2025 ACSA Equity Institute

Expanding educational equity consists of a framework of three intersecting elements: instructional equity, cultural equity, and digital equity. In this session, attendees will learn how expanding equity begins with providing high-quality instruction for all students. Achieving instructional equity requires paying attention to each of the three key essential elements that make up the “instructional core”: the student, the teacher, and the content.

Is your workplace infected with stereotypes, cronyism, and favoritism? Does it value workplace culture over inclusivity and skill? If so, it might be a victim of implicit bias. This workshop will review cases where courts have (and have not) recognized implicit bias as a form of discrimination.
1. Learn about the psychological basis for implicit bias.
2. Review how implicit bias can affect personnel decisions through court cases and workplace scenarios.
3. Hear about how to implement a specific standards-based hiring and evaluation process to counter the impact of implicit bias.

A positive, inclusive, and connective school community lays a foundation for student success social-emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. In this workshop, we will highlight strategies for using the principles of restorative practices with student voice at the center to achieve this goal. We will focus on utilizing initial professional development to lay the groundwork and then training students on the skills of restorative practices. They can then serve as leaders in classrooms so that all students gain the skills of tier one restorative justice through relationship and community building and circle practice. Some of the skills we focus on are active listening, affective statements, and restorative dialogue. Through activities and circle practice, we work to build community with teachers and staff also learning through student leadership. Our presenting team includes an administrator, a safe and inclusive schools coordinator and two students.

This session is a partnership between Restorative Equity Partnership (REP) and Fresno Unified School District (FUSD)—a collaboration grounded in trust, accountability, and a shared commitment to transforming equity work from performative to truly impactful.

Through real, on-the-ground examples, this session highlights how theory, existing district initiatives, and action are braided together to drive research-based transformation. Participants explore how:

1. Honest acknowledgment of systemic shortcomings builds trust, validates lived experiences, and lays the foundation for meaningful action,

2. Foundational learning, like Cultural Proficiency Training, serves as a springboard for deeper, equity-centered work, and

3. Staff-driven learning—rooted in intentional framing, active listening, and actionable problem-solving—empowers educators to approach challenges with agency, creativity, and care.

This session engages participants through interactive discussions, reflective exercises, and collaborative problem-solving. Participants gain tools to:

1. Build psychological safety that fosters courageous, solution-focused equity conversations,

2. Leverage district priorities and initiatives as a foundation for sustainable change, and

3. Center care and creativity to create environments where both staff and students thrive.

When theory, action, and district commitments are braided together, equity work becomes more than an aspiration—it becomes a transformative force that creates real, lasting change. This session moves beyond acknowledgment to demonstrate how care, collaboration, and bold leadership drive equity into action.

Join us for a transformative workshop where we delve into the essential layers of building a robust and successful Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. Drawing on the metaphor of crafting the perfect cake, this workshop introduces the 'Cake Study' approach to Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) implementation, featuring a detailed walkthrough of successful case studies from early implementers in small, mid-sized districts and a county office of education. You'll learn how to layer your program with the crucial elements of compliance, curriculum, professional development, and community engagement, all while ensuring equity remains the yeast that allows your program to rise above the rest.

 [Click Here] to view our interactive dashboard that will be presented. 

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence; it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” Audre Lorde
Now, more than ever, self-care is critical, not optional – and it’s linked to my signature approach to R.E.S.T (Restoratively Embracing Self Today). Self-care includes all the things you do to take care of your well-BEing in seven key dimensions, including our spiritual health. Anchoring to the work of other thought-leaders in the rest movement, Tovi guides us through experiential contemplative practices, reflection, and discussion. Participants will begin to assess the shifts we need to make in our lives to re-store ourselves to greater wellness....and how this powerfully links to giving those we lead permission to do the same. Of course, we also explore aspects of self-care and REST through the lens of equity and inclusion - and how rest is a key strategy for high-achieving and innovative, creative leaders. In this highly transformative experience, Tovi gives the opportunity to identify and evaluate your own strategies and create a personal R.E.S.T plan rooted in self-care practices that rely on choices, not a bank account.

