NorCal Educator's Digest
November 2023
Tehama County SELPA Partners in Dispute Resolution Grant
Tehama County SELPA and Ventura County SELPA received a $12 million Special Education Leads Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) grant, Pathways to Partnership, that spans five years and runs through 2029. Veronica Coates, Assistant Superintendent with Tehama County Office of Education shared that they partnered with Ventura COE to represent the North State. They want to model and make visible SELPAs and County Offices that work together. One unusual element of this project is that it is mandated to have a parent-focused partner. Tehama”s is the Rowell Family Empowerment Center and Ventura’s is Rainbow Connections.
As noted in its mission, the “Pathways to Partnership consortium collaborates with all educational partners to build collective capacity, expertise, and resources in the prevention and resolution of conflict with a student-centered focus in an environment of mutual respect, equity, and understanding, and with a mindset toward continuous improvement process.” This infographic presents a thumbnail sketch of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR):
Pathways to Partnership is based on three overarching pillars of support:
- Family and Community Support and Conflict Prevention
- Voluntary Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Facilitated Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meetings
The SELPA co-leads have assigned two co-directors and three program specialists to develop the state-wide project. The project is for all educators and families and not solely on Special Education. It will focus proactively on Dispute Prevention. The project will include trainings, a Community of Practice, Conflict Labs and mediation certifications. Goals include:
- Educational Partners, statewide will demonstrate increased capacity as evidenced by creating collaborative culture across the systems through communities of practice
- Educational Partners, statewide will demonstrate increased effectiveness as evidenced by decreases in CDE Complaints, OAH Filings, and increased use of mediation and other informal prevention and resolution strategies on the continuum
- Pathways to Partnership will play an active role in the statewide system of support with the CDE, CCEE, SELPAs, FECs, COEs, and linking resources, professional development, facilitating partnerships and supporting improvement for all.
We will be looking to our North State Tehama County SELPA partners to bring forward this important work these next six years. If you have any questions about the Pathways to Partnership Grant, please contact Veronica Coates.
California School Attendance Rates Improve
Newly released 22-23 California State Reports “reflect a promising trend of improved student attendance in school”. After years of high chronic absenteeism rates, all student groups showed improvement in absenteeism rates.
Chronic absenteeism, which measures the number of students who miss 10 percent of school days, was at a high in 2021-22 of 30 percent. In 22-23, that rate decreased to 24.9 percent with the largest declines in American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, Pacific Islander, and African American students. According to Attendance Works, California’s current rate is lower than the 11-state average. Attendance works notes, “Re-establishing a routine of attendance every day will require intentional, sustained and systemic efforts at the local, state and national level to address the disengagement and increased barriers to attendance occurring during the pandemic and in its aftermath.” While California has a ways to go, a turn toward recovery is noted and welcome.
Read the CA State Report here.
Upcoming NorCal ELC Supported Events
Do you Want UTK Information and/or Need Understanding?
NorCal ELC and Shasta Geo Region county offices of education are offering21CSLA UTK Modules virtually via Zoom and in-person in Redding in spring 2024. Our early 2024 dates follow; module selections will be announced in January. This year, a $500 stipend is available for eery module a participant completes.
The 21CSLA State Center developed eight UTK information/training modules designed to assist in implementing California’s Pre-K policies. Modules are intended for school administrators, however we have found them to be valuable to early childhood and primary grade teachers, as well. Each module is six hours long. Modules are stand-alone and not sequential. In-person training on a module can be completed in one day. Modules will also be offered in a virtual format over three 2-hour sessions.
Access the NorCal ELC UTK Module Offering(s) 2023-24 Calendar.(opens in new window)
21CSLA UTK Module Titles
- California’s Bold Pre-K Policy Aims
- Envisioning Equitable TK Classrooms in Action
- Supporting, Integrating, and Aligning Equitable TK Classrooms
- Continuous Improvement through Equitable P-3 Assessments
- Equitable TK Classrooms for Social Emotional Development
- Equitable TK Classrooms through Inclusive Practices
- Family Engagement for High-Quality TK Experiences
- Inquiry through Play
Access the Module descriptions.
NorCal UTK Community of Practice
Join our region-wide UTK Community of Practice (CoP) to talk and network with early childhood, TK and other primary teachers and administrators about educational issues and services for young children. All sessions are being held via Zoom, from 3 -4 PM.
