SDSU

AMERICA'S BEST URBAN SCHOOLS SYMPOSIUM

The America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium is coming soon! Join us online on March 1-4, 2021 at the event many refer to as the most powerful professional development experience of the year! The America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium is an opportunity to learn from typical urban schools that achieve remarkable results for every demographic group they serve. While sessions at many conventional conferences address issues of race, ethnicity, and language background in superficial ways, every breakout session at the America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium highlights public schools where children of color, English learners, and students who meet low-income criteria are exhibiting multiple indicators of educational success, often beyond statewide averages for all students. What a great opportunity to engage your entire school team in learning from schools that serve similar communities and achieve outstanding learning outcomes!

 

Many attendees will be eager to attend the plenary sessions that feature highly engaging and informative keynote speakers with deep expertise related to equity. Others will be excited to attend panels that feature highly successful teacher leaders, principals, or district leaders so they can learn how individuals with similar responsibilities have positively influenced the pursuit of equity. Most often, however, attendees are eager to attend the breakout sessions that feature each award-winning urban school. Each award-winning school will host a session that describes their journey to success and the practices they engage in to ensure that all their students feel valued and capable and benefit from meaningful and relevant learning of challenging standards. As well, each session is structured to include ample time for questions and conversation to explore ideas, difficulties, and opportunities in depth. Educators attending the symposium exit with specific plans for creating stronger schools where students from every race, ethnicity, language background, and family-income bracket experience the joy of mastering rigorous academic content.

The America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium is coming soon! Join us online on March 1-4, 2021 at the event many refer to as the most powerful professional development experience of the year! The America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium is an opportunity to learn from typical urban schools that achieve remarkable results for every demographic group they serve. While sessions at many conventional conferences address issues of race, ethnicity, and language background in superficial ways, every breakout session at the America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium highlights public schools where children of color, English learners, and students who meet low-income criteria are exhibiting multiple indicators of educational success, often beyond statewide averages for all students. What a great opportunity to engage your entire school team in learning from schools that serve similar communities and achieve outstanding learning outcomes!

Many attendees will be eager to attend the plenary sessions that feature highly engaging and informative keynote speakers with deep expertise related to equity. Others will be excited to attend panels that feature highly successful teacher leaders, principals, or district leaders so they can learn how individuals with similar responsibilities have positively influenced the pursuit of equity. Most often, however, attendees are eager to attend the breakout sessions that feature each award-winning urban school. Each award-winning school will host a session that describes their journey to success and the practices they engage in to ensure that all their students feel valued and capable and benefit from meaningful and relevant learning of challenging standards. As well, each session is structured to include ample time for questions and conversation to explore ideas, difficulties, and opportunities in depth. Educators attending the symposium exit with specific plans for creating stronger schools where students from every race, ethnicity, language background, and family-income bracket experience the joy of mastering rigorous academic content.

SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION

Membership: Become part of a learning community dedicated to generating excellent and equitable learning results for diverse learners! Click here to become a member and receive discounts on events and merchandise. Join today and receive $50.00 off your America’s Best Urban Schools Symposium Individual Registration Fee!

Team Registration Fee: $750 for up to 10 individuals from the same school

Individual Registration Fee for NCUST Members: $149

Individual Registration Fee for non-members: $199

 

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Dr. Francisco Escobedo

Dr. Francisco Escobedo has been in education for the better part of 29 years. He currently serves as Superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD), where he started in 2010. Located in southern San Diego County, the District’s 46 schools serve more than 29,600 students. CVESD was 1 of 7 Districts identified as a “Positive Outlier” by LPI from 1000 comparative districts for its superior academic scores. Eight Chula Vista schools have earned NCUST’s America’s Best Urban School Award. Dr. Escobedo is past president of the Board of Directors for the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce, he is member of the Board of Directors for the YMCA and Classroom of the Future, and he is a Rotary member. He is the current Superintendent of the Year for the Association of California School Administrators, Region 18. Dr. Escobedo’s experience includes working as Assistant Superintendent for Educational Leadership in the South Bay Union School District and Principal Research Analyst for the American Institutes for Research. Since 2001, Dr. Escobedo has been an adjunct professor of Educational Administration at San Diego State University and is currently a member of the doctoral faculty. He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, an M.A. degree from San Diego State University, and Ed.D. from the University of California, San Diego, and San Diego State University

Dr. Nancy Frey

Nancy Frey, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Teacher Education at San Diego State University. As a scholar-practitioner, she also serves as a teacher leader at the acclaimed Health Sciences High and Middle College in San Diego. She is the recipient of the 2008 Early Career Achievement Award from the National Reading Conference, as well as a co-recipient of the Christa McAuliffe award for excellence in teacher education from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Dr. Frey, along with her colleague, Dr. Doug Fisher, have published extensively on issues at the core of educational equity and excellence. For example, her recent books, All Learning is Social and Emotional, the Teacher Credibility and Collective Efficacy Playbook, Developing Assessment-Capable Visible Learners are positively influencing teaching and learning throughout the United States and many countries around the world.