Socially conscious educators are responsible for creating environments where outrageous love is on full display while simultaneously setting high expectations and culturally responsive systems of support so students can thrive. This workshop will provide an overview of the power of asset based practices and the impact on equitable outcomes for students. Understanding identity, intersectionality, language, and asset-based mindsets serves as the baseline for student achievement while also serving as the base for strong family to school partnerships.
-Take inventory on their own identity
-Review asset-based vs. deficit based thinking and language
-Apply an asset-based framework to policies, practices and procedures in their schools.

Career Technical Education (CTE) plays a critical role in preparing students for the future. CTE course data still suggests a large disparity of students with disabilities, students of color, and English Learners being unable to access these relevant learning opportunities. Join us as we share how we created CTE programming opportunities that were previously unavailable and inaccessible to marginalized youth.

We will explore the student voices, partnerships, and logistics that any school or district can use to increase access for students. We will also share the data findings related to academic achievement, attendance, and the decrease of undesired behaviors that often arise when our systems are not meeting the needs of our students.

Recognizing one of the largest challenges to opening access to CTE courses are interventions and support classes; we will demonstrate how we used an assessment of instructional minutes, master schedule creativity, connection to innovative teacher’s, and collaboration with community colleges to design CTE Masterclasses. These courses meet the equivalency of State mandated high school courses as well as the demand for A-G approved courses and labor market industry certifications.

Acknowledging that many schools and programs do not have funding to spare, we will explain how we approached sustainability through grants and explore best practices for finding success in CTE grant submissions.

You too can have engaged students, excited teachers, and CTE Pathway completers!

Dr. Robin Avelar La Salle will provide valuable perspective and tips on how to prioritize student outcomes amidst challenging political times. How can leaders effectively balance many competing interests while keeping the primary focus on what matters most—our students? Be prepared to be enlightened, challenged (in the best possible way), and inspired.
1. Tips on how to prioritize student outcomes
2. Overview of learning acceleration formula
3. Most common systemic inequity traps

Student voice is a powerful driver for equitable change, yet it is often overlooked in decision-making processes. This session will explore how empathy interviews can be used as a transformative tool to amplify student experiences, identify systemic barriers, and drive meaningful change. Participants will engage in reflective discussions on best practices for conducting empathy interviews, explore strategies to create safe spaces for students to share openly, and develop actionable plans to integrate student voice into policies and practices. By centering the lived experiences of students, educators can foster a culture of belonging and equity that leads to student-centered solutions.

This session will introduce critical systems thinking strategies and tools and provide participants with meaningful practice interrogating leadership actions to maximize their potential to effect sustainable system-wide change.
1) Be introduced to 14 habits of system thinkers that can help leaders navigate complex change efforts
2) Practice utilizing the systems thinking habits using "ripped from the headlines" case studies from complex public systems
3) Reflect individually and collectively on the importance of a systems approach to ensuring educational equity and the barriers leaders face in enacting these.

To better understand the future political climate for the LGBTQ+ community here in California, it is worth considering the last two years in review; both nationally and within the state. Common types of legislation are likely to continue to be introduced at every level of government across the country, and what has failed to pass in the past is likely to be re-introduced. This workshop will prepare you for the year 2025 and teach you how to both read and keep track of state-based legislation that affects the LGBTQ+ community.

It offers two free takeaway documents that you can share with your staff, families, and students: an LGBTQ+ legislative debrief for entering 2025, and a comprehensive resource guide that is intended to help LGBTQ+ people and allies locate services covering a wide range of intersectional issues and needs. The resources are categorized loosely into topics such as; administrative resources, community and non-profit resources, family resources, general resources, legal resources, mental and physical health resources, sex ed/family planning resources, and youth resources.