Join the California Center for School Climate (CCSC) on Thursday, February 29 for its 2024 Virtual Statewide School Climate Conference, Transforming School Climate Mindsets and Ecosystems. This FREE full-day virtual event will feature practitioners from California schools, districts, and county offices of education as well as nonprofit education partners.
The event runs from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (Pacific) and will be hosted using the Zoom Events platform with a combination of video, voice, content sharing, and chat functions. Attendees can enable automatic captioning, and session handouts will be available in PDF format in advance of the event. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), any person needing special assistance to participate in this meeting please contact [email protected] by February 26, 2024.
Register for the event today!
Who Will Benefit
- School, district, and county office of education staff, including student services directors, school counselors, school psychologists, social workers, site administrators, and health and wellness staff
- Community partners supporting schools, students, and families
- Anyone involved in K–12 education in California
Check out the following details about the keynote, schedule, and individual sessions.
Keynote
9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. (PT)
Keynote Address: A Climate of Healing
Welcome: Hilva Chan, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education
Keynote Speaker: Lee Porscha Moore, EdD, LCSW, Senior Trainer, Flourish Agenda
Session Moderator: Rebeca Cerna, Director for the California Center for School Climate
The need for fostering a cultural climate of healing within K-12 school environments has never been more crucial. The students and adults in education systems are struggling, and these systems reside within a larger reality of politicized disagreement situated in a historical context of inequality. If they are in survival mode, they can’t connect in community, grow together, and learn. Healing school climates that create sustainable safe and supportive schools start with individuals working as a collective to co-create and reimagine our ecosystems for learning.
Meet the Keynote Presenter
Dr. Lee Porscha Moore, EdD, LCSW (she/her/ella) is a senior trainer with the Flourish Agenda, where she provides tools and training to youth development and other organizations to enact healing-centered engagement approaches so that all humans in the systems flourish.
Moore is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing individual and group therapy and an instructor at various Bay Area universities and colleges. She is a proud first-generation college graduate who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social work and communications, and a doctorate in education, all from public universities in California.
Moore is a fun-loving lifelong learner committed to walking with children, youth, and families as they reconnect with their inner superhero.
Learn more about the presenters for the Keynote.
Session 1
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PT)
Select one of the following sessions.
Session 1A: Balancing Acts: Nurturing Educator Wellness for Sustainable Impact
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Dr. Rachel Vatannia, Coordinator of Education Services in the San Leandro Unified School District; Jenny Betz, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate (CCSC); Antoinette Miller, Technical Assistance Provider for the CCSC; Arturo Chavez, Technical Assistance Provider for the CCSC
Join this transformative workshop designed for educators seeking to prioritize their well-being while making lasting impacts in their school communities. Through examples from the field, interactive activities, and practical strategies, participants will explore the importance of self-care, stress management, and resilience. This session will explore the significance of finding small moments for self-care amidst the daily hustle and strategies to cultivate collective and systemic cultures of care.
Learn more about the presenters for the Balancing Acts session.
Session 1B Making Waves: Transforming School Culture through Student Mental Health Clubs
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Kym Barber, Stanislaus County Office of Education; Jennifer Baker, M.A., M.Ed., LMFT, Stanislaus County Office of Education
Session Moderator: Kenwyn Derby, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate and Senior Research Associate at WestEd
Dive into this workshop on high school mental health clubs, uncovering lessons that prompt a fresh perspective on school mental health strategies. Learn seamless methods to integrate student-led mental health clubs into your school environment, fostering a culture of understanding, connection, and resilience. Explore innovative approaches to secure funding for sustained club support. Join us for a transformative session, equipping educators with tools to cultivate a more compassionate and supportive high school community.
Learn more about the presenters for the Making Waves session.