The NorCal ELC UTK 2023-24 Calendar is also available. (Google Doc)
To join, register for our UTK email list by accessing this Google Form.(opens in new window)
Neuroscience in the North State: A Focus on Executive Function
Watch this space for announcements and date information for a Spring Webinar Series that will feature top experts in the neuroscience field who will bring practical applications to increase executive function skills in schools, classrooms, and at home.
This series is sponsored by NorCal ELC. Registration will be free.
21CSLA Events & Opportunities
Do You Want to Add UTK Leadership to Your Specialties?
The 21CSLA State Center and UC Berkeley offer the UTK Leadership Certificate. This certificate is two courses designed for PASC and CASC candidates and individuals who hold a CTC Certificate of Completion. Courses are offered without cost through 21CSLA and are being held virtually via Zoom. Spring 2024 dates will be announced soon.
Attend an info session about the UTK Leadership Certificate | 21CSLA.
Inquiry Now | Equity Centered Instructional Leadership
Inquiry Now is an instructional leadership-focused program for principals, district leaders, and teacher leaders. This 2-day workshop is facilitated by a team of educators from the California Subject Matter Project and the 21CSLA State Center. Inquiry Now will be offered in the Shasta Region, specifically in Red Bluff on January 17 & 18. Registration is free.
View the Shasta Region, Inquiry Now Flyer.(opens in new window)
21CSLA Podcast - Equity Leadership Now!
A New 21CSLA Podcast for Equity Leaders Transforming Education. ELN! is from the Leadership Programs at the UC Berkeley School of Education and 21CSLA.
The first episode features ProfessorJabari Mahiri, chair of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) advisory board and the host of ELN!, interviewed byRobyn Ilten-Gee Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University.
ELN! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from pre-K through university settings who transform structures and strategies for educating, particularly for those who are marginalized. We explore innovative ideas and compelling work of leaders who realize individual, social, and environmental justice at the intersection of research, policy, and practice—because our democracy depends on it.
Listen now on:
Visit their ELC! Webpage to access their podcast episodes.(opens in new window)
Resource Spotlight!
A new tool LEVERS for Systems Change Infrastructure Tool is being offered to assist LEAs in assessing fundamental components for a successful LEA program for all students and aims to identify the best starting point for improving the system. The LEVERS tool has six components that include:
- Collaboration & Communication
- Staffing
- Policy & Procedures
- Data Systems
- Resource Management
- Instructional Practices
The LEVERS for Systems Change Infrastructure Tool has a webpage that allows for LEA digital entry and report creation and is located on the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) website.
Looking for Spring Conferences to Build Your Teaching or Improvement Skills?
Learning & the Brain Present: Teaching Engaged Brains
This conference is aimed at “Improving Student Attention, Motivation, and Mindsets in a Disengaged, Distracted Age”. To be held at the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco and virtually via Zoom on February 22-24, 2024.
Carnegie Foundation Presents their 2024 Summit on Improvement in Education
The 2024 Summit will be held at the Marriott Marquis in San Diego Marina, CA and virtually via zoom on March 24-27.
Need Asynchronous Professional Development for Your Educators?
Do you have new staff? New challenges? Need training for educators? Through December 2023 IRIS Professional Development (PD) Certificates will remain free. Educators can access practical, flexible, asynchronous modules, built around trustworthy resources, ranging from 1-3 hours, and receive IRIS PD Certificates for Educators to support confirmation of completion. These modules support the full range of PK-12 educators and other school support staff (e.g., bus drivers, hallway/cafeteria/playground monitors)
Self-guided and self-paced, the modules cover numerous relevant topics “in a way that is in-depth but approachable”. Here are some examples:
- Evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices
- IEPs
- Accommodations
- Teaching English language learners
- Instructional supports for students with disabilities
- And more
Educators create an account and can then access the modules. The IRIS Center is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs and is located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. The IRIS Center develops and disseminates free, engaging online resources about evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices to support the education of all students, particularly struggling learners and those with disabilities.”
Check out all their resources here and explore the PD modules here.
More Resources and Articles that You May Find Useful
- News and Media Literacy for All , a webinar series from California Department of Education
- Science of Reading: The Podcast, from Amplify
- PBS KIDS Self-Paced Learning for Pre-K Teachers, from PBS Media
- Leveraging Social Media to Engage Readers, from ASCD
- Using Chat GPT to Support Student-Led Inquiry, from Edutopia
- Forestry Challenge Teacher Newsletter, from Forestry Educators Incorporated