Special recognition: Michael Kirst, president of the State Board of Education; Professor Emeritus, Stanford University Graduate School of Education

These sessions provide participants a chance to look more intensively into the experiences of schools and districts in serving children facing unique challenges, and for successful strategies to help overcome them. They will include brief presentations by several experts followed by questions and discussion with participants.

1. Creating safe haven schools and districts

How important is it for a school district to pass a “safe haven” resolution on behalf of undocumented students? What risks do school districts face in enacting those resolutions? What can schools do to meet their constitutional obligations to provide undocumented students, and immigrant students generally, an appropriate education?

Facilitator: Ashley Hopkinson, Early Education Reporter, EdSource
Expert Discussants
Margie McHugh, Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute
Tanya Broder, Senior Staff Attorney, National Immigration Law Center
Vince Matthews, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District

2. Creating inclusive and supportive school environments

How do bullying and stereotyping impact LGBTQ and other vulnerable student populations? How can support for LGBTQ students be integrated into school curricula? What strategies are needed at different ages and grade levels? What impact are federal policies having on California schools?

Facilitator Jane Meredith Adams, Senior Reporter, Student Wellness, EdSource
Expert Discussants
Vincent Pompei, Director, Youth Well-Being Project, Human Rights Campaign
Vito Chiala, Principal, Overfelt High School, East Side Unified School District

3. Improving education outcomes for at-risk high school students

What strategies are working to increase graduation rates? What real options are alternative high schools providing? How can they be improved? What do high schools need to learn from alternative high schools?

Facilitator John Fensterwald, Editor-at-Large, EdSource
Expert Discussants
Marciano Gutierrez, Lead Social Studies Teacher, Alta Vista High School, Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
Zitlaly Ramirez, Recent graduate, , Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District
Morri Elliott, Principal, Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy (SAVA)
Darin Brawley, Superintendent, Compton Unified School District

4. Promoting African American Male Academic Achievement

What are schools doing to close the achievement gap for African-American male students? What are some of the most promising strategies being implemented in school districts around the state? What are the obstacles to implementing them more widely?

Facilitator George White, Senior Reporter, EdSource
Expert Discussants
Ramona Bishop, President, California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators
Christopher P. Chatmon, Executive Director, Office of African American Student Achievement, Oakland Unified School District
Marcus L. Strother, Coordinator of Youth Development,Sacramento City Unified School District

5. Combating Homelessness and Housing Insecurity

What are the special needs of homeless students at a time of rising housing costs in California? How can schools better support students experiencing housing insecurity, and what resources will they need to serve increasing numbers of homeless children?
Facilitator: Carolyn Jones, Math and Science Reporter, EdSource
Expert Discussants
Boona Cheema, Former Executive Director, Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency
Consuelo Zuluaga, Program Coordinator and Homeless and Foster Youth Liaison, San Leandro Unified School District

Other discussants to be announced