Education California | The official newspaper of the Association of California School Administrators Volume 47 | Number 20 | March 6 , 2017
Equity expert Pedro Noguera spoke recently at ACSA ' s Superintendents ' Symposium .
Noguera on equity ’ s importance in schools
As one of the most dynamic voices in the conversation about educational equity , ACSA was delighted to have Pedro Noguera as one of the keynote speakers at the Superintendents ’ Symposium this year . Noguera is a Distinguished Professor of Education at UCLA .
Noguera ’ s research focuses on how schools are impacted by social and economic conditions . He is one of the country ’ s foremost experts in diversity and school reform and on closing the achievement gap .
After his keynote presentation at the Symposium , Noguera took the time to share some thoughts on equity , social justice and how administrators can build capacity to support all of California ’ s 6.2 million students .
To begin with , Noguera defined equity clearly , beyond a buzzword , to detail specific actions that would make it possible in an educational setting .
“ In an educational context what equity means is that we are going to respond to the academic and non-academic needs of kids and give them the supports they need so that they can be successful ,” Noguera said . “ That means acknowledging that they ’ re different and that they come to us with different needs . Sometimes you have to give some children more time than others , you have to make sure the children are getting the support they need .”
One of his most recent books is called “ Excellence Through Equity : Five Principles of Courageous Leadership to Guide Achievement for Every Student .” Noguera described the primary takeaways he wants administrators to retain from the book that the work is , in fact ,
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Dated Material being done . He pointed out that there are schools and districts in many regions where real progress in educating all students is being realized that can teach the way forward to schools that are struggling .
His symposium keynote address focused heavily on the need for innovation in approach . Noguera said that “ top-down accountability and didactic teaching methods haven ’ t taken us where we want to go . We have to rethink our strategies and our methods . We need to rethink in order to get different results .”
Noguera also emphasized the importance of supporting each educator along the pipeline , and ensuring that accountability is a community mindset in education .
“ We want to hold everyone accountable ,” he said . “ We need mutual accountability . It looks different for different jobs though ,” he said .
Noguera also spoke about the allocation gap in education , stating clearly that “ we are one of the few countries in the world that deliberately spends less money on poor kids . We spend more money on wealthy kids . The only people who say money doesn ’ t matter are people with lots of money .”
He went on to point out that the allocation gap in fact drives the opportunity gaps that we see and focused on the ways that poverty undermines children and their schools . “ Kids in poverty often bring additional needs and challenges that schools have to respond to . The good news , is that poverty is not a learning disability . There is absolutely no evidence that poor kids can ’ t learn .”
See NOGUERA , page 2
National AP honors for Lynwood USD
Lynwood USD recently commemorated its distinction as one of three districts in the nation – and the only one in California – to be named a College Board Advanced Placement District of the Year , celebrating the monumental achievement with students , teachers and district administrators as College Board leadership presented the award at Lynwood High School .
The district received the honor for being the national leader among medium-size school districts – defined as having between 8,000 and 49,999 students – in expanding access to AP courses while simultaneously improving AP exam performance . Student AP participation increased from 303 in 2010 to 779 in 2016 , representing a 157 percent jump ; pass rates during this time period increased by 5.4 percent – from 20 percent to 25.4 percent .
Lynwood Unified was among 433 districts across the U . S . and Canada to win placement on the annual AP District Honor Roll . From this list , three AP Districts of the Year – one for each district size : small , medium and large – were selected based on an analysis of three academic years of AP data .
“ At Lynwood Unified , we truly believe that every student has the ability to succeed
See LYNWOOD , page 6
ACSA and LPI hold ed briefing
Recently in Sacramento , ACSA and the Learning Policy Institute presented a briefing and discussion on preparing and supporting quality school leaders .
The program included a presentation of the research and recommendations from a soon-to-be-released LPI report on key features of effective principal preparation and professional learning , as well as a panel that offered local and state perspectives on the critical issue of school leadership .
Principals play a critical role in creating a safe and supportive school environment where all students learn and thrive .
As the instructional leader , they also are key to recruiting , retaining , and developing a strong and stable teacher workforce .
As California works to implement the Common Core State Standards and a new school funding and accountability system under the Local Control Funding
See BRIEFING , page 8
Now in its 10th year , the Lead 3.0 Symposium promises to change the way you innovate .
The symposium is unique due to the variety of resources and organizations that come together to create the program , including ACSA , TICAL ( Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership ) and CUE . The California Educational Technology Professionals Association now adds a new perspective to the mix .
The event evolves each year “ as new trends and enhanced pedagogies explode onto our educational scene ,” said Lead 3.0 co-founder Rowland Baker , executive director of TICAL . “ It ’ s great to hear from those making a difference across our state .”
This year , the team that created the event
H . R . 610 . Recently introduced federal legislation H . R . 610 , King , R-IA , proposed to establish vouchers and take numerous negative actions on public education . ACSA has subsequently contacted our federal advocates , Foresight Law + Policy to get their take on the bill . Their opinion was that the bill has little chance of passing , as it would increase overall spending while at the same time ending funding for existing programs . They believe the administration will attempt to pursue a school choice option through a tax credit program . ACSA will continue to closely monitor legislation at the federal level . If you have any questions , please contact ACSA Legislative Advocate Laura Preston at lpreston @ acsa . org .
Accountability webinar . ACSA recently co-hosted a webinar with the California Association of School Business Officials , California County Superintendents Educational Services Association and California School Boards Association on the new accountability dashboard , and it is accessible for viewing on the ACSA website at www . acsa . org / accountability .
ECE Commission . The Early Childhood Education Blue Ribbon Commission formed by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon , D-Paramount , is having its first hearing March 6 . The commission is seeking to develop solutions to assist the state ' s youngest students and their families . Rendon ' s website can be accessed at speaker . asdmc . org .
LCFF seminar . Policy Analysis for California Education is offering a seminar March 10 in Sacramento , titled LCFF Implementation : Issues and Challenges . The seminar will feature the findings of the LCFF Research Collaborative , which has been tracking and analyzing the implementation since the LCFF was adopted in 2013 . More information is available at http :// edpolicyinca . org / node / 639 .
Symposium gives latest info on education innovation
wanted to ensure that the pace of change sweeping across schools is embraced . While the catalyst for that change is always student learning , “ the accelerant is technology and innovation ,” said Mike Lawrence , CEO of CUE and a co-founder of Lead 3.0 .
The event provides an environment “ in which administrators feel comfortable to experiment , huddle with their teams and dream big ,” he said .
Lead 3.0 will take place April 20-22 in Redondo Beach , with an optional pre-Symposium Future Ready Schools workshop on April 19 .
The event features eight different concurrent workshop sessions , keynote luncheons on April 20 and 21 and networking
See LEAD 3.0 , page 5