CALSA's Summer Institute 2026

What does equity look like when it is truly embedded in classroom practice? For one district, it meant moving beyond policy statements and compliance to co-create a district Equity Walkthrough Tool for leaders that makes equity visible in every classroom. This tool aligns instructional practices with a shared language of culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy. It provides a structure for instructional rounds, data collection, and collaborative calibration. District and site leaders first used the tool to develop a common understanding of what rigorous, equitable instruction looks like.
The work did not stop at leadership; administrators empowered teacher leaders to participate in reflective observations, facilitating professional dialogue and building collective ownership of equity-focused instruction. By bridging policy, pedagogy, and practice, the district is strengthening coherence across schools while ensuring that multi-lingual, and other historically underserved student groups remain the focus of improvement efforts. Participants will see how systems level approaches—including instructional rounds and shared calibration—can transform both teaching and leadership to improve student outcomes. The session shares concrete strategies for empowering educators, fostering collaboration, and sustating cutlrually responice practices to at scale. 
Attendees will leave with a replicable framework for making equity actionable, observable, and sustainable. This session demonstrates how educational leaders can partner to build bridges acosss our education system to support leaders, teachers and students, caring forward the equity work to create meaning, lasting impact in school communities.