CALSA Summer Institute 2025

Communication is critical for engaging families of English Learners, biliteracy students, and students of diverse backgrounds.

How do you build a communication plan that meets their needs?

Woodland Joint Unified School District Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin and Public Information Officer Jerry Jimenez discuss how they collaborated to build a strong district communication plan to increase community engagement.

This session provides best practices for collaborating on developing an effective communication plan that supports a diverse community.

In this engaging, one-hour session designed for school and district administrators, participants will explore how to lead effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) with a strong equity lens—focusing on the unique needs of multilingual learners. The session will highlight how to use data to drive instructional and intervention decisions, align supports across tiers, and ensure language development is integrated throughout. Leaders will leave with practical strategies to improve outcomes for all students by centering language, culture, and equity in their systems.

Join actor, director, producer, and humanitarian Edward James Olmos, his Spotlight Session co-panelists, and Dr. Anabolena DeGenna to experience student film content and discuss how partnering with the Latino Film Institute’s Youth Cinema Project (with 11 years of receipts) can (a) first and foremost support both academic and social-emotional learning and close performance gaps, and (b) create pathways followed by professional mentoring to “flood the zone” of the entertainment, tech, and AI industries with trained and skilled students served by CALSA administrators, CABE, and California Latino School Board member districts.

Path2Papers (P2P) is a project housed at Cornell Law School that helps “Dreamers” and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients pursue work visas and other pathways to legal permanent residency. With the ever looming possibility of DACA being terminated and increased enforcement actions, approximately 578,680 DACA recipients could be left without any form of protection or ability to work. Of these DACA recipients, more than 90% (468,000) were born in Mexico/El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras/Peru and other Spanish speaking countries, according to government data. Come find out how school districts can support their DACA employees to pursue lasting and permanent immigration options.

Rather than handing over the math, what if we invited students to wrestle with it, wonder about it, and talk their way through it? For school leaders, fostering that kind of classroom doesn’t just happen through delegation—it takes intentionality, clarity, and systems that endure even as teams evolve. This session explores how leaders can shape instructional culture by guiding teachers to ask purposeful questions that open space for student thinking, spark peer-to peer discourse, and deepen understanding—especially for English Learners. Grounded in the California Math Framework, we’ll examine what rich “math talk” sounds like and share tools to help teachers design opportunities for students to share ideas, pose observations, and make meaning together. Leaders will walk away with strategies to create simple, repeatable structures that build accountability, support instructional coherence, and set a school-wide tone where student voice, curiosity, and collaborative thinking are not just encouraged—but expected.

Join a powerful conversation with visionary educational leaders who are transforming data into tools that elevate student voice and affirm cultural identity. This dynamic panel will explore the intersection of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), cultural responsiveness, and the celebration of biliteracy, offering practical strategies that move from policy to practice.
Gain insights into how schools and districts can reimagine equity by embedding language and culture into every layer of support. Our esteemed panelists will share their philosophies, lived experiences, and innovative approaches to ensuring all students are seen, valued, and empowered.

Stepping into a school or district leadership role is one of the most rewarding—and challenging—journeys in education. This dynamic session brings together the powerful voices of a first-year superintendent and an 11-year veteran to offer an honest, engaging, and inspiring look at the realities of leading in today’s educational landscape.

Attendees will hear directly from a new superintendent as he shares the highs, lows, and everything in between during his first year. He’ll reflect on navigating relationships, setting vision, responding to crises, and finding his voice as a leader. Alongside him, a seasoned superintendent will share enduring lessons from over a decade of leadership: the pivots that matter, the mistakes that shape growth, and the non-negotiables for long-term impact.
Together, they’ll provide practical advice, heartfelt encouragement, and real strategies that new and aspiring leaders can take back to their own districts.

Key Takeaways:
• First-year survival tips: what no one tells you but you need to know
• The power of mentorship and reflection in leadership development
• Strategies for building trust, vision, and culture from day one
• Long-term leadership lessons: what matters most over time
• Q&A with both leaders to dig deeper into participant questions

Whether you're a new administrator, an aspiring leader, or a mentor to others, this session will leave you informed, encouraged, and empowered.