Jannelle Kubinec, WestEd’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and leaders from our Educational Leadership and Systems Design and Strategic Resource Allocation and Systems Planning teams will be presenting with experts from local education agencies at the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Annual Education Conference & Trade Show, held on December 5–7, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
This year’s theme is “Invest in Your Students.”
Aligned to this the conference theme, WestEd and co-presenters from school districts, County Offices of Education, and business, will lead workshops that focus on such key issues as
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on English Learners
- Education finance and policy in California
- Sustaining student mental health and wellness programs
Additionally, WestEd’s CEO Jannelle Kubinec will deliver a keynote address during the California Suburban School Districts Association Luncheon on Friday, December 6 (See more details below).
Add WestEd sessions to your conference calendar and follow WestEd on LinkedIn and on Facebook to share your insights from the conference!
WestEd Presentations
Thursday, December 5
Workshop: Future-Proofing Education: Long-Term AI Impacts on EL Students
Time & Location: 3:30–4:35pm / Room 211 AB
Presenters: Ivan Chaidez (Oak Grove School District), Mark Wojciechowski (Remarkable, Inc.), Teresa López Alonzo (WestEd), and Ruben Fernandez (Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District)
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for underserved English Learners. This workshop will explore the long-term implications of AI from a social justice and equity perspective, focusing on personalized learning opportunities. Expert panelists will discuss AI’s challenges and benefits, incorporating AI skills into curricula and addressing ethical and social impacts. Learn how AI can create a more equitable educational landscape for EL students and understand its long-term impacts on their learning experience.
Friday, December 6
Workshop: Repeating and Breaking Historic Cycles of Education Finance and Policy in California
Time & Location: 9–10:05am / Room 204 ABCD
Presenters: Jannelle Kubinec (WestEd), Alberto Carvalho (Los Angeles Unified School District), Carl Cohn (Claremont Graduate University), and Heather Hough (Stanford University)
Join this session to consider California’s history of education finance and policy from people on the front lines of informing, making, and evolving such policy. Since the passage of Proposition 13 (1978), education funding has expanded and contracted, with major changes in policy along the way — like K-3 class size reduction, the Local Control Funding Formula and transitional kindergarten expansion. Is history a lesson or destined to repeat itself? This panel explores the lessons and opportunities that history has to offer for education finance and policy. Recommended for First-Term Board Members.
Workshop: Roadmap to the Future: Changing the Trajectory for Children and Youth in Yolo County
Time & Location: 9–10:05am / Room 213 CD
Presenters: Garth Lewis (Yolo County Office of Education), Maria Arvizu-Espinoza (Yolo COE), Karleen Jakowski (County of Yolo), and Lisa Eisenberg (WestEd)
Participants in this session will learn about Yolo County Office of Education’s role in launching its “Roadmap to the Future for Yolo County Children and Youth” countywide initiative, as well as the importance of collaborative leadership, effective governance, community engagement and the use of data in tackling this comprehensive project. By fostering collaboration among interested partys, presenters will show how the Roadmap is ensuring equitable access to quality education and support services, thus building a brighter future for children, youth and families.
Workshop: Leveraging Billing to Sustain Student Mental Health and Wellness Programs
Time & Location: 10:40–11:45am / Room 213 CD
Presenters: Lisa Eisenberg (WestEd), Jeremy Ford (WestEd), Alicia Pimentel (Santa Clara County Office of Education), and Karessa Paulino (Santa Clara County Office of Education)
Schools currently face the challenge of maintaining student mental health and wellness programs expanded in recent years. This workshop will describe three key billing strategies to sustain services that improve student outcomes: the LEA Medi-Cal Billing Option Program, the Multi-Payer Fee Schedule and community-based partnerships. Presenters will discuss practice and policy considerations for expanding billing efforts and next steps for local educational agency leaders to effectively implement these strategies. Recommended for County Offices of Education.
California Suburban School Districts Association Luncheon
Featured Speaker: Jannelle Kubinec, WestEd’s Chief Executive Officer
Time: 12:15–1:30pm
Location: Anaheim Marriott
Join us at the California Suburban School Districts Association Luncheon. This annual luncheon is an opportunity for suburban school district governing board members, superintendents, cabinet members, and invited guests to gather for an informative and networking event. Kubinec’s remarks will focus on critical challenges facing California school districts. Following her remarks, she will engage in Q&A with attendees to spark further discussion of the issues most pressing to suburban districts and identify paths for future collaboration. As part of the Q&A, moderators will provide an update on what’s ahead in the 2025 legislative year.