Inland Empire teachers will gather at Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, July 29, for the second annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit, a free, statewide day of learning and networking that is open to all California PreK-12 teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators and other educators.
One of 38 locations across the state, CSUSB invites the region’s teacher to share ideas, join a teacher network, and learn effective strategies for implementing the new California Standards in their classrooms.
The summit, which will feature keynote speakers actor Ernie Hudson and educator Kelly Gallagher, will take place at the university’s Santos Manuel Student Union, located at 5500 University Parkway in San Bernardino, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Complimentary parking will be in Lot D. While registration is officially closed, teachers may still sign up for the wait list on the CSUSB event website.
The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus will also be a summit venue, with teachers invited to meet at its Indian Wells Theater; complimentary parking will be available in the main parking lot.
“The 2015 inaugural gathering of the Better Together: California Teachers Summit was a complete success, and we’re working to build off that momentum to make the 2016 summit even better,” said Mick Verdi, associate dean of Cal State San Bernardino’s College of Education and coordinator of the program on campus. “The Better Together: California Teachers Summit provides teachers in the Inland Empire the opportunity to meet and discuss how best the California Standards can be taught to PreK-12 students.
“It is not often teachers can come and share ideas and strategies with teachers not in their districts or schools,” Verdi said. “This sharing of information will make students in the Inland Empire better prepared for life in the 21st century.”
Hudson, whose film credits include “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II,” is scheduled to speak at the morning session with a message that all students, no matter their background, should have access to a quality education. Hudson himself understands the challenges of overcoming seemingly incredible obstacles, according to his website.
Born in poverty, he grew up in the housing projects of Benton Harber, Mich., before the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, overcoming the death of his mother, the absence of his father and racism in the entertainment industry.
Gallagher, regarded as one of the foremost experts in literacy education, has devoted himself to the teaching of reading, writing, listening and speaking, working as a high school teacher in Anaheim and as an author/consultant who works with educators worldwide.
In 2005, Gallagher received the Award for Classroom Excellence from the California Association of Teachers of English, the state’s highest honor for English teachers. Inspired by his classroom, mentors, and professional development experiences, Gallagher has written six books for teachers.
In addition, the summit will feature, TED-style EdTalks presented by local teachers, and Edcamp discussions on timely topics such as the California Standards in English/Language Arts and Math and the Next Generation Science Standards. Teachers will walk away with access to new resources and concrete tools that are already working in classrooms across the state.
A unique partnership between the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the California State University and New Teacher Center formed to host this free statewide day of learning. Through their strong and distinct networks, the organizers will reach educators at every stage in their development: new and veteran teachers, current teaching students, and alumni.
“As California embraces new ways of teaching and learning, teachers want more opportunities to connect with and learn from their peers,” said Ellen Moir, founder and CEO of New Teacher Center. “New Teacher Center supports new and veteran teachers. We’re thrilled summit attendees will join a growing network of teachers teaching teachers.”
During EdCamp sessions teachers will pick topics – ranging from technology in the classroom, to improving literacy in early education, or boosting science, technology, engineering, and math education – and exchange ideas with colleagues throughout their region.
“CSU is pleased to be an organizing partner of Better Together,” said Loren Blanchard, executive vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. “Led by teachers for teachers, the summit recognizes the expertise of thousands of outstanding classroom teachers. It enhances the prestige of the profession and contributes to retaining excellent teachers, helping to address teacher shortages.'
The TED-style EdTalks will feature local teachers sharing strategies and classroom victories in implementing the California Standards.
“In light of California’s teacher shortage, we must do more to celebrate and support teachers,” said Kristen Soares, president of AICCU. “Teaching is a uniquely challenging yet rewarding profession that requires teachers to be lifelong learners. AICCU’s innovative and leading Teacher Education Programs are proud to continue to serve our teachers. The Summit is a unique opportunity for teachers, teaching and teacher education to come together to collaborate and re-energize ahead of the new school year.”
To register online to attend the summit at Cal State San Bernardino, go to Better Together: California Teachers Summit at CSU San Bernardino at http://bit.ly/1X7MPMA.
To register online for the summit at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, go to Better Together: California Teachers Summit at CSU San Bernardino, Palm Desert at http://bit.ly/1UmYIrS.
In addition to CSUSB and the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, summit venues in the greater Los Angeles area include:
- Antioch University
- Azusa Pacific University
- Biola University
- Brandman University, Irvine
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- Cal Poly Pomona
- CSU Channel Islands
- CSU Dominguez Hills
- CSU Fullerton
- CSU Fullerton, Irvine Campus
- CSU Long Beach
- CSU Los Angeles
- CSU Northridge
- Loyola Marymount University
- Pepperdine University
- University of Redlands (at Lee Pollard High School)
For more information, visit the Better Together: California Teachers Summit website at www.cateacherssummit.com, and follow #CATeachersSummit on Twitter at @CATeacherSummit at https://twitter.com/cateachersummit and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cateacherssummit for up-to-date information.
About AICCU
The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities represents 75 private nonprofit colleges and universities in California, which collectively enroll 320,000 students and is the largest preparer of California’s advanced workforce. The core mission of AICCU institutions is to improve lives through higher education. AICCU institutions are committed to the public good and are incredibly diverse – ranging from large to small traditional liberal arts institutions, including nationally ranked research universities; colleges offering faith-based, performing and visual arts, and “non-traditional” programs of study; as well as professional schools that specialize in business, law, medicine, and more. In addition to providing creative and intellectual higher education resources to assure California’s future societal and economic vitality, AICCU institutions are major contributors to the economies of the regions they serve.
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest comprehensive university in the country, serving 474,600 students at 23 campuses. For more than 100 years, the university has been the vortex of teacher training. The CSU is known as the “people’s university,” serving the most academically, ethnically and economically diverse students in the nation. The university is known for providing quality degree programs and preparing job-ready graduates for success. With 1 in 10 employees in California, and 1 in 20 Americans who hold a university degree in the United States as a CSU alumnus, the university has the largest alumni base of any public university in the country with 3 million living alumni.
About NTC
New Teacher Center is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving student learning by guiding a new generation of educators. Founded by teachers in 1998, NTC works in conjunction with school districts, state policy makers and educators across the country to increase the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders at all levels. These programs are built upon research-based principles for teacher onboarding, mentoring and ongoing coaching, and proven to accelerate teacher effectiveness, reduce teacher churn and improve student achievement. NTC has made it their mission to overcome challenges students and teachers face by providing all educators with the support and resources necessary to succeed from their first day to their last. NTC now supports more than 8,500 mentors or coaches and 31,600 teachers, and is improving the learning of more than 2.2 million students across the country.