​"Equity in ​Action"

​"Equity in ​Action"

Saturday, October

29, 2022:

8:00 AM - 4:00 PM 30 minute lunch break

$20 for Support Staff 

$40 for NASA Members 

$60 for Non-NASA Members

ALL are welcome, including anyone in a non-administrative position! Participants will earn .5 credit (7.5 hours) toward license renewal!

This workshop ALSO counts for step advancement in Clark and most Nevada School Districts! & In CCSD, those in non-administrative licensed positions may count this workshop for license renewal AND ALSO 2.5 CUs - THOSE IN NON-

ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS EARN BOTH!

(unlimited CUs in this category for those in non- administrative positions)

In CCSD, administrators and professional- technical administrators may count this workshop for license renewal OR 2.5 hours toward step-advancement - not both for

administrators.

(maximum of 30 hours per advancement cycle for administrators in this category)!

Washoe County participants will be required to also register for this course in "MyPGS" in order to receive in-service credit toward salary advancement.

Traci Davis

Traci Davis has a distinguished career as an educator; she has worked in a variety of schools ranging from at-promise to affluent, high-achieving to in need of improvement, and has helped transform learning environments in elementary-, middle- and high schools. As the former superintendent of the Washoe County School District (WCSD) in Reno, NV, Traci Davis served more than 64,000 students, their families, and more than 8,000 employees. Her transformational and passionate educational leadership resulted in sweeping gains in student achievement and performance as the District worked toward its goal of “Every Child, By Name and Face, to Graduation.” Through her “deliberate and intentional” call to action equity initiative, the district’s graduation rates rose from 63% to 86% and significantly closed achievement gaps for ALL students.

Superintendent Davis was awarded the Nevada National Distinguished Principal Award in 2011 for her efforts to transform an at-promise school into a high-achieving school in Clark County. Under her leadership, William E. Snyder ES earned the distinguished title of high achieving. She has served as an academic manager, deputy superintendent, Title I specialist, and teacher on special assignment. She was named among “10 Women to Watch” by Nevada Business Magazine and was a finalist for the Sierra Nevada Powerful Women Awards 2018, sponsored by Northern Nevada Business Weekly. She has the distinguished honor of being the 2019 AASA National Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award Winner for her long-standing commitment to her deliberate and intentional equity work. She continues to serve on the National Home Visit Board of directors.

She is a proud graduate of the inaugural class of AASA/Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy. Currently, she is the Lead Superintendent for AASA’s inaugural Equity in Action Cohort and AASA/Howard Urban Academy. Additionally, she serves as the Capstone Facilitator Superintendent for AASA/USC Rossier Urban Superintendents Academy.

Her passion for all students, especially those that have been historically excluded, is evidenced in her record of successful academic outcomes. After 25 years in education, she continues to lead the journey for equitable outcomes for all students.

Dwight D. Jones

Dwight Jones currently serves as President of Education Practice and Policy Partners. Prior to that, he served as Denver Public Schools Senior Deputy Superintendent, Equity and Engagement. 

Before joining Denver Public Schools, he served as Senior Vice President of Equity, Inclusion & Urban Markets at McGraw-Hill Education. In his role, he worked with leading national, regional and local associations and organizations to find new ways to partner together to address the needs of administrators, teachers and students in some of the largest and most academically diverse U.S. school districts.Prior to joining McGraw-Hill Education, Dwight served as Discovery Communications’ Superintendent in Residence and provided strategic guidance and advice to the organization’s Education Division.

Before that, he served as the superintendent of Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, the nation’s fifth-largest school district. During his tenure there, he initiated a school reform agenda designed to raise the academic bar and ensure all of the district’s 315,000 students were prepared for college, a career or the military.

Prior to his time in Nevada, Dwight served as the Colorado Commissioner of Education, overseeing the education of more than 830,000 students across more than 1,700 schools in 178 public school districts. His efforts to revamp state standards, improve accountability and narrow achievement gaps, particularly those related to race and socioeconomic status, have been recognized by governors, legislators and colleagues across the state. He also oversaw the development of the Colorado Growth Model, which depicts the overall achievement of individual schools and districts to administrators, educators and the public and has since been implemented in more than 15 states.

Dwight has been recognized by numerous organizations throughout his career. He has been awarded the AASA Distinguished Service Award (2019), the NAACP’s Heartbeat Award (2013), the Asian Chamber of Commerce Community Achievement Award (2013), Chairman’s Award of Excellence, Nevada Latin Chamber of Commerce (2012), Alumni Fellow for Kansas State University’s College of Education (2011), and Troops to Teachers Hall of Fame (2010).

Dwight and his wife Jenifer are the parents to 3 children and reside in Colorado Springs, CO.

Workshop Description:

Along with innovative instructional delivery approaches, a new focus on social justice and equity has emerged across the nation. The recent global pandemic has highlighted inequities that were historically built into and persisted in public-school systems. The very educational systems that should serve ALL young people.

This extended session will challenge educational stakeholders to be deliberate and intentional in a call to action for equity for all students. Participants should be committed to addressing the greatest social justice and civil rights issues in the United States: educational inequity.

This crucial work starts with the individual. We will explore how our own implicit bias may create barriers for children's potential success! Also, this session will take a deeper dive into the intentional and deliberate actions to support equity in rural, suburban, and urban school districts, it will also address how adults’ actions, conscious or unconscious, play a pivotal role in school transformation.

We encourage courageous leaders to work to eliminate the inequities that have plagued our public schools for centuries. A significant portion of the session's learning will focus on facilitating the school community in the development of a shared mental model for the school district’s equity and diversity goals. In addition, participants will explore ways to cultivate positive and productive classroom, school, and district culture. We will also address developing the mindset needed to enhance cultural responsiveness and inclusion, participants will work to enhance their individual skills in these areas.

This will be a safe, collaborative, and action-oriented learning space for courageous conversations about equity in schools.