Leadership Academy
School2Home hosts an annual Leadership Academy of teachers and administrators who share best practices for integrating technology into the classroom.
2023 Leadership Academy
The 2023 Leadership Academy was conducted in person on November 7 th-9th at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. Its main objectives were to: (1) Support continued school leadership to close the Achievement Gap and Digital Divide; (2) Understand how to leverage School2Home components to maximize the benefits of technology investments to improve student outcomes; and (3) Build relationships with education leaders from Partner Schools to strengthen the Learning Community. Presenters included Yolie Flores, Families in Schools President and CEO, Sue Thotz, Common Sense Education Senior Program Manager, Cheryl Lemke, Metiri Group President and CEO, and Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Having Mr. Thurmond join and speak at the Leadership Academy was a major milestone for School2Home. His participation and interaction with educators helped him gain a better understanding of the positive impact School2Home has on partner schools, which can open new opportunities for the program. Overall, the event had a high level of engagement from educators, who reported appreciating the interactive sessions and presentations, the support obtained to develop school technology and parent engagement plans, and the time dedicated to learn about innovative practices from their peers.
2022 Leadership Academy
The 2022 Leadership Academy was conducted in person on November 15-17 in Los Angeles. The most recent yearly Evaluation Report confirmed again that School2Home is a successful strategy for increasing the level of broadband adoption at home. Thus, the School2Home Management Team invited CETF grantees to share their insights with Partner Schools on effective strategies for enrolling low-income families to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The focus of this year’s Leadership Academy was Academic Achievement and its 3 main objectives were to: (1) Support continued school leadership to close the Achievement Gap and Digital Divide; (2) Assess the effectiveness of the 2020 Action Plans in improving implementation of School2Home; and (3) Facilitate the collaboration between School2Home Partners and CETF broadband adoption grantees in order to increase the level of ACP subscriptions significantly.
Keynote speakers included: Dr. Pedro Noguera, University of Southern California; Steve Zimmer, California Department of Education; Dr. Frances Gipson, Claremont Graduate University and CETF Board Director; Steve PonTell, National Community Renaissance; Commissioner Darcy L. Houck, California Public utilities Commission; and Allison Jonas, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Cheryl Lemke, School2Home Independent Evaluator, presented her main findings, which confirmed School2Home Partner Schools on average outperformed their comparison Schools across California in the State Academic Assessments. Ms. Lemke also reported School2Home Partner Schools that had experienced a decrease from their 2019 sores saw a smaller decrease than their statewide counterparts. CETF Board Directors Darrell Stewart, Dr. Frances Gipson, and Renée Martinez attended the event and provided recommendations and words of encouragement to participants.
2021-2022 Leadership Academy
The 2021-2022 Leadership Academy was conducted virtually on November 17th and 18th after the completion of the regular school day. A special dinner was conducted on the evening of November 16th for participating school leaders. Attendees included teachers, administrators, and district officials from the participating districts across California.
Participants were able to hear from International Society for Technology in Education Chief Executive Officer Richard Culatta, US Department of Education Broadband Advisor Ji Soo Song, Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District Technology Integration Coach Adam Juarez, Tulare County Office of Education Technology and Integrated Studies Educational Consultant Katherine Goyette, Sacramento County Office of Education Deputy Superintendent Dr. Nancy Herota, Education Technology Consultant John Fleischman, and California State Board of Education Member Patricia Rucker.
2021 Leadership Academy
The 2021 Leadership Academy was conducted virtually on February 9th and 10th. A dinner was conducted on the evening of February 11th for participating school leaders. The attendees included teachers, administrators, and district officials from the participating districts across California.
Participants were able to hear from California State Board of Education Member Patricia Rucker, Vernon Billy, California School Boards Association Executive Director; Mary Nicely, Senior Policy Advisor for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Anne T. Henderson, an author and national thought leader in the area of parent engagement. In addition, California State Senator Connie Leyva, LAUSD Board member Jackie Goldberg and RUSD Superintendent Elect Renee Hill addressed the participants attending the dinner on November 11th
2020 Leadership Academy
Our leaders convened in Long Beach on February 19 – 21, 2020. The February 19 afternoon pre-session was a beneficial exchange between Directors on the Board of School2Home parent organization California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) with School District representatives from Inglewood, Long Beach, Riverside, and San Bernardino. Over the next two days, School Leadership Teams enjoyed presentations from California State Board of Education member, Patricia Rucker, Technologist Alice Keeler, United Way CEO Oscar Cruz, and digital citizenship warrior, Sue Thotz, of CommonSense Media.
2019 Leadership Academy
Our leaders convened in Sacramento on February 12 – 14, 2019. At the Capitol, they were welcomed by Assembly Education Committee Chair Patrick O’Donnell and Assemblymember Ash Kalra. They heard addresses from Tom Armelino, Executive Director of California Collaborative for Educational Excellence; Senator Connie Leyva, Senate Education Committee Chair; Kenneth Shelton, Techquity Expert; Geoff Belleau, California Department of Education Consultant; Cheryl Lemke, Evaluation Expert, and Micah Studer, Executive Director of Equity and Support Services for Yolo County Office of Education. They were even treated to a surprise visit by Assemblymember Bob Archuleta, whose godson was a School2Home educator.