CALSA's Summer Institute 2026

 In a first year as a district leader, one of the most powerful levers for change is what we choose to notice—and how we act on it. This session highlights how instructional walkthroughs can move beyond isolated observations to become a systemwide strategy for coherence, equity, and continuous improvement. Grounded in real examples from secondary school visits, participants will explore how to collect, synthesize, and act on classroom evidence in ways that honor site context while aligning toward a shared vision of high-quality Tier 1 instruction.
Participants will learn how to shift walkthroughs from compliance-driven practices to a unifying structure that bridges classrooms, schools, and leadership teams—ensuring that what is seen in one classroom informs learning across the entire system.

Disproportionate identification of multilingual learners in special education, particularly within the category of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), continues to challenge school systems striving to ensure equitable access and opportunity for all students. Although federal law requires multidisciplinary teams to rule out exclusionary factors such as limited English proficiency, lack of appropriate instruction, and environmental influences, these factors are not always consistently or systematically analyzed during the eligibility decision-making process.
This session focuses on how educational leaders can strengthen district and site-level systems that support more equitable referral and evaluation practices. Participants will explore common systemic patterns that contribute to disproportionality, including inconsistent implementation of pre-referral intervention systems, limited documentation of instructional opportunities, and the absence of structured protocols for analyzing cultural, linguistic, and environmental context during evaluations.
Grounded in research and leadership practice, this session introduces culturally responsive tools designed to help multidisciplinary teams systematically analyze contextual factors prior to determining eligibility. Participants will explore practical implementation resources for districts, including referral review protocols for administrators, eligibility meeting facilitation guides for psychologists, and structured reflection tools that support teams in examining instructional access, language development, and environmental influences.
Through discussion and applied examples, participants will consider how leaders can align MTSS practices, evaluation procedures, and team decision-making processes to strengthen equity in assessment. Educational leaders will leave with practical strategies and tools to support multidisciplinary teams, improve referral and eligibility systems, and build structures that promote more equitable decision-making for multilingual learners and students from diverse backgrounds.

This session explores how school systems can be intentionally designed to ensure that all students experience coherence, access, and belonging. In many districts, curriculum and instruction, special education, and student services operate in parallel, each addressing important aspects of the student experience but often without full alignment. This fragmentation can lead to inconsistent expectations, reactive supports, and gaps in how students experience school.


Participants will examine inclusion as a systems design challenge rather than a program or placement decision. The session centers on the idea that inclusion is created through the alignment of instruction, behavior systems, and student supports. When these elements are coordinated, students experience predictable expectations, consistent adult responses, and access to high-quality learning across settings.


Using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) as an organizing framework, the session highlights how academics, behavior, and wellness can be integrated into a unified system that supports both students and educators. Practical examples will illustrate how strengthening Tier 1 instruction, aligning practices across departments, and building leadership capacity can reduce fragmentation and improve outcomes.


Participants will engage in structured reflection to identify areas of misalignment within their own systems and consider actionable next steps. The session is designed for district and site leaders seeking to move from isolated initiatives to coherent, sustainable systems that better support diverse learners and the adults who serve them.

The era of "punish and push out" is over. To meet the needs of today’s Latino students, schools must pivot from reactive exclusion to responsive restoration, positioning discipline as a vital component of wellness, academic identity, and student joy. This community schools approach is grounded in a healing-centered lens that moves beyond "managing behavior" to intentionally setting the conditions for radical belonging and psychological safety. By prioritizing "Other Means of Correction" and elevating student voice, we transform discipline from a bureaucratic hurdle into a powerful bridge for connection, ensuring schools are spaces where Latino students feel a deep sense of cultural pride and the fundamental right to thrive.
Through the collaborative perspectives of board members, site principals, and district leaders, this session highlights lessons learned in interrupting bias and rebuilding trust with families historically impacted by exclusionary practices. You will leave with actionable strategies to implement a high-support, high-accountability model that honors the cultural assets of our community. This is a call to co-create systems where discipline is no longer something done to a student, but a process of growth and healing built with them.

