The Charter Schools Leadership Update's breakout sessions will take place this year both on Day 1 and Day 2 and will offer high quality, carefully selected content that address a wide variety of critical charter school operational and instructional issues.
Conference attendees may select among the 75-minute breakout sessions offered at this year's conference. Because attendees sometimes discover that there are new issues or areas that they need to be aware of, there is no pre-event sign-up for breakout sessions, allowing attendees to adjust their plans as they go.
Presenter: Susanne Coie, Development and Accountability Manager, Charter Schools Development Center
About this Session: It’s a new ballgame for charter renewal: charter schools are well-advised to take stock and prepare. AB 1505 overhauled charter school renewal criteria, changing key metrics and reducing authorizers’ discretion to renew schools that do not meet specified performance targets. AB 1505 also gutted the appeal process. The new renewal thresholds include California School Dashboard-based targets that are relatively disadvantageous to schools serving students with low academic baselines. The new law also makes it easier to close schools based on fiscal and governance issues. CSDC is seeing once-“friendly” authorizers respond differently to new politics. Start early to develop a sound strategy for keeping a school open.
This session will provide an overview of the renewal and appeal process as it has changed, walk through complex legal requirements for renewal, and discuss strategies for ensuring renewal. NOTE: Attendees from DASS schools are advised to attend the DASS Renewal affinity group meeting and/or DASS Accountability sessions instead.
Sponsored by: Charter Schools Development Center | chartercenter.org
Recommended for: Administrators, Board Members, CBOs
Topics: Renewal, Accountability and LCAP
Presenters: Jonathan Feagle, Education Programs Consultant; Jeff Breshears, Director, Local Agency Systems Support Office, California Department of Education
About this Session: Perhaps the least understood and yet the most important aspect of the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) is the requirement to describe how services will be increased or improved for low income, English learners, and foster youth students. This presentation will review the regulatory framework that governs this requirement and examine the role this requirement can play in a cycle of continuous improvement carried out through the LCAP development process. The presentation will also walk through the latest changes to the LCAP template.
Sponsored by: California Department of Education | cde.ca.gov
Topics: Accountability and LCAP
Presenters: Dr. Paul St. Roseman, Chief Information and Research Officer; Dr. Mallory Dwinal, Co-Founder & CEO; Dr. Irene St. Roseman, Co-Founder & Head of School, Oxford Day Academy
About this Session: This presentation demonstrates the use of a MAP/MESH Data Visualization Dashboard used by Oxford Day Academy (ODA). This dashboard provides administrators and teachers with an integrated data set that makes it possible to examine student academic skill assessment alongside social emotional learning, culture, and climate indicators. During this interactive discussion, participants will learn how ODA uses data visualization as a cornerstone for data-informed decision-making in the areas of curriculum development, academic and social emotional support services, strategic planning and development, and accountability reporting.
Sponsored by: Oxford Day Academy | oxforddayacademy.org
Recommended for: Administrators, Teachers
Topics: Accountability, Governance and Strategic Growth, Social and Emotional Learning
Presenters: Alison Rose, Program Coordinator; Jen Parker, Program Coordinator, El Dorado Charter SELPA
About this Session: Are you an administrator whose palms get sweaty when thinking about Special Education data? Does your heart start to race when you consider CDE looking at your program? The presenters of this session have solutions for charter school leaders! Join this session for the ABCs of QAP! Together, the presenters will explore APR and the steps in DINC, Dispro, and PIR. Find out how QAP links with a school’s LCAP and walk away with resources.
Sponsored by: El Dorado Charter SELPA | padlet.com/selpapd/QAP
Recommended for: Administrators, CBOs
Topics: Accountability, SPED
Presenters: Caitlin O’Halloran, Governance and Policy Specialist, Charter Schools Development Center
About this Session: Recent legislative changes make focusing on advocacy and relationship building at the local level more important than ever. Come learn why you’re the best person to advocate on behalf of your school and the charter school community at large, how to build relationships in your community (and why it’s vital in a post-AB 1505 world) and, walk away with a more thorough understanding of the AB 1505 appeals process.
