WestEd and CDE  discussed the use of LCAP goals to support student connectedness and improved school climate.

• Each local educational agency (LEA) in California is required to address school climate within their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). This webinar recording will discuss the importance of developing goals that provide support for any local school climate need(s) within the LCAP. This recording will:
  • Provide examples of school connectedness goals
  • Discuss strategies for well written goal descriptions, “why” statements, metrics, and actions
  • Provide opportunities for participants to indicate the types of local school climate data they are collecting to inform their needs assessment, the actions/strategies they developed to address those needs, and how the impact/effectiveness of actions was determined
  • Provide resources for supporting the development of school climate LCAP goals

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Presenters

Lidia Renteria, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education

Lidia Renteria, MEd, serves as an Education Programs Consultant in the Local Agency Systems Support Office (LASSO) at the California Department of Education. In this role, Lidia supports LEAs with the implementation of Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), local indicators, and family and community engagement. Lidia has 30 years of experience in programs serving children from prekindergarten through 12th grade.

Joshua Strong, Education Administrator, California Department of Education

Joshua has served as the Administrator of LASSO at the California Department of Education (CDE) since March 2016. In this capacity, he and the LASSO team support local educational agencies throughout California in the programmatic implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula, including the LCAP and the Local Indicators on the California School Dashboard. Joshua has also served as the Administrator in the CDE’s System of Support Office and as an Education Program Consultant in both LASSO and the Title I Policy and Program Guidance Office at the CDE. Prior to coming to the CDE, Joshua served as a History/Social Science teacher at both the middle school and high school levels.

You have your California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) results. Now what?

Districts and schools often want to know how to understand their survey results and then translate that knowledge into action. When you see your results what do they actually mean? How do you translate your data to serve your local needs? This webinar will showcase how to explore CHKS results on the three measures that LEAs often use for the LCAP School Climate Priority 6: Caring Adult Relationships, School Connectedness, and School Safety. We will discuss how to disaggregate your survey data to find groups of students who need supports and outline steps to identify strengths and growth opportunities. From this webinar you can expect to take away resources and information on what possible steps you can take to strengthen school climate.

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Presenters:

Leslie Poynor

WestEd Research Associate Leslie Poynor is the State Coordinator for the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey System, the largest statewide survey of resiliency, protective factors, and risk behaviors in the nation. She provides technical assistance to all levels of education personnel in conducting and using the data from all CalSCHLS surveys in data-driven decision-making, including the California Healthy Kids Survey. She also develops and facilitates professional development and data workshops on creating safe and supportive school climates as well as on the education of the whole child.

 

Children Now’s 2023 County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being is an interactive online tool that provides a comprehensive picture of children’s health, education, and welfare in every one of California’s 58 counties. This tool provides county-level data mapping, tracking key indicators of child well-being across counties, over time, and by race and ethnicity. In this recording, Children Now reviewed findings from their most recent Scorecard, reviewed how to access local county data, and discussed how communities have used the data to inform their efforts.

Presenters

Kelly Hardy, Senior Managing Director, Health & Research

Kelly Hardy directs and supervises the organization’s health policy and research projects, including the California Children’s Report Card and California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being.

Ms. Hardy has worked in health policy at the federal, state and county levels, focusing on Medi-Cal and the uninsured. In Washington, D.C., she advocated for reproductive rights and on behalf of breast cancer organizations as a member of government relations firm Bass and Howes, Inc. In Sacramento, Ms. Hardy worked directly with the California Health and Human Services Agency’s Assistant Secretary on Medi-Cal; she also analyzed state health policies and budgets for the government relations firm Hyde, Miller, Owen & Trost. Afterwards, she oversaw the Medi-Cal, CalWand food stamp budgets for the Alameda County Social Services Agency.

Ms. Hardy earned her MPP and MPH at University of California, Berkeley and a B.A. in psychology with a minor in women’s studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Jurnee Louder, Assistant, Research

Jurnee Louder serves as the Research Assistant at Children Now. In this role, Ms. Louder supports the development of the organization’s research-oriented publications and projects.

Prior to joining Children Now, Ms. Louder graduated magna cum laude from the George Washington University, with a B.A. in sociology. In her studies, she developed not only a robust understanding of research methods, but also honed her passion for using research to improve disparities across vulnerable populations. Ms. Louder won awards for her university research and presented at regional conferences. While pursuing her degree, Ms. Louder also worked as a writing consultant at her alma mater’s writing center. There, she met with a diverse set of clients to help them strengthen their writing and research process.

In her free time, Ms. Louder enjoys reading, cooking, exploring the Bay Area and caring for her ever-growing collection of plants.

 

 

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How might we explore LCAP school climate metrics with more intention? How can we integrate local context? Local context and education partners can help shine a light on strengths and opportunities for growth in your school or district. In this recording, presenters investigated how to explore school climate data included in LCAPs and identify ways to dig deeper to understand data. Anaheim Union High School district shared their journey in engaging educational partners in this process.