In this session, participants will explore how leveraging student well-being data can support school districts in increasing attendance and promoting positive behavior in elementary (K–5) settings. By integrating gamification strategies with neuroscience-informed practices, this approach delivers targeted psychoeducation, equips students with practical self-regulation tools, and generates meaningful, real-time data to inform decision-making.
Attendees will learn how Calexico Unified School District partners with community-based organizations such as Me & Mine to collect and analyze daily well-being data. This collaborative effort allows the district to intentionally group students, tailor supports, and proactively respond to student needs.
Through the lens of Community Schools initiatives, this session will highlight how aligning data, partnerships, and whole-child practices leads to improved student outcomes, stronger engagement, and a more responsive system of support for all learners.

Latinas are highly represented across the educational workforce, yet remain strikingly underrepresented in the superintendency. This gap is often framed as a pipeline issue. This session challenges that narrative and invites a deeper examination of how leadership pathways are actually experienced.


Grounded in a narrative inquiry study of Latina superintendents in California, this session centers the lived experiences of leaders who have successfully navigated the path to executive leadership. Their stories reveal a more complex reality, one shaped not simply by preparation but by access, visibility, systemic barriers, and the critical role of mentorship, sponsorship, and community.


Through an interactive presentation grounded in research and real-world experiences, participants will engage in structured reflection and peer dialogue to examine how leadership pathways are constructed and who is positioned as “ready.” Attendees will be invited to reflect on their own leadership journeys while gaining practical, actionable strategies to build networks, expand influence, and intentionally create more equitable pathways for emerging leaders.


This session is both a mirror and a call to action. Participants will leave not only with a deeper understanding of the realities shaping leadership advancement but with concrete tools to disrupt inequitable systems and strengthen leadership pipelines. Together, we will explore how to ensure the next generation of leaders is not only prepared but seen, supported, and selected.

Multilingual Education for All is a statewide campaign designed to build the conditions, policy commitments, and public will needed to make multilingualism a defining feature of California’s P–12 education system. Rooted in a decade of progress and a growing body of research, this campaign calls for a systems shift: one where multilingualism is affirmed, developed, and integrated into the educational experience of every student.  
California is one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world. Nearly 200 languages are spoken in homes across the state, and this diversity is one of California’s greatest assets—socially, culturally, and economically. Yet our education system does not fully reflect or nurture that richness.
Over the past several decades, California has charted a clear shift toward an assets-based, research-aligned vision for language education, reflected in milestones such as the State Seal of Biliteracy, the passage of Proposition 58 repealing Proposition 227, and the adoption of the California English Learner Roadmap and Global California 2030.
Yet despite this progress, subtractive schooling patterns persist, and only a minority of English learners have access to strong multilingual education programs. Is this the moment to push for Multilingual Education for All? We say YES.
Participants will gain access to tools, resources, and a campaign framework to assess local readiness and spark action. Let’s explore how this statewide movement can inspire a push for multiliteracy as a right, not a privilege.

As Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs continue to expand across California, ensuring equitable access for multilingual learners with disabilities remains both an urgent challenge and a critical leadership responsibility. Too often, students are excluded from DLI due to misconceptions about disability, language development, or program design - limiting access to bilingualism, identity development, and rigorous learning opportunities.


This interactive session, grounded in IDEA, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and the California English Learner Roadmap, equips site and district leaders with the tools to make legally sound, equity-driven decisions at the intersection of DLI and Special Education. Participants will engage in real-world case studies, examine common leadership dilemmas, and confront deficit-based assumptions that impact student placement and program access.


Using the 4 Bridges Framework - Belief, Instruction, Systems, and Family Engagement - attendees will explore how to design inclusive programs where services follow the student, not the program. The session emphasizes actionable leadership moves that elevate family voice in IEP and DLI decisions.


Framed by the theme Somos el Puente entre Generaciones, this session challenges leaders to honor students’ linguistic and cultural assets while building systems that support success across all abilities. Participants will leave with practical strategies, a clear understanding of legal expectations, and a concrete action step to strengthen alignment between DLI and Special Education at their site ensuring more inclusive, sustainable pathways for the next generation of learners.