Northern California Educational Leadership Consortium

March 2021 Newsletter

NorCal Educator's Digest


What is NorCal ELC?

NorCal ELC is a professional learning project for K-12 school leaders and teachers in the eleven northernmost counties of California, the Shasta Region. Additionally, the project provides opportunities for educators and others to connect and work across agencies and levels for children and youth. We’re part of the statewide 21st Century California School Leadership Academy funded by the California Department of Education.

NorCal ELC’s mission is to support you, the Northern California educator, by helping you develop leadership knowledge and skills as you collaborate with colleagues to address equity-centered problems of practice. NorCal ELC will focus on promoting continuous improvement systems and connecting educators with each other, and with tools and resources to ultimately lead to better outcomes for students.

We’re enacting our mission through three primary strands. Educators apply to participate in both of the first two strands. Our Year 2 application period will be open in April and May. To view the Year 1 participating school districts, visit our "How to Participate" page.

The Three Strands

  • Local Team Strand -- Professional learning and support for small teams of educators working to address a local educational concern or problem,
  • Individualized Leadership Coaching Strand -- Coaching to enhance the leadership capacity of any educator,
  • Open To All Strand -- NorCal Educators’ Digest newsletter, learning events, an informational website, resources, and networking focused on bringing practice-based content to educators in the Shasta Region, curated for the unique challenges of educating in rural northern California.  And, we’ll connect you with resources from the 21CSLA State Center.

NorCal ELC wants to participate with you in addressing some of the most pressing educational needs of our region, and learn along with you, so that together we can better serve our students.




Funding Available! Small Rural School Achievement Program

Under the Small, Rural School Achievement program, Assistance Listing Number 84.358A, the U.S. Department of Education awards grants on a formula basis to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of rural school districts. For FY 2021 there is over $93 million in the program budget; estimated awards 4200. Applications are due on April 16, 2021. Click here for the details(opens in new window).




Inquiry: Why Now? How Leaders Can Foster Equitable Access to Inquiry-Based Instruction

The California Subject Matter Project (opens in new window)(CSMP) is offering a new online professional learning program in partnership with the 21st Century School Leadership Academy (21CSLA).  In this 15-hour series, educators are invited to explore the power and potential of inquiry-based instruction as a tool to promote and support a more equitable future. The series will offer support to educators working in a fully online environment, in hybrid models, and in-person instruction.

It is free of costFor more information, view the flyer and register here (PDF).




Help Us Expand the NorCal ELC Network!

NorCal ELC services are designed to bring educators throughout Northern California together to collectively focus professional knowledge and creativity to ensure equitable, high-quality learning for all of our students. If you believe as we do that working together and collaborating across our region can improve educational effectiveness, please mention our newsletter with your colleagues. You can also recommend that they Join the NorCal ELC network!(opens in new window)