Presented by members of the RISE UP Coalition: Dr. Gudiel Crosthwaite, Superintendent, Lynwood Unified School District (CA); Anpao Duta Flying Earth, Executive Director, Native American Community Academy (NACA) Inspired Schools Network; and Dr. Stephanie McGencey, Executive Director, American Youth Policy Forum
Moderated by Kimberly Smith, Executive Director of the League of Innovative Schools and Center for Inclusive Innovation, Digital Promise

Sponsored by Camelback Ventures, Digital Promise, Education Leaders of Color, The Pahara Institute, Surge Institute, and UNIDOS US

Watch the Recording 

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.
Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more.

If society has learned one lesson during the pandemic, it is that schools are not just places for learning—they are a core source for the academic, mental, social, and emotional wellbeing of students within a community ecosystem.

Just as a rainbow rises after a storm, today represents a step into a bold and vibrant future for K-12 education. The unprecedented global pandemic in concert with a racial reckoning in the United States has sown the seeds for a harvest of ideas and innovations designed to embrace our students as their whole selves.

As a coalition of leaders of color representing school districts, charter networks and organizations across the country, we offer The New Dawn: An Action Agenda Honoring the Vibrant Diversity of Students as a national blueprint to school systems, leaders, and teachers for collaborating with communities to transform systems and practice.

Watch this edWebinar as we share how leaders, schools and teachers are reimagining teaching and learning policies, systems and practices centered in the diversity of our 55+ million students who embody an array of experiences, identities, cultures, and languages—recognizing that each student must be seen and valued in every dimension of learning.

The goal of this presentation is to provide attendees with a deep dive into the RISE UP Action Agenda: Honoring the Vibrant Diversity of Students and share tools to spark new ideas for effectively supporting the needs of a diverse student population. Viewers will:

• Learn about the 8 Big Ideas for effectively supporting the needs of a diverse student population
• Learn about frameworks, practices, programs, and tools aligned to the Big Ideas
• See examples of practices and tools in action

Viewers are provided with a brief overview of the Action Agenda, a deep dive of the 8 Big Ideas, and offered frameworks, practices, programs, and tools that leaders and teachers can utilize as we prepare for the 2021-2022 school year. Come away with new ideas and tangible tools and solutions for supporting students as you prepare for the new school year.

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to elementary through high school teachers, school and district leaders, and charter networks.

About the Presenters

Dr. Gudiel Crosthwaite, a public educator for over 18 years, joined Lynwood Unified School District in October 2010 as the director of elementary reform and in 2013 became the assistant superintendent of educational services where he monitors and supervises all school operations including student achievement, staff development, facility issues, data analysis, budget development and community partnerships. Dr. Crosthwaite has spent his career teaching, mentoring, and removing barriers to education for underrepresented students of color. The 18-year education veteran has worked in the classroom, as an administrator, and been the executive director for a small education firm.

Anpao Duta Flying Earth grew up on the Standing Rock Reservation in rural South Dakota and North Dakota. He is of the Lakota, Dakota, Ojibwe, and Akimel O’odham tribes. Duta is the youngest of three and a third-generation college graduate. He graduated from Cornell University with a BA in government. He is currently the head of school and the first associate director at the Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Duta joined NACA to assist in founding the charter school in 2006. In NACA’s inaugural year, Duta served as a math instructor, social studies instructor, and an after-school coordinator. He later served as an outreach and community programs coordinator, founded and taught the first Lakota language program in New Mexico, was the director of enrollment and community relations, and taught Indigenous studies. Duta has served as Associate Director and Head of School since 2012. In his capacity as Co-Founder and Head of School at NACA, Duta has been instrumental in representing NACA as a premiere example of Indigenous education nationwide.

Duta has long been a learner of Lakota language and has participated in language revitalization efforts that his grandmother, Patricia Locke, advocated for and developed during her lifetime. He began his efforts to learn his language when he was inducted into a society of traditional Lakota singers at age 13. For the last five summers, he has participated in and served as adjunct faculty for the Lakhotiyapi Summer Institute, the premier Lakota and Dakota language teacher professional development event in the country. Duta is interested in further developing Indigenous language revitalization efforts through learning and sharing with other Indigenous communities.

Dr. Stephanie McGencey is a results-driven manager and staunch advocate for children, youth, families, and communities. She is the executive director of the American Youth Policy Forum. She has over 26 years of progressive experience in public health (health education), community and organizational development, and program management. Her work with youth, women, community coalitions, and underserved populations on issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention, mental health, early childhood, youth development, and substance abuse prevention has enabled her to develop a unique understanding of the types of supports needed to meet the needs of vulnerable children, youth, and families.

About the Moderator

Kimberly A. Smith is the executive director of the League of Innovative Schools and Center for Inclusive Innovation at Digital Promise, leading a national network of forward-thinking education leaders in implementing innovative technologies and practices. Previously, Kimberly worked in senior leadership roles developing digital initiatives at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, PBS, Discovery Education, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Kimberly is an Aspen-Pahara Institute Fellow focused on education reform leadership, and Co-Founder of the National Charter Collaborative—an initiative to support single-site charter leaders of color in creating quality schools. She received her MBA from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

Join the Personalize Learning for Learner Variability community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

The RISE UP Coalition – school districts, charter networks, and organizations led by leaders of color – who are working together, with support of advocates and allies, to design and implement a national Action Agenda to reflect and address the needs of students of color.