CALSA Summer Institute 2026

This session examines how one school district strategically launched artificial intelligence through an inside-out leadership model—beginning with capacity-building for administrators, alignment of governance, and ethical guardrails before scaling to classrooms. Participants will explore a district-wide approach to AI implementation that builds coherence, trust, and sustainability by engaging leaders first, establishing board-approved guidelines, and developing site-based teacher leads supported by a structured professional learning calendar. The presentation offers a replicable roadmap for districts seeking to integrate AI responsibly while strengthening instructional practice and organizational capacity.

What does it look like when a school district truly listens—to students, families, teachers, principals, and board trustees—before charting its future? This session tells that story.
Salinas Union High School District (SUHSD), one of California's largest and most diverse high school districts, embarked on a multi-year, community-centered process to develop its Framework for the Future and Portrait of a Graduate. Serving over 15,000 students in the heart of the Salinas Valley—where the children of farmworkers sit beside the children of engineers—SUHSD's work required a process as bold and inclusive as the community it serves.
In this session, district leaders will share how they moved from aspiration to action: designing a co-creation process that centered student voice, elevated family wisdom, and built ownership across every layer of the organization. Attendees will leave with a replicable process, practical tools, and the inspiration to launch their own community-driven visioning work.

In this session, participants will explore the strategies and systems needed to develop strong, equitable leadership across every level of education. Attendees will gain actionable insights to strengthen their leadership impact and build sustainable pipelines that prepare the next generation of school leaders.


Key Learning Objectives:

• Understand organizational dynamics and leverage formal and informal structures. 
• Cultivate influence through relationships, credibility, and equity-focused decision-making. 
• Identify and develop emerging leaders through mentorship, stretch opportunities, and leadership pathways. 
• Build systems and structures that sustain leadership beyond individual roles. 
• Reflect on leadership legacy and actionable steps to grow the next generation. 
• Format & Approach:
   Engaging keynote with sectioned slides, actionable strategies, reflection prompts, and steps for immediate application. Includes tools for leadership reflection, pipeline creation, and long-term leadership growth.

What does it take to move from fragmented initiatives to a coherent, equity-centered system that truly responds to students, families, and communities? This session introduces the Community Schools Blueprint through the SEEDS framework, Sustainable Transformation, Equity in Action, Empowerment & Roots, and Co-Created Innovation, as a living, adaptive approach to systems alignment and community-centered design.
Grounded in an ecological lens, the Blueprint recognizes schools as part of a broader, interconnected system where students, educators, families, and community partners co-construct the conditions for thriving. Participants will explore how the SEEDS domains serve as both anchors and drivers for continuous improvement, supporting districts in aligning programs, strengthening shared leadership, and building coherence across initiatives.
Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all model, this session creates space for reflection and sense-making. Through examples and guided dialogue, participants will examine how to leveraging data, community voice, and cross-sector collaboration to deepen impact and sustain meaningful change. The session will also highlight connections to key California frameworks, including the California Community Schools Partnership Program and the CA English Learner Roadmap.
Participants will leave with practical tools, reflection prompts, and entry points to support their own community schools efforts, whether initiating or refining, while staying grounded in equity, responsiveness, and collective ownership.