Recommended for: Administrators, Board Members, Community Members, Teachers
Topics: Advocacy
Presenters: James Young, Founder/Partner, Young, Minney & Corr, LLP
About this Session: Many charter schools struggle to evaluate the performance of the Chief Administrator in their organization. This workshop will identify why many schools fail to evaluate their Administrator and establish why evaluations are such a critical aspect of performance management. The elements of an evaluation system will be covered in detail, including guidelines on how to use the evaluation system to maximize the school’s goals.
Sponsored by: Young, Minney & Corr, LLP | mycharterlaw.com
Recommended for: Administrators, Board Members
Topics: Governance and Strategic Growth, HR and Employment
Presenters: Elizabeth Frank, Business Analysis Manager, Education Dynamics, Inc.
About this Session: For charter schools that qualify for Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS), AB 1505 leaves the renewal process open-ended, with unspecific references to state and local indicators and alternative metrics. How can DASS schools show their strengths, since, for many DASS schools, the Dashboard indicators can’t capture successes? The Dashboard provides DASS schools with a modified College/Career Indicator (CCI) and Graduation Indicator. But what specifically goes in to these metrics, and how can DASS schools do better on them? What other alternative measures can you use to supplement the metrics schools are held to in the Dashboard? This presentation will dig in to how to share a school's story and successes within the new renewal framework and through Dashboard state and local indicators.
Recommended for: Administrators, Board Members, Teachers, Community Members
Topics: Accountability, Alternative Schools
Presenter: Richard Reyes, Executive Director, PLUS ME Project
About this Session: In this interactive session, participants will learn a six-step storytelling process that will help empower their charter communities to connect, inspire, and better tell the narratives of the positive impact they have on students, parents, and educators. Participants will practice developing their own personal narratives and gain resources that will help them to confidently articulate the powerful stories of their own charter communities.
Sponsored by: PLUS ME Project | theplusmeproject.org
Recommended for: Teachers, Administrators, Board Members, Community Members
Topics: Leadership, Instruction, Community and Parent Engagement
Presenter: Sadie Hedegard, EdD, Director of Student Support Services, Mother Lode Union School District
About this Session: California’s accountability and continuous improvement system includes routine monitoring of the provisions of the IDEA for every Local Education Agency (LEA), every year. The Performance Indicator Review (PIR) process evaluates a LEA's performance for students with disabilities in a variety of performance indicators including, but not limited to, statewide assessment performance and participation, suspension and expulsion, least restrictive environment, and parent involvement. In the event that a school is found out of compliance with one or more of these performance indicators, how prepared are staff to write a PIR improvement plan? This session will outline how two schools reflected on their district initiatives, California Dashboard results, and instructional practices to develop a PIR improvement plan aligned with their Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).
Topics: Special Education, Leadership
Presenters: Greta Proctor, Partner, Procopio; Wade McMullen, CPA, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Joyce Montgomery, Chief Financial Officer, Summit Public Schools
About this Session: More and more, charter schools receive funding from numerous federal programs and are responsible for understanding and adhering to the limits and conditions on such funds. The presenters of this session will discuss some of the resources available for charter schools, from “lessons learned” to federal program compliance monitoring done through the California Department of Education. They will also discuss proactive steps schools may take to mitigate risk as more schools continue to use federal funds in California. The presenters will encourage participation and resource-sharing from participants.
Sponsored by: Procopio | procopio.com
Topics: Finance, Legal
Presenters: Linda Greer, Education Programs Consultant; Kiyomi Meeker, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education; David Yeager, Chief Business Officer, Helix Charter School
About this Session: Learn the skills successful grant writers have been using for years. Hear from California Department of Education Grant Reviewers and a Charter School Peer Reviewer on how to successfully write grant applications. The presenters have successfully written and reviewed grant applications for a variety of purposes and will present a list of dos and don’ts when it comes to submitting a grant application.
