Education, Equity & Empowerment: CASCWA 2022

Join the virtual conference on May 12, 2022 - REGISTER HERE.

SI&A will be presenting three workshops at the 85th annual CASCWA State Conference. Held May 11-13, 2022 at the Palisades Tahoe (formerly known as the Village at Squaw Valley), the state conference theme speaks to CASCWA’s goal and commitment to its members of “Education, Equity, & Empowerment”. Registration for the one day virtual event on May 12 is now open.

Workshop #1: LEADERSHIP REQUIRED!

Thursday, May 12th, 10:45 - 11:45 am

Presenter: Erica Peterson, National Education Manager, SI&A

This interactive training course utilizes Kouzes and Posner’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership model as a framework for district administrators to accelerate student achievement. Participants will walk away with an understanding of:

• The difference between a Leader and a Manager

• Find and share your Vision

• Challenging processes for innovation

• Building high performing teams by empowering employees

• Inspiring and encouraging employees

• Exhibiting the behaviors you want to see from others

Why leaders succeed in building high-performing teams but managers often fail.

Workshop #2: EQUITY FOR ALL: STRATEGIES TO PREVENT DROPOUTS AND INCREASE ATTENDANCE

Thursday, May 12th, 1:15 - 2:15 pm

(This workshop is repeated Friday, May 13th, 12:00 - 1:00 pm)

Presenters: Brenda Tapp, National Training Manager, SI&A; Dennis Wiechmann, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Sanger USD; Johnny Gonzalez, Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance, Sanger USD

As educators, our goal is for all students to achieve equally. Absenteeism is the first indicator of larger issues. Hear from expert practitioners about leveraging agency partnerships to improve home to school communication, build relationships with families and increase engagement. Learn how their teams use real-time data for early identification and intervention in order to connect with families and address the root cause of student struggle. Attendees will walk away with strategies to foster a welcoming school environment and identify students in crisis. Members will hear about real-time data driven initiatives that identify students who are struggling, maximize instructional time, and provide culturally sensitive messaging across the district.

PRESENTER PROFILES:

Dr. Dennis Wiechmann is the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at Sanger Unified School District, having worked in education for more than 25 years. In 2019, Wiechmann was recipient of the Fresno County Administrator of the Year Award by Fresno County Office of Education. Self-described as a “recovering” school psychologist, Wiechmann formerly served as the district’s Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance.

Johnny Gonzalez serves as the Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance at the Sanger Unified School District. Born in Arizona, he moved to Sanger when he was only a year old. Gonzalez takes a personalized open door approach to student and family concerns. Prior to his current role, he has served as a teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal.

Erica Peterson is the National Education Manager for School Innovations & Achievement. At SI&A since 2004, Peterson has consulted with thousands of educators and school personnel in areas of attendance improvement, leadership and organizational effectiveness, and compliance. Peterson also serves as a member of the CASCWA State Board and secretary to her local Delta Sierra Section of CASCWA.

As the National Training Manager at School Innovations & Achievement, Brenda Tapp is in constant conversations with the school and district staff who are tasked with improving student attendance. With over two decades of experience in overseeing daily operations and leading high-performing intervention and technical training teams, Brenda has honed her expertise in attendance management and interventions. She actively participates with the State Attendance Review Board, serving as liaison with district leaders and collaborating with IT and front-line staff to implement best practices and achieve remarkable attendance goals.