Frederick Brown

Frederick Brown is Learning Forward’s Chief Learning Officer. He is the co-designer and facilitator of Learning Forward’s multi-year partnership with Fort Wayne Community Schools, as well as the Learning Leaders for Learning Schools leadership program for principals across Arizona. Prior to joining Learning Forward, Frederick served as a senior program officer for the Wallace Foundation, where he guided the work of several major grantees, including the Southern Regional Education Board; the Institute for Learning at the University of Pittsburgh; and the states of Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Oregon, Kansas, and New Jersey. He has been an elementary school teacher and principal as well as a middle school assistant principal. He also served as a founding member of the Mathematics and Equity Teams for Ohio’s Project Discovery, a statewide initiative to improve mathematics and science instruction. Frederick is the co-author of Becoming a Learning System.

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

March 1 - March 4, 2021

All of these sessions are included in your ticket price. You are welcome to join a few sessions a day or carve some time to attend parts of each one. 
All times are Pacific Times.

Click on any of the links below for more information on each award-winning school and presenter.

Monday, March 1st

8:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Nancy Frey

Internationally known author of many books including, All Learning is Social & Emotional. Professor of Educational Leadership and Teacher Education at San Diego State University.

9:30 am

Horace Mann Elementary School, Glendale Unified School District, CA

Homer Hanna Early College High School, Brownsville Independent School District

11:00 am

Mueller Charter School, Chula Vista Elementary School District, CA

Kearny High School, San Diego Unified School District, CA

Dr. Ruben Gallegos Elementary School, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

12:30 pm

Teaching Practices from America’s Best Urban Schools Panel

Outstanding teachers from award-winning schools will discuss the teaching practices that have been most powerful in influencing student success.

Sonia Escobar, Silver Wing Elementary School
Dr. Chuck McWilliams, Maplewood Richmond Heights High School
Hillary Smith, James DeAnda Elementary School
Carey Pineda, R.F. Hazard Elementary School

Tuesday, March 2nd

8:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Francisco Escobedo

Superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD).
Home of 8 winners of the America’s Best Urban Schools Award.

9:30 am

Silver Wing Elementary School, Chula Vista Elementary School District, CA

Concourse Village Elementary School, Community School District 7, NY

11:00 am

Maplewood Richmond Heights High School, Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, MO

A.X. Benavides Elementary School, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

12:30 pm

NCUST’s National Leadership Certificates for Equity and Excellence Panel:
Learn how district leaders have influenced the success of multiple schools.

Dr. Francisco Escobedo, Superintendent, Chula Visa Elementary School District
Gabriela Mafi, Superintendent, Garden Grove Unified School District, CA
Rose Longoria, Assistant Superintendent, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

Wednesday, March 3rd

8:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Frederick Brown

Learning Forward‘s Chief Learning Officer and Author of Becoming a Learning System.

9:30 am

Rolando Park Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District, CA

Mariano Gonzalez Sr. Elementary School, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

11:00 am

America’s High School, Socorro Independent School District, TX

World Language Institute, Fort Worth Independent School District, TX 

James DeAnda Elementary School, Houston Independent School District, TX

R.F. Hazard Elementary School, Garden Grove Unified School District, CA

12:30 pm

Role of the District Panel
Learn how NCUST’s new leadership certificate panelists are building the capacity of principals and principal supervisors to achieve equitable and excellent learning results.

 

Thursday, March 4th

8:00 am

When Black Students Excel Panel
Learn how school leaders and their teams are helping ensure that Black students excel.

Alexa Sorden, Concourse Village Elementary School
Dimitres Pantelidis, Patrick Henry Preparatory Academy
Suzanne Berry, Wynnebrook Elementary
Brian Rainey, O’Farrell Charter School
Kevin Grawer, Maplewood Richmond Heights High School

9:30 am

Patrick Henry Preparatory Academy, New York City District 4, NY

Hubert R. Hudson Elementary School, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

11:00 am

O’Farrell Charter School, San Diego Unified School District, CA 

El Sol Science and Arts Academy, Santa Ana Unified School District, CA

12:30 pm

How A-PLUS Partnerships Help Districts Create High-Performing Schools Panel

Learn how NCUST’s Advanced Principal Leadership in Urban Schools (A-PLUS) Program is helping districts
strengthen high-performing urban schools.

Testimonials

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESS KIT

CONTACT US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ABUS SYMPOSIUM

We look forward to answering your questions!

Concourse Village Elementary School
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