Resources

The California Center for School Climate and the California Department of Education hosted a webinar that highlights data use in action to drive school climate improvement and collaboration.

Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) in Chula Vista and San Diego County Office of Education have been on a data-informed school climate improvement journey. Leaders in the district have operationalized data use as part of ongoing inquiry and improvement efforts, and have forged strong relationships with partners, including their County Office of Education, school site leaders, and service providers, to collectively improve the experiences of students and school staff.

In this recording, leaders from SUHSD and San Diego County Office of Education discussed the role of data in shaping their collaborative work, and also the importance of adaptive elements like trust, open communication, and mutual regard. Viewers will leave with tips and strategies for engaging in collaborative, data-driven improvement in their own schools or districts.

Watch the webinar recording:

View the recording transcript.

View the session resources:

• Linktree
• Google Document

Speakers:

Luis Lopez is a Teacher on Special Assignment for supporting classroom and systemic change in the adoption of equity initiatives, climate & culture improvements, and social emotional learning within the Sweetwater Union High School District. With 24 years of classroom and central office experience, he is passionate about innovating programs, practices, and platforms that braid academic rigor, positive behavior strategies, and social-emotional learning to create classrooms and schools where the adults and the whole child thrive.

Melissa Rains is a Teacher on Special Assignment for Sweetwater Unified High School District, supporting the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. Rains was named a 2022-23 San Diego County Teacher of the Year while she was working at Castle Park Middle School as a science and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resource Teacher.

Melissa Spadin is the Director, System of Supports at the San Diego County Office of Education where she supports LEAs in LCAP development, Differentiated Assistance, MTSS, SEL implementation, assessment literacy, and measurement design. She has worked on NAEP, state assessments, classroom task development, and formative assessment. She currently contributes to the ISTE Assessment Culture Advisory group, was selected as an inaugural CASEL Fellow, and served on the National Task Force for Assessment Education and The CCSSO FAST SCASS. She began her career in education as a high school English and Theatre teacher, forensics coach, and Theatre Director at Gaithersburg High School in Maryland.