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Speakers

Ashley N. Brown, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education
Ashley Brown, MEd, serves as an Education Programs Consultant in the Student Achievement and Support Division at the California Department of Education. In this role, Brown works with Local Educational Agencies (LEA) supporting technical assistance for Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) and supporting County Offices of Education in the differentiated assistance process. She has more than 18 years of experience in education. Brown has served as a teacher in the Peace Corps, a credentialed school counselor, and, most recently, as a district administrator for African American achievement in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Hilva Chan, Education Programs Consultant, California Department of Education
Hilva Chan, MSW, is an Education Programs Consultant with the California Department of Education. Chan has extensive experience managing programs promoting youth resiliency and wellness both at the state and local levels, and she has managed several federal grants addressing school safety, positive school climate, and student mental health. She is currently the program director for two mental health projects, Project Cal-STOP and Project Cal-Well. Chan oversees the California Center for School Climate and the statewide implementation of the California School Climate, Health, and Learning Surveys.

 

Carlos Hernández, Director of Community Schools and Family and Community Engagement, Anaheim Union High School District
Carlos Hernández. In 1999, Carlos Hernández returned to the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) after graduating from University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in mathematics. From 1999 through 2005, he taught math; facilitated the Mathematical Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program; and took on leadership roles such as the Title I program specialist, at Sycamore Junior High School. He also coached baseball and football during those same years. Hernández transitioned to an administrative position in November 2005 when he was hired to be an assistant principal at Savanna High School. In May 2011, he was given the opportunity to become the principal at South Junior High School, where he served until June, 2015. He continued serving his community as the principal of Savanna High School until December 2017.  He was appointed as the director of guidance and student services, and has served as the director of curriculum and instruction, and director of learning and development in the Anaheim Union High School District. Thanks in large part to the work and the advocacy that is taking place with all educational partners, the Anaheim Union High School District has made it a priority to create a full department of Community Schools and Family and Community Engagement, where he is the director.

Roxanna Hernandez, Coordinator of Learning and Development, Anaheim Union High School District

Roxanna Hernandez, EdD. Dr. Roxanna Hernandez has earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree through the Principal’s Leadership Academy at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds an educational doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Roxanna Hernandez currently serves as the coordinator of learning and development in the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD). She served both as an assistant principal and as a principal at Katella High School for seven years. Before she joined AUHSD, Hernandez was the senior program specialist for English language learners (ELL) with the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). She began her career in education in the Compton Unified School District where she taught English language development, English language arts, and was named an EL program specialist. During her career in education, Hernandez has provided leadership to ELL programs, led processes to support district and site recognitions, such as the 2019 California Democracy School distinction, 2021 California Civic Engagement Award of Excellence, and the 2022 California Green Ribbon Award. Hernandez has also served as the principal of the AUHSD’s Summer Language Academy, which is a Golden Bell–recognized program. Her work was recognized in 2019 when she was awarded Co-Administrator of Year. In her current position, Hernandez hopes to continue to contribute to the AUHSD mission and vision to, “create a better world through Unlimited You.”

Robert Saldivar, Executive Director of Educational Services, Anaheim Union High School District
Robert Saldivar. After graduating from California State University, Fullerton, in 2001, Robert Saldivar was hired to teach health, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), and PE at his alma mater, Anaheim High School. After coaching and teaching at Anaheim High School for eight years, Robert transitioned into administration in hopes of having a greater impact on a larger population of students and families that are from similar communities that he grew up in. Over the next six years, he served first as an assistant principal at Ball Junior High School and then Anaheim High School. Saldivar was given the opportunity to serve as a principal in 2014 at Orangeview Junior High School before being appointed as principal of Anaheim High School in July 2017. Robert took over his alma mater as the first alumnus to become principal of the school in its rich 120-year history. Thanks to a hardworking and dedicated staff and a culture fostered in kindness, compassion, and reflective practices, Anaheim High School over the next five years was able to increase its graduation rate by 15 percent over the next five years, increase its A-G completion rate by 38 percent, and as a result of schoolwide efforts on important matters like civic education and civic engagement, Anaheim High School was also a recipient of accolades like the Civic Learning Award for the 2021/22 school year given by the California State Department of Education. In the summer of 2022, Robert was appointed as the executive director of Educational Services for the Anaheim Union High School District. Saldivar, who started as a teacher and a coach at his alma mater with the hopes of positively impacting students from the same community that he grew up in, now looks forward to the opportunity to have a much larger impact on an entire district that serves thousands of staff, families, and students.

Melinda Wallace, Senior Program Associate, Region 15 Comprehensive Center at WestEd
Melinda Wallace is aSenior Program Associate with the Region 15 Comprehensive Center led by WestEd serving the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. She leads work to provide support and assistance to state education agencies and other education entities to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, and improve the quality of instruction. Prior to joining WestEd, Wallace served as a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a turnaround principal, and a district office administrator in California.