Conference Program

CSDC’s California Charter Schools Leadership Update Conference offers an in-depth, timely program that provides the critical content, resources and technical assistance that charter leaders are seeking.

Searchable Program Coming Soon!

The conference committee team is finalizing the 2022 conference program. In the meanwhile, here is some additional information on programming at this year’s event.

Formats

  • Breakout Sessions: 75-minute in-depth sessions on defined, critical topics
  • Extended Workshops: 3-hour sessions for a deep dive into content
  • NEW! Learning Labs: 45-minute sessions hosted in our exhibit hall full of energy, hands-on engagement and opportunities for attendees to interact with their colleagues
  • Discussion Groups: 60-minute conversations on a specific area of charter school operations or on a current topic led by a sector expert…no power points, no presentations, lots of time for discussion and Q&A to round out your conference experience.

Strands and Topics

Attendees of CSDC's 2022 Leadership Update Conference will choose from a diverse program of timely, in-depth sessions presented by sector leaders.

The conference committee team received a wide range of submissions addressing many of the strands and topics outlined below. (Confirmed 2022 strands/topics may vary somewhat from the list below.)

Accountability and Renewal

  • Demonstrating growth with “verified data” assessments: grappling with pandemic data and other tricky issues
  • Demonstrating strong postsecondary outcomes
  • Renewal and accountability
  • Understanding shifting LCAP requirements
  • Renewal case studies: How we rallied our data to make a compelling case
  • Measuring student success
  • Building successful relationships with your authorizer
  • 1505 “Fiscal Impact” criteria

Educational Approaches

  • Developing and launching successful CTEIG programs
  • Developing and launching successful Community Schools
  • Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) Funding Program Design
  • Leveraging technology
  • STEM programs
  • Social-emotional learning
  • Student wellness
  • Project based learning
  • Social justice and anti-racism practices
  • Promoting strong college postsecondary outcomes
  • Creative strategies for offering TK

Facilities

  • Effectively navigating Prop 39
  • School site expansion: choosing new locations and facilities
  • Facilities financing
  • Charter Facilities Grant Program‐navigating the details
  • Prevailing wage and other difficult facilities development issues

Governance

  • Effective board management practices
  • Strategic planning for charter schools
  • Forming a Political Action Committee
  • Successfully recruiting charter school board members
  • Positive parent communication
  • Managing and recruiting volunteers
  • Building a successful relationship with your authorizer
  • Creating local networking opportunities with other charter schools
  • Developing and maintaining successful board policies
  • Successful Executive Director evaluation

Human Resources

  • Effectively identifying and recruiting high quality staff
  • Developing competitive staff compensation packages
  • Staff retention
  • Wellness strategies: what we’ve learned our employees need
  • Navigating credentialing requirements
  • Navigating employee leaves
  • Executive search: how to run your own or hire a search firm
  • Williams lawsuit compliance

Leadership and Equity

  • Building effective charter leaders and leadership teams: recruitment, development, and retention strategies
  • Leading through change
  • Planning for leadership succession
  • Equity audits
  • Building anti-racist organizations
  • Addressing teacher and administrator burnout
  • Translating mission, values, and goals into day-to-day practice
  • Strategic planning and implementation
  • Developing and maintaining strategic partnerships
  • Ethnic studies‐how to implement the new mandate

Legal

  • Legal and policy update
  • Cyber security in the age of ransomware attacks
  • Challenges to growth--material revisions, MOUs and authorizer policies
  • Collective bargaining 101
  • Student and staff social media policies and practices
  • Wage and hour compliance: employee classifications and non-exempt requirements
  • Addressing disruptive community members—parents, students, board members
  • Executive compensation and performance review: what is appropriate, competitive, and legal?
  • Special education compliance

Policy and Advocacy

  • Running for local school board
  • Building authorizer support: successful outreach and school visits
  • Policy and legal update
  • Student ambassadors to represent your school

School Operations

  • Creative student recruitment and enrollment strategies
  • Liability trends and how to avoid them
  • School safety
  • Universal Meal Program (UMP) in charter schools
  • TK implementation

Strategic Fiscal Management

  • Universal TK implementation
  • Strategic use of Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) Funding
  • Building a sustainable school meal program
  • Preparing for the next recession: cost-reduction strategies to streamline operations and endure fiscal uncertainty
  • Effective strategies for spending one-time funding
  • Innovative charter school financing and funding alternatives to expand revenue sources
  • Federal funding management
  • Surviving Federal Program Review—hear from schools who have done it
  • Audit update
  • Special education without breaking the bank: fiscal best practices
  • Keeping pace with Special Education trends
  • Opportunities and tradeoffs for leaving the district and joining a CHELPA

Student Success

  • Addressing learning lag
  • Promoting growth in literacy
  • Promoting growth in mathematics
  • Supporting the success of English learners
  • Supporting the success of students with disabilities
  • Effective instructional practices for nonclassroom-based schools
  • Developing instructional leaders

Schedule

Please visit the conference schedule page for more.