That’s A Wrap For Our Birth to 12th Grade Water Cooler Conference: Shining A Light on Equity!
Thank you to all who were able to join us for our virtual Birth to 12th Grade Water Cooler Conference: Shining A Light on Equity!
This action-packed, two-day conference brought together many dedicated early childhood and K-12 stakeholders from across California. Together, we discussed how we can center equity and community voice to ensure historic budget investments result in a transformative and racially just birth to 12th-grade system for California’s children and families. Advancement Project California would also like to thank you for your continued support in the fight for educational equity to help realize the dream of the Golden State for all Californians. Check out some highlights from this powerful event.
Max Arias, Executive Director of SEIU Local 99, reminded attendees that educators need to be paid justly, not fairly, and must be given access to healthcare and other critical benefits for their service.
Oakland organizer Stephanie Juaregui spoke with writer Gabby Rivera about the importance of uplifting queer Latinx youth and their stories.
Anya Hurwitz, Executive Director at Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) Model, told attendees, “It’s amazing what can happen to a school culture when it shifts to a systemic focus on deeply engaged learning that is language rich.”
Sarah Neville-Morgan, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Opportunities for All Branch at the California Department of Education, urged us all not to devalue the work and support that goes into being an early childhood educator.
Linda Darling Hammond, President of the State Board of Education, closed out the second day of our Birth to 12th Grade Water Cooler Conference. “It is our job to carry this moment forward, to really get to a place where every school is a place where every child is supported, families are welcomed, and we are providing all of the resources in the right way to enable success for all of our students.”
If you were able to attend, let us know your thoughts by taking our survey. You can also relive the conference by checking out our Birth to 12th Grade Water Cooler Conference playlist on YouTube. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s event!
Resources