Session 1C Talent Is Universal, Access Is Not: Why Partnerships Matter
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Jessica Ochoa, M.Ed., Executive Director of Communications and Community Relations with the Inglewood Unified School District
Session Moderator: Nakanya Magby, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate and Senior Program Associate at WestEd
It’s more than just partnerships, it’s uniting power and purpose. Together, we can close the opportunity gap and remove the “red tape” to affording equitable and transformational access for all youth. Through partnerships, we can level the playing field by removing barriers and bringing new resources, opportunities, and experiences to communities, facilitating access and support for the whole child.
Learn more about the presenters for the Why Partnerships Matter session.
Lunch
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (PT)
Guided Wellness Break
12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. (PT)
Session 2
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (PT)
Select one of the following sessions.
Session 2A: Reducing Stress and Trauma by Normalizing School Safety Practices
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Jeff Caldwell, senior school safety lead with WestEd’s Justice and Prevention Research Center (JPRC); Shawna White, senior school safety lead with WestEd’s JPRC
Session Moderator: Antoinette Miller, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate and Program Associate at WestEd
This session dives into the idea that school safety is the role of all education partners. Implementing standard best practices that reinforce safety into daily school routines is a key and fundamental component in keeping students and staff safe and in reducing trauma. Ultimately, by empowering students through familiarity with safety-related situations, they are better equipped to make crucial in-the-moment decisions that keep everyone safe.
Learn more about the presenters for Reducing Stress and Trauma session.
Session 2B: The Art of Participatory Leadership
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Amber Valdez, Senior Program Associate at WestEd; Lan Nguyen, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate (CCSC) and Program Associate at WestEd
Session Moderator: Laura Buckner, Technical Assistance Provider for the CCSC
Education systems change efforts are more likely to be equitable and sustainable when they are designed, implemented, and continuously improved in partnership with the communities they serve. Join us to explore leadership competencies that are necessary for system leaders to facilitate change efforts that work towards eliminating inequity and generating opportunity and well-being.
Learn more about the presenters for The Art of Participatory Leadership session.
Session 2C: Transformative School Culture: Looking Beyond the Numbers to Support
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Judith Sanchez, Leavenworth Elementary School Principal, Fresno Unified School District
Session Moderator: Timothy Ojetunde, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate and Program Associate at WestEd
The pressure to raise student achievement has contributed to a dysfunctional system based on assessment scores and attendance rates, losing sight that behind those numbers is a child with challenges who may be losing hope, vision, and self-worth.
It is necessary to collaborate and build an education community that understands student and family needs, one that supports and advocates for them and promotes equity. Transformative school cultures empower students to become confident, responsible, and caring citizens. Students will then take ownership to attain academic achievement and social and emotional success.
This session will share the importance of creating student portraits to utilize different data to learn how to support the whole child. It will also highlight the value of networking to build supports for students and to connect them with resources.
Learn more about the presenters for the Transformative School Culture session.
Educator Panel and Event Closing
2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (PT)
Educator Panel: Creating Healing, Restorative Learning Ecosystems
Time: 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (PT)
Session Speakers: Dr. Martin Canizales Cobos, Spanish Teacher, Mount Eden High School in Hayward, California; Kyley Hironaka, sixth-year public school educator, San Francisco; Lavita Jones, 4th grade teacher at Inner City Education Foundation, View Park; Bobby Pelz, ethnic studies teacher at Watsonville High School
Session Moderator: Krystal Wu, Technical Assistance Provider for the California Center for School Climate (CCSC) and Program Associate at WestEd; Shazia Hashmi, Technical Assistance Provider for the CCSC and Program Associate at WestEd
The pressure to raise student achievement has contributed to a dysfunctional system based on assessment scores and attendance rates, losing sight that behind those numbers is a child with challenges who may be losing hope, vision, and self-worth.
It is necessary to collaborate and build an education community that understands student and family needs, one that supports and advocates for them and promotes equity. Transformative school cultures empower students to become confident, responsible, and caring citizens. Students will then take ownership to attain academic achievement and social and emotional success.
This session will share the importance of creating student portraits to utilize different data to learn how to support the whole child. It will also highlight the value of networking to build supports for students and to connect them with resources.
Learn more about the presenters for the Educator Panel session.
Don’t wait. Register for the conference today!