Topics: Finance, School Operations, Accountability and LCAP
Presenters: Annie Crangle, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Friday; Dr. Jeffrey Hunt, Director of Charter Schools, Fresno County, Office of Fresno County Superintendent of Schools
About this Session: The Conditions Gap – students’ perceptions of safety, support, and engagement—is a driving factor for academic and behavioral outcome gaps. Ensuring an equitable approach to improved outcomes requires self-reflection, engaging challenging dialogue, and a providing a framework for improvement that includes a comprehensive Achievement and Conditions assessment system. This session will provide tools and implementation ideas for school leaders to apply the Conditions analysis to their equitable approach to serve all students and families.
Sponsored by: Friday | betterbyfriday.co
Topics: Legal, School Culture
Presenters: Mike Wegner, Chief Operations Officer; Rachel Wegner, Director of Professional Development, John Muir Charter Schools
About this Session: Participants will be introduced to the John Muir Charter Schools (JMCS) model of professional learning and growth-based teacher evaluation cycles. They will analyze different components of the model and collaborate to reflect on their own school’s culture of learning and evaluation. Participants will leave with a foundational understanding for using student work to guide teacher reflection and to ground classroom observations as well as with tools for refining their processes.
Sponsored by: John Muir Charter Schools | johnmuircs.com
Topics: Leadership, School Culture, Staff Development
Presenters: Michael Fauteux, Innovator in Residence/Co-Founder, Leadership Public Schools; Co-Founder, GiveThx
About this Session: Participants will learn how gratitude science and practices nurture positive student behaviors, relationships, and self-esteem. In this session, participants will learn through research-based activities and the GiveThx web app in student, teacher, and administrator roles. They will leave with a clear idea of how to integrate the practices into their own work to build and monitor an equitable culture and climate of belonging, well-being, and achievement in their classroom and school.
Sponsored by: Leadership Public Schools | bit.ly/CSDC2019
Topics: School Culture, Social and Emotional Learning
Presenters: Kathy Perez, Professor Emerita, Saint Mary's Kalmanovitz School of Education
About this Session: Teachers want to equip their students with a burning desire to learn! In this interactive session, participants will explore what motivates students to achieve success in the classroom. Teaching for learning is the goal. Looking for ways develop self-efficacy and a growth mindset? Dr. Perez will share multiple ways to increase student productivity and build confidence in all a class's learners. Looking for ways to avoid the same old activities? Participants will walk away with strategies to help students appreciate the relevance of what they learn in school to the real world!
Recommended for: Teachers
Topics: Classroom Management, Instruction, Classroom Management, Curriculum Planning
Presenters: Craig Beswick, Vice-President, Trauma Informed Career & Community Schools, Learn4Life; Dr. Summer Peterson, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and TICCS, Learn4Life
About this Session: Learn4Life integrates ACEs science network with one-on-one staff-to-student relationships through the Trauma-Informed Career & Community Schools (TICCS) Model. This supports skill-building with opportunity for youth, ages 14-to 24-years old, through social-emotional learning and resiliency programs and provides supporting staff wellness to offset compassion fatigue. TICCS Community Learning Impact Centers (CLIC), during evenings and weekends, support neighborhood-driven, family-centric, youth-led engagement opportunities in school-community partnerships focused on advocacy, education, and collaboration.
Sponsored by: Learn4Life | learn4life.org
Recommended for: Teachers, Community Members
Topics: Social-Emotional Learning, Extracurricular Programs, Nonclassroom-based Schools
Presenters: Jill Rowland, Education Program Director; Alaina Moonves-Leb, Statewide Education Policy, Alliance for Children's Rights
About this Session: Foster and probation youth have a basic set of education rights including school stability, immediate enrollment, partial credits, and AB 167/216 graduation privileges. Utilizing the Foster Youth Education Toolkit, participants will learn the basics of these rights and leave the presentation with the building blocks upon which school districts can construct a comprehensive program to realize real gains in the achievement of their foster youth. Each topic is covered by a factsheet outlining relevant laws, best practice implementation steps, and flexible tools including sample letters and forms.
Sponsored by: Alliance for Children’s Rights | kids-alliance.org/edtoolkit
Recommended for: Administrators, Teachers.
Topics: The Basics of Foster Youth Education Rights