We are excited to share the “Advancing Equity in an Era of Crisis” virtual guide with you. In this guide, we examine how we can equitably meet the needs of all students in the 2020-21 school year.

This information emerges from the 29 webinars CAAASA held in Spring 2020 in conjunction with UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools (CTS), San Diego County Office of Education & California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), as well as

education research on best practices for teaching and learning. We address key challenges that teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and parents will experience as schools reopen. We also provide strategies for successfully managing these challenges.

This guide pays particular attention to the digital divide, and provides strategies for ensuring equitable access to remote learning. We encourage parents, teachers, paraprofessionals and school administrators to use this resource as a tool to help support  all students. Please read the full report.

Click here to download the full report

CAAASA addresses critical issues in education as they relate to African Americans in California. The organization’s primary purpose is to improve educational outcomes for preK–16 African American students and their families. CAAASA program activities include:

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• Annual Education Round-Up: This event galvanizes superintendents, administrators, parents, educators, legislators, civil rights leaders, elected officials, and other community members to identify and address key statewide education initiatives and concerns that impact African American students.
   

• National Coalition on Education Equity: The purpose of CAAASA's National Coalition is to improve outcomes for African American, Latinx, and other underserved students through research, training and technical assistance, policy development, and legislative remedies shared regionally, statewide, and nationally. The Coalition’s design includes five overarching work groups including Educational and Research, Legislation and Policy, Health and Wellness, Civil Rights, and Business/Community.
   

• Advancing Equity in an Era of Crisis: CAAASA, in partnership with UCLA's Center for the Transformation of Schools, and with support from the CCEE, developed this project in response the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended our educational system and prompted reflection on issues of curriculum delivery and equity. The project provided a series of online trainings for  educational administrators, teachers, parents, and para-educators about the best ways to serve every student during California’s Shelter-in-Place period and beyond.
   

• CAAASA Annual State Professional Development Summit: CAAASA’s statewide conference draws hundreds of educators and national leaders in the field to focus on critical issues of equity policy. At panels, keynotes, and plenaries, superintendents, district leaders, principals, teachers, and more share ideas and experiences and provide opportunities that will facilitate the implementation of strategies that empower African American students to succeed.
   

• Social Justice and School Climate Technical Assistance Project: This project, developed with and supported by The California Endowment, worked through County Offices of Education statewide to provide technical assistance and professional development training on equity interventions aimed at improving the learning environment of California schools.
   

• CAAASA Leadership Academy for Aspiring and New Superintendents: “Breaking The Glass Ceiling.” This event, held five times a year, focuses on professional development, including strategies to support career advancement and equity for African American educators and educational leaders.
   

• California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) Professional Learning Network: The CCEE selected CAAASA to organize a Professional Learning Network (PLN) focused specifically on improving outcomes for African American students. The three-year project, which engaged educational leaders in the study of best practices, was the only PLN statewide to focus exclusively on the experience of African American students. 

Lifting Our Voices