment Toolkit can be found at http://www.dusatoolkit.org. In addition to a complete set of tools and resources around the toolkit, two online training sessions can be accessed on the website: 1) An Introductory Webinar with basic information about the tool and a 2) Train the Facilitators Session to support implementation of the toolkit.
Feedback from users:
“I wasn’t even aware that we should have goals around data.” (From a District Leader)
“The DUSA is a platform that will create a throughline for all DA processes.” (From Imperial County Leadership)
For more information, please contact Gabrielle Marchini at the El Dorado County Office of Education at [email protected].
English Learner (EL) Huddle
The English Learner (EL) Huddle is a team of regional leaders focused on supporting programs and services for English learners. The EL Huddle works to identify the needs of English learners, multilingual students, and staff, and implement research-based strategies to meet the needs of EL students. In addition, the EL Huddle participates in activities and discussions to further refine practices and procedures that guide teams in improving outcomes for Multilingual-English learners. The EL Huddle identified supporting English learners with disabilities as an area of improvement.
In the CCFAC, 96,771 students are identified as English learners. Of those represented, 15,435 students are also identified with a specific learning disability. In four of the fourteen counties in the CCFAC, the percentage of dually identified students is above 20 percent. Members of the EL Huddle embarked on a journey to utilize Improvement Science tools to identify a specific problem of practice and develop a change idea. Through careful analysis of data, empathy interviews, and a continuous improvement mindset, the team developed a process map which allows users to follow the steps to reclassify dually identified students with mild and moderate disabilities. The team consulted with several divisions from the California Department of Education (CDE) expert groups from the System of Support, such as the Regional English Learner Specialists (RELS) and Imperial County SELPA, to review the process map before launching. The empathy interviews with local education agencies were conducted to finalize the process. The process map includes tools that offer the careful analysis and guidance needed to exit students from English learner classification.
The process map creates a pathway that allows for timely reclassification and complements what the Imperial County SELPA currently offers. The team developed a graphic representation of the developmental process and process map. Since the initial launching of the Reclassification Process for Dually Identified Students with a Mild or Moderate Disability, more than 1,500 educators have accessed the process map virtually. CCFAC has conducted three in-person sessions and one virtual statewide level offering, with more than 400 in attendance. The Huddle’s next steps include recording a workshop and developing a professional learning module that demonstrates the collaboration between English learner and Special Education experts, as they utilize the process map. In the next few months, huddle members will work with local districts, who elected to use the process map, to continue to improve reclassification rates of dually identified students. For more information, please contact Graciela García-Torres at the Sacramento County Office of Education at [email protected].